On Thursday, April 6th, the Transition Year students from the St. Joseph’s Presentation and St. Patrick’s Secondary Schools in Castleisland will showcase a drama filled evening with lots of humour and banter.
The students will be performing three scenes from three different plays which they have been working diligently on over the past few months.
The whole operation is being directed by teacher, Mairead Lane-Cronin. The big event will take place in St. John’s Hall at 7.30pm and doors will open at 7pm.
Tickets Available at the Schools
Tickets cost €10 for adults and €5 for children and OAP’s. To secure a seat on the night tickets may be bought from either school or on the night at the door.
It is sure to be a great night’s entertainment that will send you home smiling and laughing.
Booking is advisable and you can get your tickets from the schools involved or take a chance on the door on the night.
“Join us as we embrace rural Ireland of the 1950’s and 70’s in our fantastic comedies,” comes the invitation from Ms. Lane-Cronin and her enthusiastic and dramatic students.
A Brief Introduction to the Plays Involved:
A Wake in the West By Michael J.Ginnelly
The spirit of 1970s West of Ireland is set to be resurrected in the first scene from, ‘A Wake In The West’, written by Mayo playwright Michael J Ginnelly. The story takes place in a country house, in a small town, in County Mayo. The plot of this play centres on the wake of Tom Healy, a man from who was known to be ‘fond of the drop’. The play tells the tale of the hapless efforts of Tom’s family and friends to have him laid to rest. The late Tom Healy liked two things in life – a drink and giving his family a hard time. Tom’s controversial last request of wanting to be buried at sea, by his ashes being scattered on the white crested waves, threatens to humiliate his family and make them the laughing stock of the small fishing village in which they live. Not your regular mass-goer, Tom’s wishes have to be discussed with the priest and doctor – all common practice in 1970s Ireland. The real mayhem begins in our scene today though when Rose, an elderly neighbour arrives at the house to pay her respects and her actions set in motion a sequence of hilarious events.
The Two Loves of Gabriel Foley By Jimmy Keary
The next scene comes from the play ‘The Two Loves of Gabriel Foley’ written by Jimmy Keary from Rathowen in Co. Westmeath. The play is set in Rural Ireland. Gabriel Foley is a middle-aged bachelor farmer, who lives with his elderly mother. He has been unlucky in love many times, much to his mother’s frustration. She thinks she’ll never get rid of him. Then he meets upmarket, Hazel Myers and joins the posh drama group in the nearby town in order to romance her. He is unaware that Chrissie McCabe – a cheerful countrywoman, who comes in to help him and his mother – fancies him. By the time Chrissie makes her feelings known to Gabriel, he has already got Hazel’s attention. He and Chrissie decide to try going out together. He tries to let Hazel down gently, but Hazel is not a woman to give up easily. In our opening scene today we will be introduced to Aggie Foley, Gabriel’s 70 year old Mom and his Aunt Lucy Lacey, a country woman in her early 60’s.
It’s the Real McCoy By Tommy Marren
The final scene comes from the play, ‘It’s the Real McCoy’ by Tommy Marren. The play is set in the Spring of 1964 in the humble cottage of Madge Molloy, a 68-year old woman who has lived over 40 years of her life wondering why her husband Tom – whom she was married to for just five months – mysteriously disappeared without trace or reason. Madge was expecting her only child at the time of Tom’s disappearance and she has grown to be a bitter and angry woman. Her daughter Maura constantly yearns to know what happened to her father and the arrival of a new curate in the parish, namely Father Michael McCoy, throws some light on the reasons behind Tom’s hasty departure.
This rip-roaring comedy is full of classic Irish ‘one-liners’ that will have you in stitches and the fact that Madge happens to have the two nosiest neighbours in Ireland whom we are going to meet doesn’t help! Nora O’Hora and her daughter Cora have a knack of popping up at the most inopportune moments as Madge tries to keep a lid on what is going on!
To add to the confusion Madge’s daughter Maura has fallen in love with the local postman but Madge doesn’t approve as she does her best to convince Maura that she would be much better off without having a man in her life!
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