Ballyshannon Drama Society presents ‘A Delicate Balance’ by Edward Albee

Ballyshannon Drama Society proudly presents ‘A Delicate Balance’ by Edward Albee, in the Abbey Arts Centre on February 16th-18th, this year’s entry in the All Ireland Amateur Drama Festival circuit!

First performed in New York in 1966, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play in 1967. The show focuses on Agnes and Tobias, a wealthy middle-aged couple, who have their complacency shattered when their longtime friends Harry and Edna appear at their doorstep. Claiming an encroaching, nameless “fear” has forced them from their own home, these neighbours bring a firestorm of doubt, recrimination and ultimately solace, upsetting the “delicate balance” of Agnes and Tobias’s household.

‘A Delicate Balance’ is directed by Rachel O’Connor, who also performs in the show as Claire, and will be assisted by Carl Duggan. Well-known as the ward-winning star of many of our past festival productions such as ‘All My Sons’ and ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, Rachel has also been an in-house director for a number of Ballyshannon Drama Society shows, directed hit musicals with the Abbey Vocational School and recently played the Iron Lady herself in the one-woman show ‘Thatcher’, in a tour-de-force performance. This is Rachel’s first turn at the helm of a circuit production, but she has been heavily involved in all aspects of our past circuit shows, from costumes to lighting and everything in between, and we look forward to seeing her wealth of dramatic experience brought to bear on Albee’s classic text.

The cast features a group of highly talented, multi-award winning actors: Trish Keane and Richard Hurst as Agnes and Tobias, Rachel O’Connor as Claire, last year’s newcomers Deirdre Ferguson and Troy Devaney as Julia and Harry, and Kay O’Dea as Edna, who is no stranger to the circuit, in her first role for the Ballyshannon Drama Society.

Following the local performances at home in Ballyshannon, the group will have a short breather before they head out on the road to perform in eight festivals around the north west taking part of the All Ireland Amateur Drama Festival, including one more show in Ballyshannon on March 18th.

Cast in order of appearance:
Agnes – Trish Keane
Tobias – Richard Hurst
Claire – Rachel O’Connor
Julia – Deirdre Ferguson
Harry – Troy Devaney
Edna – Kay O’Dea

Director: Rachel O’Connor
Assistant Director: Carl Duggan.

Crew:
Set Design – Seán O’Connor
Set Construction – Seán O’Connor, Paul McGonigle, John Travers, Carl Duggan, Aidan McGuinness, Sean McLoone, Keith Robinson.
Set Dressing & Décor – Trish Keane
Costumes – Rachel O’Connor.
Sound and Lighting – Seán O’Connor, Shane Patterson, Mark Fearon.
Continuity – Linda Ritchie.

We’d like to give a special mention to the very talented Lauren O’Connor who produced the stunning original artwork in the poster!

Tickets for the show will be available from the Abbey Arts Box Office, www.abbeycentre.ie, tel: 0719851375, priced at €14/€11 + €1 booking fee.