Ballycogley sweep the boards at drama finals

THE Ballycogley Players swept the boards at the All Ireland Confined Drama Festival at the weekend.

The group performed its production of The Night Alive by Conor McPherson last Tuesday and proved an early contender for the top prize of the Claregalway Perpetual Trophy.

The Ballycogley Players picked up four awards on the night; the top prize of the Claregalway Perpetual Trophy for best play, director Breda Hayes won the Broderick Perpetual Cup for Best Director, Paddy McGuire won the Carrickmore Perpetual Trophy for Best Stage Management and Sean Carthy was Best Supporting Actor.

Con Doyle had been nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category while Trish Boyce was nominated in the Best Actress category.

Directed by Breda Hayes The Night Alive is set in a Dublin bedsit. It tells the story of separated family man Tommy who’s renting a room in his Uncle Maurice‘s house, and his sidekick Doc who sometimes sleeps there. Tommy, who is going from one get rich quick scheme to another, comes to the aid of Aimee, who also has her own problems.

The two form a friendship and when ex boyfriend Kenneth arrives on the scene their world comes crashing down. As Oscar Wilde said - no good deed goes unpunished and Tommy confronts a heap of trouble for his act of gallantry. With warmth, style and craft Conor McPherson deftly mines the humanity to be found in the most unlikely of situations.

Rachel Murphy of the Ballycogley Players said they were delighted with their wins.

‘We are absolutely delighted, over the moon. It was a fantastic night. We knew we were in with a good chance after we performed because people had been picking out their favourites and we were in the mix.

‘It is the second time we have won the top prize. The last time we won it was in 2006 with another Conor McPherson play, The Weir.’

Unfortunately there were no wins for Coolgreany Drama Group for its production of Death and the Maiden.