The drama of the General Election may be behind us and Galway 2020 may be in full swing, but in Claregalway, the drama is just beginning as it Is that time of year again when the local Leisure Centre is transformed into a theatre for the 38th Annual Claregalway Festival of Drama.
This year, in a change from the traditional Thursday opening night, the Festival will run from tomorrow Friday March 13 to Saturday 21st March inclusive.
You really have to see the venue to believe the transformation from sports hall to theatre. This year’s adjudicator is Donal Courtney, who will give a public critique of the performances each night, before being tasked with choosing the overall winners in a number of categories on closing night.
As always, the onsite Festival Tent is back this year with a fully stocked bar, and complimentary refreshments and home baking are served during the interval and after the performance each night, giving audience members a chance to have a chat about the play, meet the cast and give their own personal critiques on the performance!
Tickets are €12 per night, and Season Tickets, which guarantee entry for the nine nights, are very competitively priced at €70.
Tickets are available by contacting the Festival secretary on 086 3223762. Tickets can also be purchased on the door but booking is advisable to avoid disappointment. Doors open at 7.15pm nightly, with the performance beginning at 8pm sharp. Come along to support a local event and enjoy a great night out!
Here are the nine plays —
Friday 13 — Gut By Frances Poet - Thurles Drama Group
Maddy and Rory are devoted parents to three-year-old Joshua, committed to keeping him happy and safe. But an everyday visit to a supermarket cafe turns into a far more troubling incident, and their trust in those closest to them is shattered. Winner Best Play 2019 Guild Awards.
March 14th Chapatti by Christian O’Reilly - Palace Players
Romance is a distant memory for two lonely animal lovers living in Dublin. When forlorn Dan and his dog Chapatti cross paths with the amiable Betty and her nineteen cats, an unexpected spark begins a warm and gentle story about two people re-discovering the importance of human companionship.
First premiered in Galway International Arts Festival, this play returns with one of Ireland’s top amateur drama groups.
March 15 Skirmishes by Catherine Hayes - Corofin DS
Death can be an enlivening philosophical mystery. Dying is a messy, high-maintenance business, with a tendency to bring out the worst in people. The play takes us to the deathbed of an old lady who’s so near to expiration that her two warring daughters, long estranged but reunited to attend this inevitability, are never quite sure whether it’s already happened.
March 16 Dramateurs by Kieran Kelly - Letterkenny DG
An amateur drama group have not performed for over ten years and are about to make their much anticipated comeback. Before they perform their new play, tragedy strikes.
As their former member Fionn returns home from Boston, he must face up to the actions of his past and attempt to re-unite the group to stage their production. A hilarious farce.
March 17 The Cripple of Innismaan by Martin McDonagh - Glenamaddy DG
The Cripple of Inishmaan is set on the small Aran Islands community of Inishmaan in 1934, where the inhabitants are excited to learn of a Hollywood film crew’s arrival in neighbouring Inishmore.
“Cripple” Billy Claven, eager to escape the gossip and boredom of Inishmaan, vies for a part in the film
To everyone’s surprise, the orphan and outcast gets his chance…. or so some believe.
March 18 Beyond Therapy by Christopher Durang - The Ray Leonard DG
This farcical comedy focuses on Prudence and Bruce, two Manhattanites who are seeking romantic relationships with the help of their psychiatrists, each of whom suggests their patient place a personal ad in the newspaper. Bruce is highly emotional, a trait Prudence sees as a weakness. Complications ensue when Bruce’s jealous live-in lover Bob decides to assert himself and do everything possible to maintain his status quo.
March 19 Sive by John B. Keane - Clann Machua DG
Nana and Mena bicker and provoke one another in the small smoky cottage where they live with Sive and Mena’s husband, Mike. While Nana dotes on her orphaned granddaughter, Sive, Mena plots to marry the young girl off to an old local farmer for the promise of land and a chance to escape from poverty.
March 20 The Outgoing Tide By Bruce Graham - Sliabh Aughty DG
In a summer cottage on Chesapeake Bay, Gunner has hatched an unorthodox plan to secure his family’s future but meets with resistance from his wife and son, who have plans of their own. As winter approaches, the three must quickly find common ground and come to an understanding—before the tide goes out
March 21 Men Should Weep by Ena Lamont Stewart - Bridge Drama
Following the misfortunes of the Morrison family, Ena Lamont Stewart’s landmark play is a searing depiction of the hand to mouth poverty that working class people lived in during the 1930’s.
At the centre of the story is Maggie, the care-worn matriarch. Supported and hindered in equal measure by a network of neighbours and family – from whom it is impossible to keep any secrets – she does her very best in the worst of circumstances, always putting herself last.
