Lovers of live theatre relish the opening of 71st drama festival
Mmcgrath@corkman.ie
The 71st North Cork Drama Festival got under way last Friday night.
The opening night attendance were treated to the recollections of playwright and home town boy Charlie McCarthy, who related how his first introduction to the theatre was in the parochial, now the community hall, the venue for the festival, in the company of his mother, Maureen McCarthy.
“When I was growing up in the Main Street in the 1960’s there were three places where I could go to have my mind expanded and my imagination set on fire. That was before any drugs, legal and illegal, were available,” he said.
“There was ritual, music and stories of miracles and wonder to be entranced by in the parish church. There was adventure, fantasy, and heavily censored sex scenes in the Pavilion Cinema. And here in the what was then called the parochial hall in the Spring of every year there was the drama festival.
I cannot even begin to capture the excitement I would feel as a young boy when the festival dates were announced - breathlessly waiting to find out what plays were in the programme. Rushing to the Oriel Press on my mother’s instructions to book two season tickets, hoping I would be allowed to see as many plays as possible. Thankfully, she was a drama enthusiast, so I go to see a lot.
“And then there was the arrival of the adjudicators, always exotic creatures from another planet who came like gods among us to offer terrifying judgement on the plays and players.
“I still remember in some detail productions that I saw on this stage when I was a teenager and younger. Forgotten plays such as Shadow and Substance, American classics like All My Sons, plays with exotic titles such as The Tea House of the August Moon, and the even more trippy The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds.
“There’ a lot to be said the for a one-word title. Nothing much was wrong with Hamlet or with Sive, for that matter.
“I can vividly recall actual performances from that time: Cathy Lawlor and Pat Burke from Naas in Abelard and Heloise, Peg Power from Carrick-on-Suir in the Honey Spike. John B. Keane, the great playwright, in a production of Listowel Players of The Crucible, and last, but by no means least, in a local St. Colman’s Players production of The Field I saw the late great Tom Lowry giving a blazing performance as the Bull McCabe. I had a tiny part in that production and watching Tom Lowry up close was my first introduction to the magic and the mystery of great acting.
“It was also my first insight into the fact that a talented actor in the amateur theatre has one up on the professional actor because, as the word amateur suggests, they do it for love; only for love.
“Luckily, I was to work with many professional actors, one of whom I am delighted to say is this year’s exotic creature from another planet, adjudicator Brendan Murray. They say actors make the best playwrights, but I think they also make the best adjudicators.
“So, the drama festival for me was an introductory course to world drama. And looking at the programme for the next nine nights I can see that it continues to be as exciting, varied and informative as ever. Passionate women, feuding brothers, victims of institutional abuse, lonely bachelors, family dramas, romantic comedies, all human life is there.
“Indeed, a good deal of my own life is there as well but that’s another story.
“While the actors, writers, directors, and stage crews are essential to these productions, it is the audience and their active, imaginative participation that makes a play fully come alive. Unlike anything one might watch on a cinema screen or on an iPhone, plays are performed by flesh and blood actors for a flesh and blood audience. It is the liveness that matters.
“Just like a thrilling sports event or a great concert when live drama works, there is almost something erotic about it.
“I have been in this hall many times when I have felt the earth move, and my heart as well, of course. So, with this exciting prospect, I hope this hall will be full for the whole festival with audiences eager to play an active part in this most ancient of arts.
“I’m aware that the cast of Same Old Moon will be anxious to get on stage but, before I finish, I want to say that, like the production of plays, festivals cannot happen with careful planning, selfless dedication and a good dose of passion. So I would like to salute all those who volunteer to work so hard to see that this festival continues to thrive. It is a tremendous contribution to the cultural life of Charleville and surrounding areas.
And so finally, I am honoured and delighted to declare the 71st North Cork Drama Festival officially open.”
Earlier, the chair of the festival, Mary Gough, welcomed the audience to this wonderful tradition of the live theatre, and appealed to parents to bring more young people to the theatre to see live entertainment, because they are the future of the theatre, and indeed the future of everything.
“We visited the schools in the locality and gave the pupils the names of the plays that will be performed over the duration of the festival. We then asked them to depict in art what the name suggested to them. The result of their imagination is to be seen along the walls of the hall, and they are brilliant,” said Ms Gough.
Festival Director Dermot Cregg thanked his fellow members on the committee for their assistance in putting on the event which, he said, was challenging, but they got there in the end.
The festival opened with a performance of Same Old Moon which was staged by the Slieve Aughty Players from Co. Clare. The festival continues until this Saturday night when the adjudicator, Brendan Murray, will distribute the trophies to the winning groups.