Celebrating More Than 50 Years of Drama in Sligo

“A disturbed mother sends her son on a bizarre errand which has fatal consequences. Leaving home, he embarks on a journey with his friends. Encountering evil, destruction and eventually compassion, he is drawn into a world that is changed for ever.”

Sligo Drama Circle's Young People's Theatre returned to the stage of the Factory Performance Space with their new production of Edward Bond's "The Children". The play, specifically written for young people, combined both script and improvisation.

Edward Bond – one of Europe’s leading playwrights – wrote “The Children” in 2000 to be performed, not by professional actors, but by young people. Sligo Drama Circle Young People’s Theatre have took the play to heart, working with commitment and integrity, searching with the playwright for what it is to be human…

The 12 scenes in the play, lasting about an hour, were part scripted, part improvised, according to the playwright’s instructions, with the two adults in the play, as Bond insists, played by adult actors. Muireann Tóibín played the Mother and Wayne O’Connor played the Man.

The play was directed by Peter Milne who worked as an actor/teacher/director for many years in London with Harlow TheatreVan, The Cockpit Theatre in Education Team and Hoxton Hall Community Theatre.

Check out some photos of the performance HERE.

Continuing our 50th Birthday celebrations, Sligo Drama Circle returned to the Hawk's Well Theatre in April 2007 for a production of Seán O' Casey's The Plough and the Stars. "The Plough", part of O' Casey's trilogy of Dublin plays, provoked riots when first staged. Set in the Dublin of 1916, audiences at the Abbey Theatre, were horrified at O Casey’s cynical representation of nationalist heroics. Coming just after the ninetieth anniversary of the Easter 1916 Rising, it was entirely appropriate that we should revisit this O' Casey classic. Following her outstanding success in her debut as director of The Memory of Water in June 2006, Ursula Smullen returned as director of The Plough. The play ran at the Hawk's Well Theatre from Tuesday 24th to Saturday 28th April, 2007.

Tuesday 24th April, opening night, was a Fundraising Gala Night. The Rotary Club in association with the Inner Wheel Club of Sligo hosted the night. A large crowd attended this event and helped to make the evening a great success. All proceeds of the evening will go to secure much needed specialised equipment for St. Cecilia's Special School, Cregg House, Sligo, a school for children with moderate, severe and profound learning difficulties. There was a pre-show wine and soft drinks reception on arrival at 7pm.

Directed by Ursula Smullen, the cast included Averyl Dooher, Barry Deignan, Gerry Ryan, Siobhán Dooney, Máire Hynes, Ultan Burke, Murieann Tobin, Róisín Kilcoyne, Vinnie Holland, Kevin Boyle, Michael Leyden and Joe Mehan and welcomed young actors Dermot Ryan, Elaine Burke, Adrian O' Neill and Michael Mc Morrow to the stage in their first Drama Circle show.

Photos of the show can be viewed HERE

Directed by Drama Circle long-time member Joan Fitzpatrick, "The Sunshine Boys" is recognised as one of the great comedy plays of modern times. The play proved to be a huge hit with audiences who were treated to a great night's entertainment. The play re-united two actors who last played together to great critical acclaim in Neil Simon's other great comedy "The Odd Couple" in 2001, Robert Fitzpatrick and Gerry Ryan. The cast also included Damien Quinn, Orla Mc Sharry, Ultan Burke, Ursula Smullen, Michael Leyden and Róisin Kilcoyne. The play ran in the Hawk's Well Theatre from Tuesday 21st to Saturday 25th November, 2006. Co-incidentally, the opening night of The Sunshine Boys was fifty years to the day of the opening night of the first Drama Circle production. More photos of the production can be viewed shortly.

Mayor of Sligo, Tom Mc Sharry accorded a Civic Reception to the Sligo Drama Circle on Thursday November 16th, 2006 to mark their 50th Anniversary. Members and friends gathered in the Mayor's Parlour in City Hall where they were greeted on arrival by the Mayor. Refreshments were served and lots of reminiscing was done. Mayor Tom Mc Sharry thanked the Drama Circle on behalf of the people of Sligo for their contribution to the cultural and artistic life of Sligo over the past fifty years. He said that a great debt was owed to the Drama Circle for entertaining the people of Sligo. Drama Circle Chairperson Ann-Marie Byrne responded by thanking the Mayor for bestowing the honour of a Civic Reception on the Drama Circle and she especially remembered former and past members of the Drama Circle for their foresight and dedication in forming the organisation fifty years ago. Long-serving Drama Circle member Joe Meehan regaled those present with some memories of drama in bygone years. Finally, Mayor Mc Sharry allowed Drama Circle members and guests the unique honour of touring the Borough Chambers, once the hub of dramatic activity in Sligo and where many Drama Circle productions were presented. The stage is long gone, but the "Assembly Room" as it was then known has now been transformed into the Borough Chambers where the Borough Council now hold their meetings. More photos of the evening can be viewed HERE.

The National Convention of the Drama League of Ireland, of which the Sligo Drama Circle is a member, took place in The Sligo Park Hotel on Saturday 14th October, 2006. At the convention the Drama League made a presentation of the "Book of Days" to the Sligo Drama Circle to mark their achievement of fifty years of drama in Sligo. Karen Weaver made the presentation on behalf of the Drama League of Ireland to Ann-Marie Byrne, Chairperson of the Sligo Drama Circle.

Sligo Drama Circle is celebrating its 50th birthday this year and has compiled a collection of photographs, posters, programmes, tickets and other memorabilia. The exhibition was displayed in the foyer of the Hawk's Well Theatre in June 2006 during the production of "The Memory of Water" and was a great success. The exhibition returned to the foyer of the Hawk's Well Theatre during autumn 2006 to give as wide an audience as possible a chance to see the range of material which has been gathered in such a short period of time. More photos, posters and programmes from the exhibition can be viewed HERE.