Skibbereen Theatre Society is delighted to host Druid for their
special 40th anniversary celebration with DruidShakespeare.

The company’s association with Skibbereen Town Hall goes back a long
way as it was one of Druid’s earliest touring venues and they were
always popular visitors here.

Tonight’s epic production of four action-packed condensed Shakespeare
plays will run approximately, as follows:

5.00pm – Richard II

6.40pm – break of 15 minutes

6.55pm – Henry IV (Part 1)

8.25pm – break of 30 minutes

8.55pm – Henry IV (Part 2)

9.55pm – break of 15 minutes

10.10pm – Henry V

(approximate finishing time 11.30pm)

During the breaks, light refreshments will be available to purchase in
the foyer.

Patrons should be back in their seats promptly for the start of each play.

Enjoy!

Skibbereen Theatre Society won the Best Presentation award in the 2015 All-Ireland Confined Drama Finals in Kilmuckridge, Co Wexford, this weekend with their production of Family Plot by Darragh Carville.

The overall winners were the Kilrush Drama Group from Co Wexford with local playwright Billy Roche’s Poor Beast in the Rain. As well as winning the Best Presentation award, the Skibbereen group was also nominated for Best Lighting, while Carmel O’Driscoll and Ger Minihane were among the nominees for the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.

The West Cork group performed on the opening night on Friday, April 10th. Even though opening night is considered not to be the best one of the nine to be drawn for, their performance received a good adjudication from Patrick Sutton, setting the bar high for the other groups.

The set came in for great praise, thanks to the efforts of Barty Connolly, Gearoid McEoin, Charlie Keohane, Fachtna Hamilton, David Keohane, Gearoid McCarthy and Con Minihane.

To mark its 40th anniversary year, Druid is embarking on a major artistic undertaking nationwide that will take in Skibbereen Town Hall at the end of June.

DruidShakespeare is a new adaptation by Mark O’Rowe of four plays, Richard II, Henry IV Parts One and Two and Henry V, in two parts, directed by Garry Hynes, which will be presented at Skibereen Town Hall on Monday, June 29th. The performances will begin at 5pm and last around six hours with a meal break between the two.

Tickets, costing €60 each (concessions €52), for DruidShakespeare will be on sale online for all venues nationwide from 10am this Thursday, April 16th, on www.druid.ie or through 091-568660. Next week, a limited number of tickets will be available for purchase over the counter at Thornhill Brothers Electrical, Skibbereen.

Druid has this week announced full details of one of the company’s most ambitious ever undertakings, DruidShakespeare, a challenging but fitting project to mark the company’s 40th anniversary year. An epic story of families and wars and the making of nations, DruidShakespeare is an exploration of English history through an Irish lens.

‘The question we are asking is how, in the context of the historical relationship between Ireland and England, do we as Irish artists produce these plays today?’ says Druid artistic director Garry Hynes, a Tony-award winner.

With an ensemble cast of thirteen actors, this major new theatre event will premiere in Druid’s home, the Mick Lally Theatre in Galway, before embarking on an extensive Irish tour to Letterkenny, Sligo, Castlebar, Limerick, Skibereen and will premiere internationally in New York at the prestigious 2015 Lincoln Center Festival.

In August Kilkenny Arts Festival, in association with Druid, will present a site-specific production of the plays in the castle yard where Richard II stayed when fighting his ‘Irish wars’.

Skibbereen Theatre Society is on its way to the All-Ireland Confined Drama Finals in Kilmuckridge, Co Wexford, having been drawn to appear on the opening night, Friday, April 10th.

In preparation, they will be putting on the two final performances of their award-winning production of Family Plot by Darragh Carville at Skibbereen Town Hall on Easter Monday, April 6th, and again on Wednesday 8th, with curtain at 8pm each night.

This darkly-comical piece is set beyond the grave, featuring four generations of the dysfunctional and dead Kerr family, Aunt Lizzie (Angela Galvin), Da (Ger Minihane), Ma (Catherine Field), Frank (Fachtna O’Driscoll) and Tess (Carmel O’Driscoll), who didn’t get on in life and they certainly don’t get on in death! They are about to be joined by the youngest, Emer (Isobelle Nealon).

Family Plot, directed by Hilda Hegarty and Fachtna O’Driscoll, won four festivals on the amateur drama festival circuit and finished second in the other three they entered to qualify comfortably for the All-Ireland finals.

Representatives of the groups that have qualified for the All-Ireland Confined Drama Finals, pictured at the draw in Kilmuckridge. Back row, on right, is Skibbereen’s Fachtna O’Driscoll

The cast of Skibbereen Theatre Society’s production of the darkly-comic Family Plot, which opens at Skibbereen Town Hall on Wednesday next, February 25th – back, from left – Angela Galvin Isobelle Nealon, Carmel O’Driscoll and Catherine Field. Front: Fachtna O’Driscoll and Ger Minihane.

Most people’s definition of hell is being locked in a room with their
nearest and dearest for more than 24 hours. Look at Christmas: By St
Stephen’s Day everyone is ready to run to the hills!

So, imagine being stuck six feet under with your close relations for
the rest of eternity. This is the terrifying idea behind Daragh
Carville’s latest play, ‘Family Plot’. This darkly-comical piece is
set beyond the grave, featuring four generations of the dysfunctional
and dead Kerr family, Aunt Lizzie (Angela Galvin), Da (Ger Minihane),
Ma (Catherine Field), Frank (Fachtna O’Driscoll) and Tess (Carmel
O’Driscoll), who didn’t get on in life and they certainly don’t get on
in death! They are about to be joined by the youngest, Emer (Isobelle
Nealon).

‘Family Plot’ is directed by Hilda Hegarty and Fachtna O’Driscoll.
Tickets are available in advance from Thornhill Electrical,
Skibbereen, tel 028-22557.

Action from Skibbereen Theatre Society’s production of “Many Happy Returns”

The cast had great characterisation and huge energy in their roles. The result was some very fine acting which brought out all the fun of the play.

The play is set on Christmas Eve in present day. Declan (Eugene McCarthy) and his wife Amanda (Breda Herlihy) are coming for a Christmas visit. In an effort to impress them, Irene (Mary O’Driscoll) has planned a Christmas event complete with flashing reindeer and snowmen.

Her husband Arthur (Declan McCarthy) is a reluctant participant. The audience is highly entertained as we watch the plan descend into hilarious mayhem! The antics of Irene’s dad Matty (Kevin Cadogan) and the return of her mother Gladys (Terri Kearney) in the midst of it all only adds to the consternation.

This was an excellent production of a very funny play and is truly a great night’s entertainment.
As there is only one performance left, on Saturday, January 3rd, 2015, booking is advisable. Tickets at €10 are available from Thornhill Bros Electrical or phone 028-22557.

Taking part in Skibbereen Theatre Society’s Christmas comedy production of
‘Many Happy Returns’ by Bernard Farrell, opening at Skibbereen Town Hall on
Monday, December 29th, are – front, from left – Breda Herlihy and Terri
Kearney. Back: Kevin Cadogan, Mary O’Driscoll and Eugene McCarthy. Missing
from photo is Declan McCarthy.

Skibbereen Theatre Society’s Christmas comedy production, “Many Happy
Returns” by Bernard Farrell, will be staged over the holiday period.

It will be playing at Skibbereen Town Hall on Monday, December 29th,
Tuesday 30th and again on Saturday, January 3rd. Tickets are available in
advance from Thornhill Bros Electrical, Skibbereen, tel 028-22557.

Set on Christmas Eve in a farmhouse on the edge of town, “Many Happy
Returns” tells the story of Irene (Mary O’Driscoll) and Arthur (Declan
McCarthy), who have Irene’s father Matty’s house festooned for the return
of Declan (Eugene McCarthy), the self-made millionaire from New Zealand and
his Kiwi wife Amanda (Breda Herlihy).

If everything goes to plan, Arthur’s future is secure – and it would – if
Old Matty (Kevin Cadogan) were not around to listen at doors. Old memories
are rekindled and much catching up takes place before the whole evening
takes a sudden turn for the worst as Irene’s mother Gladys (Terri Kearney)
shows up and matters get out of hand.

This is rated as one of Bernard Farrell’s funniest plays and the cast has
been rehearsing, under director Hilda Hegarty for the past few weeks.

The Matchmaker by John B Keane, one of Ireland’s most celebrated
writers, will play for one night only at Skibbereen Town Hall on
Saturday, October 25th, at 8pm.

The production stars television favourite Mary McEvoy, best known for
her role as Biddy in the long-running RTÉ series, Glenroe. Irish actor
and comedian Jon Kenny who was part of the Irish comic duo
d’Unbelievables with Pat Shortt joins Mary to complete the cast. Kenny
is best known outside Ireland for appearing in the Channel 4 sitcom
Father Ted. Together, they play a myriad characters in this hilarious
and earthy dramatic comedy.

The play follows the efforts of Dicky Mick Dicky O’Connor to make
matches for the lonely and lovelorn. It is directed by Michael Scott.
Tickets are available in advance from Thornhill Bros Electrical,
Skibbereen, tel 028-22557, and early booking is advised.

Mary McEvoy and John Kenny in The Matchmaker

Don Wycherley returns to his hometown of Skibbereen this week to give two performances of his one-man show, After Sarah Miles, written and directed by Michael Hilliard Mulcahy.

The Dublin-based actor who is best known for his leading role in Bachelor’s Walk on television has also played inBallykissangel and Father Ted and had a big part in the film Veronica Guerin.

He will be appearing on stage in Skibbereen Town Hall this Friday and Saturday, May 9^th and 10^th, nightly at 8pm, and tickets are on sale in advance at Thornhill Bros Electrical, Skibbereen, telephone 028-22557.

After Sarah Miles is a new play written and directed by Michael Hilliard Mulcahy, who had a very successful Dublin Theatre Festival production last year of his play Beyond the Brooklyn Sky.

After a lifetime of wrestling with the tides fisherman Bobeen finds it hard to face the sea now, but what he discovered in the mouth of the harbour almost thirty years ago keeps calling him back. This time it will connect him to what he thought was lost and gone forever.

This one-man show, performed by Don Wycherley, features original music composed by Sam Jackson. After Sarah Miles was first performed in The Beehive Theatre, Dingle.