We won! ‘The God of Carnage’ took first place in Carrickmore, giving Ballyshannon Drama Society three firsts, a total of 36 points, and a place in the All Ireland Final in Athlone!! Ann Mc Hugh won Best Director, Rachel O’Connor and Trish Keane shared the Best Supporting Actress award, Richard Hurst won the Best Supporting Actor award, and Trish Keane’s tulips scene won Best Moment of Theatre.
Awards Photos Now Online
Photos from the 63rd Ballyshannon Drama Festival Awards Ceremony are now in our online Gallery and on our Facebook page. Thanks as always to Brian Drummond for the photographs.
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 Music and Drama Group
Outstanding Achievement by a Young Person Award (Open & Confined): Orlaith Gilchrist as Laura in ‘The Glass Menagerie’, Butt Drama Circle
Adjudicator’s Award: Butt Drama Circle for Moment of Theatre – the candle scene in ‘The Glass Menagerie’
Adjudicator’s Award: Sound Plot in ‘The 39 Steps’
Adjudicator’s Award: Paul Bonner and Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhríde as Man 1 and Man 2, ‘The 39 Steps’
Best Lighting: Butt Drama Circle, ‘The Glass Menagerie’
Best Stage Manager: ‘The 39 Steps’, Letterkenny Music and Drama Group
Best Set: ‘The Dead School’, Corn Mill Theatre Group
The Audience Award: ‘The 39 Steps’, Letterkenny Music and Drama Group
Final Night of Ballyshannon Drama Festival 2015
Tonight is the final night of the 63rd Ballyshannon Drama Festival. The awards ceremony will follow tonight’s performance of ‘The Dead School’ by All Ireland Winners 2014 Corn Mill Theatre Group. Results will be posted online.
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, Clov in Endgame & most recently as Yuri Gagarin in First Cosmonaut by Joselyn Clarke. He has directed a number of plays for Blue Raincoat including Krapp’s Last tape, Rough for theatre II and Play by Samuel Beckett. He has also directed theatrical productions for County Sligo Youth Theatre, Bealtine Festival and Cairde Festival, Sligo. John has facilitated numerous workshops for Blue Raincoat in the areas of Voice, Text analysis and Stagecraft with Drama students of Queen’s University, Belfast, NUIG, Drama League of Ireland & El Submarino, Madrid.
Prior to his professional career, John was actively involved in amateur drama in Sligo. He was introduced to Sligo Drama Circle through his drama teacher, Walter McDonagh in 1980 and participated in many productions with them, including the works of J.M.Synge, W.B.Yeats, T.C. Murray, Brendan Behan, and Hugh Leonard & J.B. Keane. He has also worked with Coolera Dramatic Society & Everyman Theatre.
He has been a member of Guild of Irish Drama Adjudicators (GIDA) since 2010.
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.
Drama Festival Listings Now Online
Details of all the plays taking part in the 63rd Ballyshannon Drama Festival which opens on Saturday, March 14th, have been updated on the website, under the ‘Drama Festival’ and ‘Events’ links at the top of the page.