2020 Festival Play Synopsis
Friday 6th March Phoenix Players
THE COMMUNICATION CORD
By Brian Friel CONFINED Brian Friel’s farce is set in a remote thatched cottage in Donegal which has been converted into a weekend retreat for the urban elite. Jack loans this cottage to his friend Tim, a shy linguistics lecturer, for one hour so he may impress his girlfriend’s father, a domineering senator, in order to secure tenure in a Dublin university. However, not everything goes according to plan resulting in complications, cover ups and confusion which is constantly hilarious.
‘A hilarious and biting comedy’
Saturday 7th March Dalkey Players
EURYDICE
by Sarah Ruhl OPEN In Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl re-imagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story.
“A moving theatrical fable about love, loss and the pleasures and pains of memory.” – The New York Times
Sunday 8th March Glenamaddy Players
THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMANN
by Martin McDonagh CONFINED The Cripple of Inishmaan is set on the small Aran Islands community of Inishmaan in 1934, where the inhabitants are excited to learn of a Hollywood film crew’s arrival in neighbouring Inishmore to make a documentary about life on the islands. “Cripple” Billy Claven, eager to escape the gossip, poverty and boredom of Inishmaan, vies for a part in the film, and to everyone’s surprise, the orphan and outcast gets his chance…. or so some believe.
‘Playright Martin McDonagh is the master of the the deepest, darkest and most powerful humour’
Monday 9th March Ray Leonard Players
BEYOND THERAPY
by Christopher Durang CONFINED Bruce and Prudence meet through a personal ad in the newspaper. Both are searching for happiness and solace. Problem is, neither of them seem to know where to find it. They certainly aren’t going to find it in each other’s arms, judging by their disastrous blind date. And it DEFINITELY doesn’t help that their therapists are just as screwed up as they are. It’s both bizarre and brutally hilarious.
“Offers the best therapy of all: guaranteed laughter.”
Tuesday 10th March Corofin Dramatic Society
SKIRMISHES
by Catherine Hayes OPEN Skirmishes is a play set in the bedroom of a senile, incontinent, near-comatose old woman who lies hours from death. She is looked after by her two grown-up daughters; the eldest, Jean, has stayed at home throughout her mother’s illness, bearing the brunt of all the work, whilst her sister, Rita, who left home years ago, returns only now in the last few days of their mother’s life. The play centres around the antagonism and resentment and not least of all the love, which has been part of their lives over the years.
“A black comedy about sibling rivalry, death, family duty and a declining mother’s love”
Wednesday 11th March Mullingar Theatre Lab
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOOS NEST
by Dale Wasserman CONFINED Bluntly funny, often manic, and ultimately deeply moving, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST tells the struggle of the Individual vs the Institution. McMurphy dodges a prison stint by committing himself to a mental facility. But who’s really insane and who has the power? A Native patient named Chief, guides us through the mind in this dark tale of power and submission.
“Funny, touching, and exciting.”
Thursday 12th March The Knocks Drama Group
THE CAVAN CURSE
By John McManus CONFINED
All Ireland football Final Sunday, 2020. Cavan vs Dublin. Former Cavan footballer, and 1952 All Ireland winner, Rua Smith, is watching the match on television from his blacksmith’s forge in Templeport. His grandson is playing wing-forward in Croke Park, being marked by Jack McCaffrey. His grandson’s wife, Sarah, calls around to the forge in order to help Rua commit suicide with a syringe of Nembutal she has purchased off the dark net. After all, Cavan can’t win if Rua is still alive since he’s the last surviving member of the 1952 team, a team which was cursed by an old woman on the top of Ireland ‘s Holy Mountain, a curse which states that Cavan will never win another All Ireland until everyone who played in ’52 is dead. Rua knows that with him being dead there will be nothing standing in the way of his beloved Cavan capturing Sam Maguire, apart from the six-in-a-row chasing Dubs, probably the best football team of all time…
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Friday 13th March Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group
THE GOOD FATHER
by Christian O’Relly OPEN The Good Father is a warm, tender and funny love story about two people from different social backgrounds. Jane, a lawyer, and Tim, a painter, who meet at a New Year’s Eve party and reluctantly attempt a relationship after she becomes pregnant. Sarcastic, resentful and still trying to please her parents, Jane would prefer to go it alone but Tim’s open-hearted honesty and persistence gradually wears her down. As resistance turns to love, they begin to glimpse a bright future together, but Jane carries a secret that threatens to tear them apart.
“The Good Father is a play that will have you laughing one moment and crying the next.”
Saturday 14th March Thurles Drama Group
GUT
by Frances Poet OPEN Maddy and Rory are devoted parents to three-year old Joshua, committed to keeping him happy and safe. But when an everyday visit to a supermarket café turns into a far more troubling incident, their trust in those closest to them is shattered. Gut is a taut psychological thriller that asks: who can be trusted with our children — and is it more dangerous not to trust at all?
“Gut is a piece of great storytelling that brings to life the test of being a parent.”
Age recommended 14+