Conna Dramatic Society vie for All-Ireland glory

After months of rehearsal, several performances at their home venue as well as in Kilworth and Ballynoe before finally taking to the festival circuit where they travelled to five festivals in all, the big weekend has arrived for Conna Dramatic Society.

Following the draw in Ennis on Sunday for times and dates of performances, the play’s director Paul Murphy and his charges will take to the Glór stage in Ennis in their first foray into the one-act finals. They will perform on Sunday afternoon in what will be the last of the five confined performances with their play ‘ The Extraordinary Revelations of Orca the Goldfish’ by David Tristram.

The group opened their festival run in Naas,

Co Kildare on October 28 where the finished in 3rd place behind Navan (winners - ‘Normal’) and Roscommon (‘A Galway Girl’). Next it was off to Goresbridge in Co Kilkenny where, on

October 31, they recorded what would be the first of their three wins. As well as taking the award for best play, finishing ahead of Carlow Little Theatre (‘Mother’s Day’), they also took awards for best performer (Brendan Hurley) and best stage manager of the festival (Aisling Heffernan).

At the Cork Arts Theatre on Saturday, Nov 13, they took 3rd place behind winners Gaggin (‘Lucy In The Sky’) and Carlow (‘Mother’s Day’) with Brendan again taking the best actor award.

The following Saturday (20th) took them to the North Wexford venue of Coolgreany, where they notched up their second win ahead of Navan (‘Normal’) and Martello Productions (‘Something Unspoken’). As well as best play, they were awarded best director (Paul Murphy), best audience play, best actress (Mary O’Connor) and best confined play.

This was followed on Sunday night with their third win in the West Cork Festival in Rossmore where they took the spoils including best director, best audience play and best actress (Mary O’Connor).

COMPETITION

Conna’s competitors in the final will be Navan (‘Normal’), Phoenix Players Tubbercurry (‘Plaza Suite Act 2’), PIC Drama Group (‘ A Kind of Alaska’) and Roscommon (‘A Galway Girl’).

The adjudicator for the finals will be Geoff O’Keeffe who is a theatre director and actor. Geoff adjudicated the All-Ireland One Act Finals in 2013, the All-Ireland Confined Finals in 2014 and the RTE All-Ireland Festival, Athlone in 2017. He is a member of the Association of Drama Adjudicators and holds an MA in Theatre Studies from DCU.

THE PLAY

Conna’s play, a two-hander from the pen of David Tristram, has the longest title of the festival - ‘The Extraordinary Revelations of Orca the Goldfish’. It brings us into the lives of Henry and Alice as fantasy blurs into reality, their two worlds which seemed a million miles apart are now suddenly on a collision course, it could only happen to these two, and don’t forgot Orca their goldfish. Will it take the ultimate sacrifice on his behalf to bring the couple back together?

Let’s hope Brendan and Mary have their best performance to date and that they will come off the stage in Ennis, happy in the knowledge that they have given it their best shot.

We wish the best of luck to the director, cast and crew!

HEADING TO ENNIS: Paul Murphy, director (centre back row) with cast and crew of ‘Orca the Goldfish’. Included are Pa Murphy, James O’Connor, Aisling Heffernan and Richard Barry, with front l-r: Brendan Hurley and Mary O’Connor.

Enjoying the draw in Ennis on Sunday were, l-r: Paddy Rice, Agnes Hurley, Brendan Hurley, Paul Murphy, Richard Barry and Allison Rice.

Brendan Hurley and Paul Murphy (director) enjoying their awards having won best play and best actor in Goresbridge. Also included is Brendan’s wife, Agnes.

Mary O’Connor with her best actress award which she won in Coolgreany.

Director Paul Murphy with one of the group’s three winning trophies.