Compántas Lir Take to the Road
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- Published on Wednesday, 08 August 2007 14:54
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COMPÁNTAS LIR To Open Claregalway Festival of Drama
Its that time of year again when drama fever grips the air! Hopefully the huge success of the All-Ireland Confined Finals which Claregalway hosted last year, will bring audiences flocking to the Leisure Centre for a feast of drama from March 16th to the 24th.
Compántas Lir has the honour of opening this years festival with Cambusdonald Royal The Second Sorcerers Tale by James Scotland. This hilarious Scottish farce, the sequel to the hugely entertaining The Sorcerers Tale by the same author, is being brought to Irish audiences in this translated adaptation by Compántas Lir.
The play is set in Brother Barnabass cell, in Clogher Abbey, in the West of Ireland one night in April 1465, when the Monastic Order had not only declined, but had virtually gone into eclipse.
The monks routine is disrupted when Mother Mary and 57 nuns from St. Ursulas, the nearby convent, which has been accidentally burnt by two less-than-holy sisters who have been distilling a secret liqueur, seek refuge in the Monastery. The antics of Brother Barnabas and his side-kick, Brother Donatus, further complicate matters. The imminent arrival of the Cardinal Legate adds to the general mayhem with hilarious results.
Rehearsals have been in progress since last November and everything is in readiness for the groups tour of the amateur drama circuit with 8 performances around the country that kicked off in Castleisland on March 3rd. Before going on tour, Compántas Lir played to a warm reception in Carnmore Community Centre on the 1st March. The local crowd all enjoyed the new play and are already getting their tickets for the subsequent shows.
Philip Cribbin directs the play and the cast of 13 features a blend of the experienced and some new members. The lead role of Brother Barnabas is played by Vincent Moran, an All-Ireland winner and he is brilliantly supported by such stalwarts as Paddy Greaney as Brother Donatus, Carmel Kenny as Mother Mary, Pádraig O Connell as Brother Simon, Mike Hession as Abbot Wilfred, Simon Kavanagh as The Cardinal Legate and Patsy Cahalan as Brother Humphrey. Dermot Hession plays Lawrence of Lawrencetown and Sister Innocentia is played by Ruth ODriscoll. Those making their acting debut on the festival circuit are Ursula Cribbin as Sister Diligence, Sile Mannion as Helen of Troy, Fionnuala Glynn as Berengaria and Rita OReilly as The Empress Messalina.
The set construction is in the capable hands of Malachy Noone with the able assistance of John Fahey and John Brennan. Frank and Adrian Moran are in charge of lighting; John Keane, the sound man, is assisted by Joe OConnell; Jennifer Donaghy, our wardrobe mistress, is assisted by Celia Fleming; Bríd Conneely and Stella Fleming have responsibility for props while make-up is taken care of by Ann Moran and Liz Hession. Fidelma ORourke is Stage Manager.
Following our run on the festival circuit, the show will be staged in The Town Hall Theatre from the 26th to the 28th of March. Compántas Lir has decided to donate a proportion of the profits from the Town Hall run to PREDA, an organisation established by a Columban priest, Fr. Shay Cullen, along with Alex and Merly Ramirez Hermoso. PREDA runs a number of programmes in Olongapo City in The Philippines, including a campaign to stop child prostitution. For further information check the website www.preda.org
As the show is likely to be a sell-out, early booking is advisable. Tickets at 15 and 12 may be bought from The Town Hall at 091 569777. If you want to treat yourself to a good laugh get on the phone NOW!
Compántas Lir has also launched its own website for the popular drama group. The website contains information on all members, previous plays and photos. Also youll find the latest news and a blog (an online diary ) and there certainly are some interesting members filling in their secrets there ! Check it out at www.compantaslir.ie
>> http://www.compantaslir.ie