The creative theatrical mind of Melanie Arnold, a transition year student from Moate Community School, was duly rewarded as she claimed success in the Schools Playwright competition, an annual event hosted as part of the RTE All Ireland Drama Festival Fringe.
Melanie’s play, ‘You’ll never really know...’, was chosen from a shortlisted number of 23 finalists and her play was performed at the awards ceremony in the Dean Crowe Theatre, Athlone, and also televised by the RTÉ News2day programme. This competition involved TY students in the creation of a one-act play on the theme of ‘Connections’.
The Dean Crowe Theatre opened its doors to 400 students plus their teachers to host the awards and see the performance of the winning play. The guest speaker was Mr. Seamus O’Rourke, an award winning actor, director, scriptwriter, poet and an independent producer with his own company Big Guerilla Productions, who set the scene for would be enthusiasts. Seamus gifted them with his insight into both acting and writing, complementing, guiding and encouraging them in a way that helps them to value the creative journey they have been on and the potential for even greater success for scriptwriting.
Melanie Arnold, daughter of Anke and Joerg Arnold from Sprockhoevel, Germany, came to Ireland to experience the culture, learn the language and prepare herself for her greatest ambition – to travel the world. Melanie doesn’t want to miss a moment of anything life has to offer. Her winning play ‘You’ll never really know...’ connects conversation in the present about “death” into an altogether more supernatural conversation, in a fog of mystery, with very interesting revelations. Melanie’s play also won for her a half scholarship to attend the residential Stagewise drama school in Dublin.
