Golden jubilee drama festival in Doonbeg

THE 50th annual West Clare Drama Festival will be held in Doonbeg parish hall from Saturday, March 5 until Monday, March 14. The first festival was held in 1962.

Ten groups will participate this year, six in the confined category and four in the open section. The festival adjudicator will be Padraic McIntyre, Association of Drama Adjudicators (ADA).
On opening night, The Palace Players (Cork) will present Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley, while Ballyduff Drama Group from Waterford will stage All My Sons by Arthur Miller on Sunday, March 6.
Five Clare-based drama groups will tread the boards on successive nights from Monday, March 7 until Friday, March 11.
The groups, in order, are Doonbeg Drama Group with Say Cheese by Bernard Farrell; Sliabh Aughty Drama Group with Moonshine by Jim Nolan; Mullagh Drama Group with A Wake in the West by Michael J Ginnelly; Amphitheatre Company Kilkee with United by John McDwyer and Cooraclare Drama Group with Happy Birthday Dear Alice by Bernard Farrell.
Kilmeen Drama Group will present A Whistle in the Dark by Tom Murphy on Saturday, March 12, followed by The Loves of Cass Maguire by Briel Friel on the penultimate night of the festival.
The closing night on Monday, March 14 will feature Corofin Dramatic Society with The Righteous are Bold by Frank Carney. This will be followed by the final adjudication.
Doors will open each night at 7.30pm, while the curtain will go up at 8.30pm.
On Tuesday, March 15 a golden jubilee dinner will be held in Doonbeg hall, followed by the presentation of prizes.