What a weekend! ‘Margaret’ took home two first places and one third as three festivals announced their results last night, along with awards for acting, direction and sound.
In Kiltyclogher, the production won first place, as well as Best Actress for Rachel O’Connor as Margaret, Best Actor for Shaun Byre as Dennis (and many other characters), Best Director for Monica Doherty and the Audience Award. In Enniskillen, ‘Margaret’ placed first again, with more trophies for Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, the Audience Award, and Best Sound by Sean O’Connor. The show came third in Castleblaney, and Rachel O’Connor won her third Best Actress award of the season.
This is a fantastic start for the production, with 26 points now on the Open League leaderboard, and five more shows to go. Next up, ‘Margaret’ makes its first appearance in Ballyshannon as part of the 71st Ballyshannon Drama Festival in the Abbey Centre on Friday night, March 15th. Book early!!
The curtain opens on the 71st Ballyshannon Drama Festival tonight, with Newstownstewart Theatre Company presenting ‘The New Electric Ballroom’ by Enda Walsh.
Trapped in the memories of their youthful nights at The New Electric Ballroom, sisters Breda and Clara reflect on lost love and what might have been. As they reminisce, their younger sister Ada looks to re-ignite Breda and Clara’s spirits, and resurrect the smallest glimmer of love and hope in their remote fishing village home. An absurdist fable of the damaging effects of small-town life, Enda Walsh’s play won an Edinburgh Fringe First Award in 2008 and confirmed him as one of Ireland’s most distinctive and dynamic writers of the modern era.
Newtownstewart Theatre Company are regular visitors to the festival and we’re delighted to welcome them back to Ballyshannon, as the first show in nine nights of drama.
“Margaret” by Shaun Byrne, this year’s circuit festival entry by Ballyshannon Drama Society, has its first circuit performance in the Enniskillen Drama Festival tonight, March 6th. In fact, as the original version of the show has been re-written and developed by the playwright, we can say tonight is the world premiere of the play!
Margaret is a new play by Donegal playwright Shaun Byrne, a follow up to 2021’s highly successful Bloody Sunday themes ‘An Incident with Dave Cotter’. The play joins Margaret near the end of her life, and explores troubled relationships: with the Irish, the miners, her children, the public, her male cabinet; as past demons, guilt and scueesses return to torment, flatter and deceive her.
The role of the Iron Lady is performed by Rachel O’Connor, with Shaun Byrne playing various roles as significant characters from her past. The play is directed by Monica Doherty.
“Margaret” features in eight festivals in the All Ireland Amateur Drama Festival. Best of luck to the cast and crew as they begin the journey towards Athlone!!
2024 marks the 71st year of the Ballyshannon Drama Festival, and we have another fantastic line up for all our drama fans this year with a wide ranging programme, featuring everything from slapstick comedy to modern tragedy, touching on themes such as modern Irish life, the Civil War, politics and power, the dangers of over-indulgence and rugby! The festival opens on Saturday March 9th with Newtownstewart Theatre Company presenting ‘The New Electric Ballroom’, Enda Walsh’s award-winning depiction of small-town life. On Sunday night, Castleblaney Players present ‘No Going Back’ by Joe Hanratty, in which two brothers living in a border town in 1924 try to leave the past behind them. The Enniskillen Theatre Company present ‘The Lonesome West’ by Martin Mc Donagh, part of his darkly comic Connemara trilogy, on Monday the 11th of March. Corn Mill Theatre return to the Abbey on Tuesday with the hilarious comedy, ‘According to Rumour’ by Robert Scott, set in the aftermath of a ‘memorable’ party. On Wednesday the 13th, we have ‘Eclipsed’ by Patricia Burke Brogan, telling the story of four women in a Magdalene laundry, presented by the Ray Leonard Players, Claremorris. The Phoenix Players, Tubercurry, visit on Thursday the 14th with an adapatation of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’. On Friday the 15th, Ballyshannon Drama Society present ‘Margaret’, written by Ballybofey’s Shawn Byrne, featuring Rachel O’Connor and Shawn Byrne, and directed by Monica Doherty. It’s a night of rugby on Saturday the 16th as the All Blacks face Munster in ‘Alone It Stands’ by John Breen, presented by the Balally Players, Dundrum. The festival will close on Sunday the 17th with the Arthur Miller classic, ‘A View from the Bridge’, presented by Prosperous Dramatic Society. This year’s adjudicator is Mary Meaney, a regular visitor to the Ballyshannon Drama Festival in the past. All shows will begin at 8pm nightly, except for Sunday the 17th which will start at 7.30pm to facilitate the awards ceremony. Season tickets are €75, plus €1 booking fee. Bookings for individual nights will open on March 1st via the Abbey Centre website, www.abbeycentre.ie .
Ballyshannon Drama Society return to the Abbey Centre stage with the first production of 2024, the hilarious comedy ‘The Two Lives of Gabriel Foley’ by Jimmy Keany. This is the first production to be directed by Geraldine Diver, after recently stepping down as Principal of the Abbey Vocational School, who will be ably assisted by Trisha Keane.
The cast includes a number of familiar faces from the Ballyshannon theatrical scene: Ronan Drommund, Callum Gallagher, Louise Larkin, Joanne Cassidy, Mary Daly, Ailis Mc Intyre, Mary Hoey and Keith Robinson.
The play is a hilarious story of romance and confusion set in rural Ireland! Gabriel Foley is a middle-aged bachelor farmer, who lives with his elderly mother. He has been unlucky in love many times, much to his mother’s frustration. She thinks she’ll never get rid of him. Then he meets upmarket, Hazel Myers and joins the posh drama group in the nearby town in order to romance her.He is unaware that Chrissie McCabe – a cheerful countrywoman, who comes in to help him and his mother – fancies him. By the time Chrissie makes her feelings known to Gabriel, he has already got Hazel’s attention. He and Chrissie decide to try going out together. He tries to let Hazel down gently, but Hazel is not a woman to give up easily.
Congratulations to Rachel O’Connor on winning the Best Actress in a Supporting Role award for her portrayal of Claire in ‘A Delicate Balance’, in the finals of the All Ireland Drama Festival!! The awards for the festival were presented at a Gala Awards Ceremony in the Radisson Athlone, on Saturday night. Before announcing the winner of the award, Adjudicator Paula Dempsey commented, “She owned the stage from the moment she stepped on it”.
Rachel O’Connor receiving the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Claire in ‘A Delicate Balance’, at the All Ireland Drama Finals Gala Awards Ceremony held in the Radisson, Athlone, on Saturday May 6th, 2023.
‘A Delicate Balance’ also received nominations for Stage Management – well done Linda Gallagher, Mary Duggan and Karen Skelly, and Best Stage Setting – congrats Sean O’Connor!
Members of the ‘A Delicate Balance’ cast and crew in their finery at the All Ireland Drama Finals Gala Awards Ceremony held in the Radisson, Athlone, on Saturday May 6th, 2023.
Congratulations to the overall winners, Dalkey Players with their production of ‘By the Bog of Cats’. You can see the full list of awards along with photos from the Gala Awards Ceremony here: https://www.dramafestival.ie/gala-awards-2023/
Cast, Crew and guests at the Gala Awards Ceremony in Athlone.
Congratulations to Damien Gallagher on being inducted into the Ballyshannon Drama Society Hall of Fame as part of the 70th Ballyshannon Drama Festival!
‘Darkness Echoing’, presented by Butt Drama Circle had a memorable night at Ballyshannon Drama Festival as they won a host of awards, including the Blue Riband – their first win on this year’s circuit. Ray Leonard Players, with their production of ‘The Kings of the Kilburn High Road’ won the Confined section.
Results as follows: Billy Myles Audience Award – Butt Drama Circle; Best Set – Butt Drama Circle; Best Stage Manager: Brenda Duffy, Butt Drama Circle; Lighting – Butt Drama Circle; Adjudicator’s Awards (x3) – Aoibheann Diver (Lifford Players); Bernie O’Brien (Pomeroy Players; Prosperous Dramatic Society (for the violent ending scene in their play). Phil McLoone Award for outstanding achievement by a young person – Deirdre Ferguson (Ballyshannon Dramatic Society); Best Actor Confined – Robert Holden as Jap in Kings of the Kilburn High Road; Best Actress Confined – Mary Conlan – Netownstewart Drama Group; Best Producer Confined (Hugh and Mary Daly Cup) – Anne Fahey – Ray Leonard Players; Third Place Confined – Pomeroy Players; Second Place Confined (Catherine Breslin Award) – Newtownstewart Drama Group; First Place Confined – (Commercial Hotel Cup) – Kings of the Kilburn High Road; Best Actor Open ((HJ Travers Award) J.C. Bonar (Butt Drama Circle); Best Actress Open (Eoin Carney Award) – Ashley O’Neill, Prosperous; Best Producer Open (John Stephens Cup) – Sean Byrne, Butt Drama Circle Third Place Open (Jim Flynn Award) – Ballyshannon Drama Society; Second Place Open (CJ King Award) Prosperous Dramatic Society; Winner Open Section – Maureen Gallagher Award) – Butt Drama Circle; Patsy Croal Blue Riband – Butt Drama Circle.
