The Results of the 63rd Ballyshannon Drama Festival Are…

Open Section First: ‘The 39 Steps’, Letterkenny Music and Drama Group Second: ‘The Dead School’, Corn Mill Theatre Third: ‘The Glass Menagerie’, Butt Drama Circle Best Producer: Pluincead O’Fearraigh, Letterkenny Music and Drama Group Best Actress: Elaine Gillespie as Annabella/Pamela/Margaret in ‘The 39 Steps’, Letterkenny Music and Drama Group Best Actor: Kieran Kelly as Richard Hannay in ‘The 39 Steps’, Letterkenny Music and Drama Group Confined Section First: ‘Play On’, Phoenix Players, Tubbercurry Second: ‘Stolen Child’, Glenamaddy Players Third: ‘Tea in a China Cup’, Newtownstewart Best Producer: Coman Keaveny, Glenamaddy Players Best Actor: Eamon Gallagher as Henry Benish in ‘Play On’, Phoenix Players Best Actress: Tina Ward as Peggy in ‘Stolen Child’, Glenamaddy Players Blue Riband (Open & Confined): ‘The 39 Steps’, Letterkenny…

First in Strabane!

‘The God of Carnage’ took first place last night in the Strabane Drama Festival, but that’s not all! Premier Award for Best Play First Place in Open Section Best Director Ann Mc Hugh Best Actor Richard Hurst The Audience Award A nomination for Rachel O’Connor as Best Actress A nomination for John Travers for Best Staging. 

Meet the Adjudicator

John Carty John trained at the Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College, Dublin, The International School of Corporeal Mime, London, Saratoga International Theatre Institute, New York and The Roy Hart International Voice Centre, France. He has worked in professional theatre since 1988. He worked as an actor with Co-Motion Theatre Company, Dublin, and Graffiti Theatre-in-Education Company, Cork, before returning to Sligo to become a founder member of Blue Raincoat Theatre Company in 1991. He has acted in most of the company productions to date including Alan Strang in Equus, Christy Mahon in Playboy of the Western World, Lysander in A Mid-Summer Nights Dream, Gath in A Brief Taste Of Lightning, Mr. Martin in The Bald Soprano, McCruiskeen in The Third Policeman,…

Opening Night of 63rd Drama Festival

The 63rd Ballyshannon Drama Festival opens tonight with ‘Same Old Moon’ by Gerakdine Aron, presented by St. Dympna’s, Dromore, in the Confined section. This very funny and moving play follows the life of aspiring writer Brenda Barnes, from childhood to her early forties. Through her eyes, we see her eccentric and fiery Irish family – her wilful and self-destructive Dad, her put-upon and sometimes hot-tempered Mum, and many other characters that have influenced her life. It is a charming, but not uncritical, look at family – a play littered with comedy and poignancy throughout, and promises to entertain. Some tickets are still available on the door. Curtain at 8.15pm.

‘God of Carnage’ on Hiatus

Ballyshannon Drama Society’s production of ‘The God of Carnage’ is on hiatus (as playwright Yasmina Reza would put it) for a few days before assaulting the circuit again on Friday night. The show has participated in four out of its eight festivals, and achieved fantastic results. On February 28th, ‘Carnage’ made its circuit premier in Newtownstewart with great success, winning First Place, the Best Actor award for Richard Hurst, Best Director for Ann Mc Hugh and Best Set. A week later, Saturday the 7th of March, we closed the Castleblayney festival and took home the trophy for Second Place, with Patricia Keane winning Best Actress. The next day, Sunday, we headed to the Western Drama Festival,  Tubbercurry, and completed the run…