The claws are out in Corofin drama

COROFIN Drama Society, which tasted All-Ireland drama success last year coming third in the open drama category, returns to the fray this year with its latest production By the Bog of Cats, written by Marina Carr.

 

Ahead of taking the play on the annual three-act festival circuit, it opens at Glór, Ennis this Thursday and continues on Friday and Saturday.

Building on their success last year, the drama group has ensured the standard remains extremely high and hopes to maintain its status as a strong competitor on the amateur circuit.

Sandra Cox, who plays the character of Catwoman, outlined what audiences can look forward to.

“The play centres on the character of Hester Swane – she is an Irish traveller that lives on the bog of cats, which is the name of a bog in County Offaly. She has a daughter called Josie, who she had with a settled man in the community called Carthage. The play really centres on Hester’s battles around her abandonment issues. Her mother, Big Josie Swane, left her when she was seven. So the premise of the play is around Hester and her dealing with lost love and abandonment and basically she is not very accepted within the local community of the bog of cats.”

This a large scale production for the Corofin Drama Society and for director John Clancy, who has gone from directing three actors in last year’s performance of The Subject was Roses to co-ordinating a cast of 12.
Sandra explained the play portrays the relationships Hester has with these different characters. The first act sets the scene and introduces the audience to the various characters and builds up the stories behind each.

“The premise really is around Hester’s abandonment. Carthage has left her for another woman from within the community, Caroline Cassidy, and is marrying this girl but he is marrying for money and he gets land if he marries this girl. He has left Hester and that is another issue for her.

“The second act is more comedic and centres around the wedding and there are a lot of funny scenes. You do feel a sense of release in the second act, because the play can get a bit heavy. Then it is back to the drama in the third act,” Sandra explained.

She said it had been a dream of John Clancy’s to produce this play for a long time, but due to the large production and cast, he was cognisant of ensuring he had the right actors to play the right characters.
Sandra described her own character and the love she has for this role.

“For this play I play Catwoman, she would be the oracle of the village. A lot of people are frightened of her. She has a turbulent relationship with Hester but there is a mutual respect there for each other. I had to learn the Offaly accent, which was an extra battle as well. I begged to be given the part because I loved the character,” she said.

The All-Ireland best actress award went to Maura Clancy last year. She returns this year in the leading role of Hester and is joined by Monica Murray who plays Mary Kelly, one of the only characters who is really friendly with Hester.

“She is kind of a mother figure and encourages Hester to leave the bog. That’s the premise really, they are encouraging Hester to leave the bog but she doesn’t want to leave her daughter. There is the issue with the father of the child, Carthage, and Hester as he is fighting to take the child off her.

“Hester wants to stay on the bog because she thinks her mother is going to return. She is being warned to leave and it develops from there. It is really about Hester’s relationship with people that live on the bog of cats,” Sandra said.

Fr Willow is played by Pat O’Reilly. His character “has a grá” for Catwoman, which offers a sparring between religion and paganism. James Raleigh plays Carthage Kilbride, Hester’s love interest, who is to marry Caroline Cassidy, played by Laura Keane.

There is a ghost fancier in this play, too, Sandra revealed. In the opening act, Hester is visited by this ghost played by Martin O’Donohue, who comes to take Hester but realises he has come too early.

“Everyone knows she is going to die at the beginning of the play so it is just a case of when. The ghost of Joseph Swane also comes back, that is Hester’s brother, and he is played by Alan McGuire. Sadie Cassidy, the father of Caroline Cassidy, is a very cranky character played by Peter Daffy,” she added.

The daughter of Hester and Carthage, Josie, is played by Grace Clancy, while Jack Malone plays the part of a waiter known as young Dunne. Mrs Kilbride, Carthage’s mother, played by Eileen Lahiffe, is described as a domineering, protective mother and is not happy at the fact that Hester has an illegitimate child.

“After we finish in Glór, we will partake in the Three-Act Open Drama Festival circuit. Our first festival is in Rush on February 23 and it is onwards then in March. It is our goal to make it to the All-Ireland in Athlone in May. Last year was the first time we qualified and to come third was great. We will also be performing in the Doonbeg Drama Festival in March,” Sandra continued.

Sandra noted Marina Carr is one of the best-known female playrights in Ireland. Originally from County Offaly, this is one of the very strict guidelines she has with the play, that the performers do so in a Midlands’ accent.

Stephen Birmingham, from Offaly but now living in Corofin, is a member of the drama group and is responsible for teaching the society the Offaly lilt.

For booking details contact 065 6843103 or www.glor.ie.