Thespians flock to Doonbeg

THE 49th West Clare Drama Festival starts this Saturday evening in Doonbeg and will run until Monday, March 15.

The annual festival will be held in Doonbeg Community Hall, with a host of local drama groups taking part. Indeed, half of the programme of plays for the festival are being performed by groups from Clare. In addition, five other drama groups from around the country will travel to Doonbeg to compete in the festival.
The official opening will be performed by Owen McMahon, son of renowned playwright Brian McMahon, author of The Honeyspike, which was performed by Doonbeg Drama Group in last year’s festival circuit.
Geoffrey O’Keeffe will be the adjudicator for this year’s festival. Geoff holds an MA in Theatre Studies from DCU and has enjoyed much acclaim for many years, both as an actor and as a director. He has played roles as diverse as Cathage Kilbride in Marian Carr’s By the Bog of Cats and Falstagg in Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. Highlights of his work as a director include La Corbiere, (All-Ireland finalist), On Bailes Strand at the Abbey Theatre during its centenary celebrations in 2004 and JM Synge’s Riders to the Sea (All-Ireland One-Act Winner, 2007).
In addition, Geoff has featured in a number of short films.
On opening night, Amphitheatre Company Kilkee perform Sive – the first of two John B Keane plays to feature in the festival. The second, Big Maggie will be presented by Doonbeg Drama Group on the final night. Letter from America by Liam Howard will be staged on Sunday, by The Palace Players from Cork while Thurles Drama Group will perform Aristocrats by Brian Friel the following evening. On Tuesday, Corofin Dramatic Society bring to the stage John Patrick Stanley’s Doubt: A Parable with another Clare group Sliabh Aughty Drama Group presenting Rosie and Starwars by Charlie O’Neill on Wednesday, March 10. Playboy of the Western World by JM Synge will be performed by Ennis Players on Thursday and will be followed on Friday by Brideview Drama Players, Waterford’s presentation of John Anastasi’s play Pied a Terre. Kilmeen Drama Group will travel from West Cork on Saturday March 13 to perform King of the Castle by Eugene McCabe with Sunday night seeing Compantas Lir of Claregalway delivering I do not like thee, Dr Fell. The festival will conclude on Monday March 15 with the local performance followed by final adjudication and presentation of awards.
The West Clare Drama Festival is one of nearly 40 drama festivals that takes place around the country over the month of March as part of the competition circuit of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland. The first, second and third placings of groups in two categories by the adjudicator at each festival count towards qualification for both All-Ireland finals. The West Clare Drama Festival is well regarded as a premier festival with some groups travelling from far and wide year after year to compete in Doonbeg.
Doors open at the festival every night at 7.30pm with curtain up at 8.30pm. Season tickets are available while tickets can be purchased on the door each night.