With the finals of the Irish National One-Act Festival Final taking place next month, this weekend’s Letterkenny One-Act Festival in Donegal took on heightened interest in the amateur drama world as groups vied for the all important points to qualify.
Not to mention that the final will take place in Letterkenny next year.
Over this weekend, nine plays were hosted at An Grianan Theatre, ranging from the comical to the murderous, with on-stage talents from Sligo, Fermanagh, Antrim, Cork, Cavan and Donegal on show. Some of the plays presented were well-known works such as ‘In the Shadow of the Glen’ by Irish playwright, poet, writer, and folklorist, John Millington Synge who was also a key figure in the Irish Literary Revival of the early 20th century and ‘The Dumb Waiter’ by Nobel Prize winning British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor, Harold Pinter.
Local attention was on Butt Drama Circle based in the Donegal town of Ballybofey, who hosted Robert Scott’s play, ‘The Ripple Effect.’ This talented group won the All Ireland title in Ennis, County Clare four years ago with the play ‘In Other Words’ and I was delighted to be there to celebrate with them. Most recently, the group came second in the 2023 Finals.
Settings varied in the plays this weekend with ‘In The Mood’ by Frank Gibbons and hosted by the Erne Drama Group taking place in a little café while ‘Two Sisters’ by Caroline Harding hosted by Theatre 3 Newtownabbey was set in a small village in 1880’s Russia. ‘The action in ‘A Cut Above the Rest’ by Cheryl Barrett hosted by Devenish Drama Group occurs in a bustling hair salon.
The weekend’s all-important adjudicating role was played by Declan Drohan, who faced the challenging task of choosing winners and finalists in various categories. Declan, a classy dresser and a very friendly soul, is one of my favourite judges. Not only is his comments incisive and helpful but they are delivered with panache and down-to-earth humour. He is always entertaining and enlightening.
Due to other commitments, I was only able to attend the opening night on Friday. What really impressed me was the mix of age groups performing on stage, from the experienced cast of Castleconnor Drama Group from Sligo performing Synge’s lauded work under the direction of Alanna Ni Mhiochain, to the young enthusiastic people, average age 20 or less, from the Erne Drama Group and Devennish Drama Group, both part of the Fermanagh School of Music and Performing Arts, demonstrating their developing theatrical skills in ‘In The Mood’ directed by Ciara O’Flanagan and ‘A Cut Above The Rest’ directed by Marty McManus respectively.
This year’s Irish National One-Act Festival Final will be held in Tubbercurry, Sligo, from December 5 to 7 at St. Brigid’s Hall.
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