LEADING GALWAY theatre practitioners, such as Little John Nee, Gerry Conneely, and Hot Potato Productions will take part in the new Summer Drama Festival which is taking place in The Cube at NUI Galway from July 20 to 27.
The festival, co-hosted by NUIG’s Societies Office and Drama Society, will feature nine productions over eight days, and will, according to societies officer and festival artistic director, Riona Hughes, "showcase the wonderful theatrical talent in Galway during July, when the city is bursting with art and full of appreciative audiences looking to find the hidden gems and experience what Galway artists have to offer".
Little John Nee will perform Small Halls and Potholes, an evening of eccentric songs and strange stories, celebrating all that is "weird and wonderful about the Irish summer". Gerry Conneely will present two one act plays - Shakespeare in Connemara and Fashion Show, and the one man show, The Great Push, based on the experiences of Irish journalist Patrick McGills in WWI.
Hot Potato Productions will reprise the award-winning Just Guff, by Jim Ward, about a dedicated member of a political party who sees his certainty in that party shattered; The direct provision system will be explored in Visionation’s Behind Closed Doors, which was devised with actors who are living in direct provision in Galway.
NUIG Dramsoc will stage John Breen's much loved Alone It Stands, exploring Munster's legendary defeat of New Zealand in 1978; Eibhleann Caffrey will stage an original work, Recognition, which focuses on two college students and their trials and tribulations; War/war/war student theatre company will stage From There We Saw The Stars, which takes inspiration from Dante’s Inferno, and explores ideas of spirituality. For children there will be Marty Moncrieff the Teddy Bear Thief from Beluga Theatre, which is like a cross between Toy Story and Father Ted.
For more information and tickets see wwwgalwaydrama.com