Curtain closes on a successful Cavan Drama Festival
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Cavan Drama Festival Committee with some award winnersBack Row: - Elizabeth McDermott, Dollé Cullivan, Paul Farnan, Colman Smith, Committee; Harry Cleary, Director of Clones Drama Group who won 2nd place in the Confined section; Brian McDermott, Treasurer; Lee Ann McPhillips, Clones Drama Group accepting the Adjudicators Award for the ‘best physicality throughout a play’; Rosemary Finlay, accepting the best actor award on behalf of Joe Walsh, Bualadh Bos Drama Group from Oranmore (Confined) in the play, Under the Bed and Aloighse Hayden, Committee.Front Row: – Carmel Gaffney, Secretary; Brigid Duffy, PRO; Rosaleen Doherty, Committee; Alan Haslett, Adjudicator; Madeline Argue, Vice Chairperson; Rachael Cullivan, Chairperson; Maureen Crowe and Ann McKiernan, all Committee members. Photos by Sean McMahonImage 2 of 2
Adjudicators Award goes to Clones Drama Group with their Production of ‘The Playboy of the Western World for the superb manner in which maintained the ‘Physicality throughout the play’.Lee Ann McPhillips accepting the Adjudicator’s Award from Cavan Drama Festival Committee member, Colman Smith.The adjudicator of the Cavan Drama Festival opened this year's event by praising the exceptional range of plays in store over the following eight days.
Initially the chairperson of the festival committee admits she thought Adjudicator Alan Haslett was “being kind”, however now that the festival has concluded, Rachael Cullivan believes he was “absolutely correct and honest.”
“We just had a great selection of plays,” she reflects, all of which were performed to a “really high standard.”
“The quality of acting was as good as anything you would see anywhere,” adds Rachel. “There was dark, there was light, there was comedy, there was great drama.”
The chairperson believes the last night was “particularly lovely”, with the “relatively local” Clones Drama Group on stage with their production of 'The Playboy of the Western World'- performed with “incredible energy and enthusiasm.”
“It was a lovely finish to the festival because the atmosphere was superb.”
The group went on to achieve second overall in the Confined section, and were picked for the ‘Physicality Achieved’ award.
Rachael praised each of the drama groups competing: “They rehearse in their own halls but then pack it all up and go to a new stage, a new theatre and a new audience.
“They have an afternoon to rehearse and get all the tech together. That's a massive thing.”
She notes that everybody “wants to give it their all, they're doing this yes of course for the joy of acting and entertaining audiences, but they really are hungry to get to an all-Ireland final.”
This hunger is evident when the Celt speaks to James Sheerin of the Clones Drama Group, who have hopes set on making the All-Ireland.
“This is our first year on the circuit, we've got three seconds so far and a third. Our goal is to get to the All-Ireland, we need a win basically,” he said.
Competing in six festivals overall, the group are still waiting on results from Portadown, and will compete in Ballyshannon on Thursday.
Competition aside, the group are enjoying the process.
“The welcome you get is lovely and the play goes down really well with audiences,” says James, who plays Old Mahon. “Our thinking is just go at it, do what we do, and see what happens,” he states.
“There's a juxtaposition of fear and delight [on stage], but it's a great buzz.”
Rachael meanwhile thanked everybody who made this year's Cavan Drama Festival a success.