'Drama at Inish'

Poster by Daisy McKeever

The 2015 Junior Play is on this weekend, on Friday and Saturday at 7pm in the Big Schoolroom. It's Lennox Robinson's old favourite, Drama at Inish (last produced here in 2001 as the Senior Play). All parents and their guests are welcome. 

Here is the programme:

"Everyone needs some entertainment while on holidays but when the de la Mare Reparatory Company comes to Inish for the summer season no one expects the response they will engender in the locals…

Lennox Robinson is a much-loved Irish playwright who was director of the Abbey theatre for many years. Drama at Inish was first performed in 1933. It has been produced in America several times under the title Is Life Worth Living?

There are three Acts in the play, with two scenes in Act II.  The action takes place in a private sitting room of the Seaview Hotel, Inish.


ACT I: A July morning.

ACT II: Scene i & scene ii – Early evening, ten days later.

ACT III: A week later, morning.

The Players
John Twohig, proprietor of the Seaview Hotel:  Nevin McCone
Annie Twohig, his wife:  Nicole Dickerson
Lizzie, his sister:  Alexandra Murray-Donaldson
Eddie Twohig, his son:  James O’Connor
Peter Hurley, the local T.D.:  Douglas Boyd Crotty
Christine Lambert: Lena Pirlet
Hector de la Mare, an actor:  Ross Magill
Constance Constantia, his wife:  Emmanuella Ejase-Tobrise
Helena:  Grace Goulding
Michael:  Max Hillery
Jean Hegarty, a report:  Aniko Szkendy
Deirdre Mooney, a Guard: Isabelle Townshend
Slattery:  Catherine Butt

Production Credits
Make-up: Helena Gromotka, Ciana Taylor, Marie-Sophie Stumm
Poster:  Daisy McKeever
Willing Helpers:  MJ McCullough, Robbie McDonald
Costumes:  Karen Hennessey, Evan Jameson & Ronan Swift

Lights, Sound, Set, Props and Direction: Evan Jameson & Ronan Swift

Candide: the 2014 Junior Play

Over the last three nights, the Big Schoolroom was taken over by an excellent production of an adaptation of Voltaire's Candide. One of the visitors was our former Head of English, John Fanagan, and these are his thoughts:-


Ten years ago, in 2004, a major refurbishment of the Big Schoolroom took place, which gave a wonderful new lease of life to the nineteenth century building's use as a performance venue. The audience for this year's Junior Play, Candide, enjoyed a very creative and visually arresting use of the space. In the traditional stage area were banked rows of seating. Likewise on both sides of the Big Schoolroom. At the Cadogan end, and right down the centre, were the main acting areas. Ronan Swift and his fellow directors produced a fast-moving and highly enjoyable version of Voltaire's novel.

The central character, Candide, is hardly ever off the stage. Casting James O'Connor was a bit of a gamble: he is very young (I Form) and his voice is not as strong or developed as some others in the cast. However, as the performance unfolded, I became increasingly convinced. His (relative) youth emphasised the essential naivety and optimism of his character. He has a sympathetic stage presence and was very assured in a most challenging role. In the plot he was often at sea, but never in his acting.

There were more than twenty other young actors in the cast, the majority of them playing more than one role. Their versatility and easy transition from one character (and/or gender) to another were very impressive. The exotic costumes added to the spectacle, particularly on Mantuk Suen as the Sofi. Freddie de Montfort's roles as Dutch Citizen/Monkey/Prime Minister will give some idea of how they had to move from one extreme to another. There were some very strong performances among the single role characters. Aisling McBurney was a pert and coquettish Cunnigonde. After a quiet start, the role of the servant Cacambo was played with mournful authority by Ralph Sweetman-Sutton. Ross Magill had everyone in stitches as the Old Woman (imagine an eighteenth century Mrs Doyle from Fr  Ted). Michael Kennedy had the the scene at the start as Narrator mad a brief (but highly effective) cameo appearance later as Don Issachar.

The cast were roughly fifty-fifty boys-girls and some of the girls gave  especially confident performances: Darcy Maule as the Queen of Bulgaria and Elizaveta Kozhevnikova as Sergeant/Dervish come to mind. I was sitting  beside an Old Columban from the 1980s, Hugo Smythe, who was obviously enjoying his  daughter Louvisa (Soldier/King of Eldorado/Whip Master) as much as she was enjoying herself on stage. That enjoyment pervaded the production. They were all having the best time; I thought Mark Crampton (Baron)  might levitate, he was having such a ball. All of the cast will long remember participitating in such a lively and imaginative production.

Music and sound effects helped move the production along. I particularly enjoyed hearing Tristan Clarke's Sine Nomine choir making their contributions. When you look at all the pupils and staff involved, you realise what effort, on so many levels, went into this Candide. I would applaud the producers' ambition and the great pleasure they gave to cast and audience alike.

John Fanagan.

Twelve Angry Jurors

Last weekend saw the two performances of the annual Junior Play, this time Twelve Angry Jurors (adapted from the original 'Men' and best known for the film version featuring Henry Fonda) by Reginald Rose. Here, Ally Boyd Crotty from Transition Year reviews the production:-

On Friday 1^st and Saturday 2^nd February a cast of eleven Transition Year pupils and three third formers performed a thoroughly rehearsed play called Twelve Angry Jurors. The play was presented in three acts, and was excellently directed and produced by Mr. Swift.
     

Before the play had even begun the unusual and intimate layout caught everyone's attention - in the middle of the BSR (instead of on a raised stage) was a table around which the audience sat in tiers. This meant that everyone felt more involved, and this layout also resulted in everyone being able to see properly.

The play was about a nineteen-year-old boy on trial for murder. It followed the decisions of the jury involved in the case. When the jury first began their discussions at the beginning of the play, they first decided to see where they stood by taking a vote. The vote stood at eleven to one - eleven voting that the boy was guilty. Only one voted not guilty, and this was jury number 8, played by Christian McKeever.
       

For the remainder of the play we tracked the jury proceedings, and watched as the eleven jury members gradually began to be convinced by number 8 that the boy was not guilty, until finally Alex Barnes-Auld cracked and the boy was acquitted. The tension was cranked up skilfully, as the actors revealed the motives and attitudes behind each juror’s decision-making. Eireann Tinkhof, Alex Barnes-Auld, Iyobosa Bello-Asemota, Jamie Maher, Eliza Hancock, Nadia Al Lahiq, Oisin Large, Arthur Moffitt, Alina Stiehler and Muqtadir Shah performed the parts of the other jury members, while the foreperson of the jury was Celine Klee. Eleanor Moffitt and Janet Boyd played the parts the judge and court clerk.

The standard of acting by all members of the cast in my opinion was extremely high, everyone stayed in character and there were no errors to be seen. This production got an extremely good reaction by everyone who was fortunate to have been able to see it, and I would say it was very successful.

'The Field'

The Junior Play, John B. Keane's The Field, is on tonight and tomorrow night in the BSR. Below, Garry Bannister's video introduction to the production.

'The Field'

This Friday and Saturday, 2nd and 3rd March, sees the performances of the annual Junior Play in the BSR. This year it is John B. Keane's classic 1965 story of conflict over land in Kerry, The Field. Mr Jameson is again the director, following successful productions of Gizmo, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole and Romeo and Juliet in recent years.

Parents are welcome on either night, with both performances starting at 7pm.

The cast is-

The Bull McCabe - Mark McAuley
Tadhg - Brendan Dickerson
Maimie Flanagan - Lydia Johnson
Mick Flanagan - Aidan Chisholm
Leamy Flanagan - Samuel Clarke
Sergeant Leahy - Jessica Beresford
Bird Finnegan - John Clarke
Maggie Butler - Molly Buckingham
William Dee - Ugo Onwurah
Dandy McCabe - Callan Elliott
Mrs McCabe - Jessye Faulkner
Father Murphy - Sofia McConnell
The Bishop - Siobhan Brady

Junior Play 2012

Auditions for the 2012 Junior Play, John B. Keane's The Field, are being held in the BSR at 1.15pm today. Have a go!

'Gizmo' review

Cast of 'Gizmo'

Last weekend's Junior Play production of Gizmo by Alan Ayckbourn, directed by Mr Jameson and Dr Stone, was a great success, and here Kezia Wright of Transition Year (she took a leading part in last year's play) reviews it: 

The 2011 Junior Play, Gizmo, was a production that displayed hard work, dedication, skill and at the same time was extremely humorous. Gizmo by English playwright Alan Ayckbourn is a one-act play, telling the story of Ben Mason, who, having been paralysed from witnessing a shooting, is aided by a new technological device called “Gizmo”. This Gizmo comes in the form of a rather chunky wrist-watch, yet this gadget enables Ben to move. However, he can only move in sync with the wearer of the wristwatch. Thus trouble comes about, as the wrist-watch falls into the wrong hands and is misused; poor Ben is at its mercy.

The play was a challenging one as the blocking was extremely technical, due to the synchronisation of movements being central to the plot. I think that it is a great tribute to the actors to have been able to convey both the humorous nature of the play yet still have performed with such great skill.

Read Kezia's full review here, and see a slide-show of photos here.

'Gizmo', the 2011 Junior Play

This year's Junior Play, Gizmo by Alan Ayckbourn, will be performed tonight and tomorrow night at 7pm in the Big Schoolroom. Originally written for youth performances, "set in the near future, it is about an amazing device which when fitted allows a body to be controlled by someone else - it is intended as a medical device for paralyzed people. Naturally, the controller falls into the wrong hands and the device is used for criminal purposes - with an unwitting host in tow."

Our production is directed by Jeremy Stone and Evan Jameson, and features Mark Agar as the paralyzed Ben, as well as Eleanor Dolphin, Catie McGonagle, Zach Stephenson, Marta Perez-Pla, Jamie Boyd, Hugo Hollis, Annika Franz, Rachel Rogers, Ugo Onwurah, Ben Traill, Ludo Stewart, Siobhan Brady, Molly Dunne, John Clarke, Samuel Clarke and Brendan Dickerson.

We will post a review by a Transition Year pupil here next week.

Review of 'Adrian Mole'

On Monday we posted pictures of last weekend's excellent Junior Play production. Now here's a review of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole by Transition Year pupil Opeline Kellett (herself often seen treading the boards in the BSR).

She writes: Overall this was a superb production. Special credit must go to Patrick Tice who played Adrian. His portrayal of the character was flawless and he managed to combine humour with the more serious without ever letting his energy drop or the audience's attention lapse. It seemed to me everyone was glued for the duration of the play. Full credit must go to the whole cast and of course Mr. Jameson who directed the play in a very short amount of time. In brief it was an excellent show and it was greatly enjoyed by all.

Read Opeline's full review here.

Adrian Mole Photos

The Junior Play, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend, was a great success on Friday and Saturday night. Later this week we'll have a pupil review here. Meanwhile, above is an Animoto video of the photographs taken by Mr Peter Watts on Friday (the music is Maple Leaf Rag 2), and below are the stills in a Picasa album.

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole

He's back: eternally 13 and three-quarters, Adrian Mole is on the stage of the BSR tonight and tomorrow night at 7pm, in Evan Jameson's production of Sue Townsend's classic The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole.

It's all here - Adrian's obsession with spots, Pandora and the Norwegian leather industry. Featuring an excellent Patrick Tice in the lead role, complete with extraordinarily large and nerdy glasses. Click here for the full cast list.

We'll post a pupil review here next week.

Left, programme cover by Aoise Keogan-Nooshabadi.

Junior Play auditions

Mr Jameson is holding auditions for next term's Junior Play, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, in the BSR at lunchtime today. See him if you can't make it at this time.

Coming later today, plenty of pictures of the recent Senior Play, The Acharnians.

Romeo and Juliet cast

The cast for next term's Junior Play production of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Mr Jameson, is:-

Romeo: Jasper Pickersgill
Benvolio: Henry Roe
Mercutio: Patrick Tice
Balthazar: Tom Crampton
Escalus: Opeline Kellett
Abram: Tom Gibbs
Lord Montague: Robin Fitzpatrick
Lady Capulet: Opeline Kellett
Apothecary: Angus Johnson
Juliet: Emma Moore
Lord Capulet: Thomas Emmet
Nurse: Olivia Plunket
Tybalt: Igor Verkhovskiy
Sampson: Tyrone Langham
Friar Lawrence: Eamonn McKee

Plenty more here about the production next term.

Romeo and Juliet

Next term's Junior Play, to be directed by Mr Jameson, is Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, in a specially-stripped down version - in the words of the audition poster, 'Shorter. Faster. Louder. Better.' Auditions are currently being completed. More news in due course. The production itself will be put on in the BSR on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th February.

Drama Prizes, 2008

Congratulations to the winner of the Senior Drama Prize, Jessica Young (for her work as Christina Mundy in November's production of Dancing at Lughnasa), and to the winner of the Junior Prize, Anna Traill (for her performance in the title role in Antigone by Sophocles, in last term's production).

The Apollo of Bellac

Tonight The Apollo of Bellac is being shown in the BSR at 8.15 (about 40 minutes) before its performance tomorrow evening at the St Andrew's One-Act Drama Festival.

On Friday and Saturday evenings, the Junior Play production of Antigone was a triumph - an impressive hour's powerful story-telling. We'll have a review by a pupil here in a couple of days.

Antigone, Junior Play

Tonight and tomorrow night in the BSR we have our Junior Play 2008, Antigone by Sophocles (cast here, and pictured above) directed by Mr Peter McCarthy. It should an impressive experience, since they're a talented group of actors.

Both performances start at 7, and will end by 8.15. For background, plot and more, see the Wikipedia entry here (the Anouilh version here).

Pictured also, the cast warm up for the dress rehearsal last night with a few rounds of 'Zip-Zap-Boing' (left), and (right) Creon (Robin Fitzpatrick) confronts Antigone (Anna Traill), watched by one of the Chorus members (Gina Mirow).

Rumours are circulating that our Ancient Greek and Roman colleagues may be about to take flight in cyberspace. Watch out for further news.

Start of Term

Pupils return tonight to school, and so we get underway properly tomorrow for the Hilary Term, a term which is rather shorter than usual across the country because of an early Easter. We have plenty to pack in over the coming two months, and this site will be very busy reporting on everything.

The Senior and Junior English Prizes have been marked, and the results will be announced here on Wednesday. Also, we now start the process of encouraging entries for the Senior and Junior Poetry Prizes (we published here lots of good material from last year's entries), and near the end of term there will be the annual Shakespeare Prize exam. There's also plenty of drama activity this term, with the Junior Play Antigone by Sophocles on February 1st and 2nd, and the entry for the St Andrew's One-Act Drama Festival, The Apollo of Bellac also in February. In addition, in March II form have their Actiontrack workshops. World Book Day this year is on March 6th, and again we'll mark that in various ways.

On top of this, of course, is all the important regular work that goes on, including the Mock Leaving and Junior Certificate exams. Our Transition Year are about to start their Work Portfolios, which will eventually produce plenty of work posted here.

Antigone

Our Classics Department colleague Peter McCarthy has just selected the cast for next term's Junior Play, Sophocles's Antigone (we have sometimes used this for the comparative module of the Leaving Certificate in the past) :

Creon - Robin Fitzpatrick
Eurydice - Sophie Kyd-Rebenburg
Haemon - Jasper Pickersgill
Antigone - Anna Traill
Ismene - Alannah Howie
Tiresias - Sebastian Stephenson
Messenger - Patrick Tice
Guard - Fred Mann
Citizen - Kate Haslett
Chorus - Opeline Kellett and Gina Mirow.

Anna Traill, who plays the title role, wrote about her involvement in the Tenderfoot Drama Programme here a couple of days ago. More on the production next term.

Junior Play

Last weekend's production of Molière's The Hypochondriac (Le Malade Imaginaire) was a great success - an ambitious and difficult undertaking with young performers, the cast covering five different forms, from Primary up to IV. The picture shows Sebastian Stephenson and Sarah O'Mahony on stage (the production was put on 'in the round').

David Cooper (IV) played the part of Beralde, the hypochondriac's brother, and writes :-

"Without trying to sound corny, I thought it was a brilliant experience and I think the whole company enjoyed it greatly. Everyone's looking forward to next year and to more dramatic experiences in the future ... continued."