THE FOURTH Galway Theatre Festival returns from Tuesday October 25 to Monday 31 and promises a Bank Holiday weekend of exciting new theatre shows.
Work will be presented by companies from Cork, Dublin, Cavan, and Britain, as well as from nine Galway-based theatre companies. To help you decide what to go to, here is a selection of the many shows on offer throughout the festival.
The Kimberley Tin (Tyger Theatre presents ): The opening show of the festival, directed by Jessica Curtis, is devised by the company members from their own stash of old love letters, diary entries, and other items, to create a trip into truth and discovery with a bit of craic thrown in. The piece will feature an original score by Gillian Bogan. The cast is Gillian Bogan, Claire Howley, Ailbhe Harding, Emmet Byrne, Maeve Gormley, and Kathryn Reynolds.
See it in the Nuns Island Theatre on Tuesday October 25 at 8pm and Wednesday 26 at 1pm.
Almost A Fantasy (Mephisto Theatre Company ): This production will be the premiere of Caroline Lynch’s hilarious and melodramatic black comedy where an amnesiac bride (Helen Gregg ), a jilted chambermaid (Caroline Lynch ), and a man called George (Martin Maguire ) grapple with Beethoven, fruit hampers, and marriage.
See it in the Nuns Island Theatre on Wednesday October 26 at 8pm and Thursday 27 at 1pm.
A Life of Words (Fregoli ): This is a selection of three dramatic shorts - the original Mosaic of Dreams, the new original short Blocked, and excerpts from The Small Things by Enda Walsh. Tackling such themes as family, loyalty, loneliness, isolation, and confusion, A Life Of Words explores the realms of self conscious narrative, offering entry into the minds and worlds of the various characters. The cast is Maria Tivnan, Rebecca Ryan, Oisin Robbins, Jarlath Tivnan, Aron Hegarty, and Tracy Bruen.
See it in the Town Hall Theatre studio on Wednesday October 26 at 10pm and Thursday 27 at 6pm.
Dreams of Love (Side-Show Productions ): This show tackles spectacular romance with awkward aplomb. Cue Romeo and Juliet’s amateur dramatics, a scene stolen from Mills and Boon, a fairytale featuring a ham sandwich, and more. When the spectacle is exhausted will our Dreams of Love endure? Side-Show Productions is a new Galway company featuring Martin Sharry, Zita Monahan, and Richard Walsh
See it in Nuns Island Theatre on Thursday October 27 at Friday 28 at 1pm.
Chasing Butterflies/In The Garden (Dragonfly/Bluepatch ): This show features two one act plays written by Dragonfly’s Siobhan Donnellan and directed by Bluepatch’s Aoife Connolly. Chasing Butterflies is an award winning production and has been described by Irish Theatre Magazine as “a great story well told…a brave and challenging new voice in Irish playwriting”. In The Garden will receive its world premiere at the Galway Theatre Festival. The cast includes Fiachra Ó Dubhghaill, Martin Maguire, Ben Mulhern, and Siobhan Donnellan.
See it in the Nuns Island Theatre on Saturday October 29 at 8pm and Sunday 30 at 1pm.
Murder On Main Street (Gonzo Theatre ): Philip Doherty’s black comedy tells the story of two hit-men who invade a country pub to do a job on the barman. The thugs’ plans are sent into disarray when a cantankerous local turns up through a ‘special door’ demanding a late pint. The cast is Kieron Smith, Shane Carroll, and Peadar Lafferty. The director is Damien O’Brien.
See it in The Crane Bar, Sea Road, on Saturday October 29 and Sunday 30 at 7pm. Admission is free.
Terrifying Theatrical Tapas (Anam Theatre present ): In this show a sinister smorgasbord of poems and monologues is brought to you by a cast of strange and scary characters. Soak in the spine-tingling atmosphere and order from a menu of selected pieces to be presented before your very eyes and ears.
See it in The Blue Note on Friday October 28 at 7pm and at the Festival Club in the Galway Arms on Saturday 29 at 11pm. Admission is free.
For tickets to the above shows contact the Town Hall Theatre on 091 - 569777 or www.tht.ie A full list of this year’s Galway Theatre Festival productions can be downloaded from www.galwaytheatrefestival.com
