Play synopsis 2025

Friday 7th March                                                                                                                                               Kilmeen Drama Group 

THE WASP              

By Morgan Lloyd Malcolm                                                                                                                                                           OPEN

Heather and Carla haven’t seen each other since school. Their lives have taken very different paths – Carla lives a hand-to-mouth existence while Heather has a high-flying career, husband and a beautiful home. And yet, here they are in a café having tea and making awkward conversation. That is until Heather presents Carla with a bag containing a significant amount of cash and an unexpected proposition

The Wasp is a gripping and suspenseful psychological thriller – so if you enjoy a good twist and a surprise ending, this is definitely the play for you.”

Saturday 8th March                                                                                                                                                        Bradan Players                                    

LITTLE GEM 

By Elaine Murphy                                                                                                                                                                             OPEN

Three generations of Dublin women, Kay (grandmother), Loraine (mother) and Amber (granddaughter) narrate several months of emotional turmoil that they have experienced. Each woman is experiencing some sort of emotional crisis and communication between the three is fraught at best.

One year can bring extraordinary change; and as the year moves forward, the women confront their individual challenges with courage and humour, finding strength in one another and discovering the beauty and complexity of family

“A poignant and hilarious play about love, sex, birth, death and salsa classes.”

Sunday 9th March                                                                                                                    Newtownstewart Theatre Company

THE REMAINS OF MAISIE DUGGAN

By Carmel Winters                                                                                                                                                                 CONFINED

Kathleen Duggan has rushed home to Ireland upon hearing the news that her mother, Maisie, has died.

Only when she gets back to the house, she finds that her mother is alive and well. Almost. 

However, after a routine car accident, Maisie believes that she is now dead and wandering around the homestead, awaiting her funeral. 

Still able to talk to her childish adult son and her violent, temperamental husband, she will no longer be silenced by the male-dominated, pugnacious atmosphere that has kept her quiet all these years. So when Kathleen comes back for the ‘funeral’, Maisie expects to find her final resting place, safe from the threat of domestic violence once and for all. 

“A captivating exploration of intimate family turmoil.”

Monday 10th March                                                                                                                                  St. Patrick’s Drama Group

WOMAN AND SCARECROW

by Marina Carr                                                                                                                                                                        CONFINED

Woman and Scarecrow centres on a dying woman reflecting on her life as she confronts her imminent death. Lying in bed, she is joined by Scarecrow, a mysterious, spectral figure that embodies her unfulfilled dreams and the life she could have lived. Together, they delve into Woman’s regrets, failed relationships, and her dissatisfaction with her loveless marriage.

“Potent, bittersweet, and darkly funny it is marked by moments of great beauty and a robust sense of humour.”

Tuesday 11th March                                                                                                                                                     Cornmill Theatre

A WHISTLE IN THE DARK 

by Tom Murphy                                                                                                                                                                                    OPEN

The play tells the story of the confrontation between Michael, the oldest of the Carney sons, and his father and brothers, a brawling, hard-drinking, criminal gang of Irish immigrants living and working in Coventry. A powerful portrayal of tribal violence and the devastation it brings in its wake in spite of attempts to stand against it

This is a powerful and demanding play that will haunt you long after you leave the theatre.”

Wednesday 12th March                                                                                                        

No performance.

Thursday 13th March                                                                                                                                  Corofin Dramatic Society

THE WEIR

by Conor McPherson                                                                                                                                                                     OPEN

In a remote country pub in Ireland, newcomer Valerie arrives and becomes spellbound by an evening of ghostly stories told by the local bachelors who drink there. With a whiff of sexual tension in the air and the wind whistling outside, what starts out as blarney soon darkens as the tales drift into the realm of the supernatural. Then, Valerie reveals a startling story of her own.

“A haunting play that takes the audience to an otherworldly dimension.”

Friday 14th March                                                                                                                   Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group

THE BEACON 

By Nancy Harris                                                                                                                                                                              OPEN

Beiv, a renowned artist, has left her suburban Dublin home for a secluded cottage on a rugged island off the coast of West Cork, Her relative peace is disrupted when her estranged son, Colm, returns home with his new American wife Bonnie, searching for answers about his father’s mysterious death. Prying into the past comes with a cost, however, and returning to the island will leave some people searching for a light – and others avoiding its glare.

“Absorbing, intelligent and grimly funny.”

Saturday 15th March                                                                                                                             Kilmuckridge Drama Group

JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK

by Sean O’Casey                                                                                                                                                                              CONFINED  

Dublin, 1922, the Irish Civil War is tearing the nation apart. In the cauldron of the family’s tiny tenement flat, Juno Boyle, a beleaguered matriarch whose sharp wit is a survival tool, struggles to make ends meet and keep the family together. Her husband, ‘Captain’ Jack Boyle, fancies himself a ship’s commander but sails no further than the pub. Johnny, her son, is a moral weakling who has betrayed a Republican comrade, while her daughter, is vain and is a poor judge of male character. When providence comes knocking with news of a great inheritance, could the family’s troubles finally fade away?

Juno and the Paycock is a mesmerising mix of comedy and tragedy.”