Festival Programme | Kilmuckridge Drama Festival

Kilmuckridge Drama Festival 2025

Kilmuckridge Memorial Hall

Under the Auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland

Friday 21st February – Saturday 1st March 2025

Shows start at 8pm nightly except on final night Saturday 1st March show starts at the earlier time of 7.30pm

Adjudicator: Imelda McDonagh

Festival Line Up

Date	Drama Group	Play	Playwright	Confined /Open Section
Friday 21st February	Enniscorthy Theatre Company	The Seafarer	Conor McPherson	Confined Section
Saturday 22nd February	Brideview Drama Tallow	The Weir	Conor McPherson	Open Section
Sunday 23rd February	Wayside Players	Amongst Men	Eoghan Rua Finn	Open Section
Monday 24th February	Kilrush Drama Group	Bailegangaire	Tom Murphy	Open Section
Tuesday 25th February	Bridge Drama	The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time	Simon Stephens	Open Section
Wednesday 26th February	Ballycogley Players	Lend Me A Tenor	Ken Ludwig	Open Section
Thursday 27th February	Wexford Drama Group	Skylight	David Hare	Open Section
Friday 28th February	Ballyduff Drama Group	The Blackwater Lightship	Colm Tóibín adapted by David Horan	Open Section
Saturday 1st March	Kilmuckridge Drama Group	Juno and the Paycock	Seán O’Casey	Confined Section

Synopsis of the Plays

Friday 21st February – “The Seafarer” by Conor McPherson

Coming shortly

Saturday 22nd February -“The Weir” by Conor McPherson

Gathered at the pub on a windy night in rural Ireland, the landlord and his regulars share old stories with Valarie, a young woman who has recently arrived from Dublin. At turns ghostly and mesmerising their tales draw Valarie into their world – but it is her story that stops the men in their tracks. Examining chances of missed opportunity and the loneliness that results in it, The Weir is a haunting play with its roots in Irish folklore.

Sunday 23rd February -“Amongst Men” by Eoghan Rua Finn

It is 1969 Seán Walsh, a primary school teacher, plans to commemorate the revolutionary period in Wexford with his sixth class pupils. His mother was a Cumann na mBan member and has first hand knowledge of life during the wars. Knowledge she prefers to remain secret. When tragedy strikes Seán’s attention turns to uncovering his mother’s secrets, a mission that puts him in conflict with local political and religious leaders, and puts his job, identity and life in jeopardy.

Monday 24th February – “Bailegangaire” by Tom Murphy

‘Bailegangaire’ tells the story of three women who are dependent on, and at war with, one another. Mommo, the dominating and tyrannical grandmother, is bed-ridden and attended by two long-suffering granddaughters. In her unfinished storytelling Mommo has the power to keep the sense of the past alive or finish the story and liberate both herself and her two granddaughters from the chaos and blight that hangs over them all.

Tuesday 25th February – “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Simon Stephens

Teenaged Christopher, stands beside Mrs Shears’ dead dog. It is seven minutes after midnight, Christopher is under suspicion. He records each fact in the book he is writing to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington. He has an extraordinary brain, exceptional at maths, but he is ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. But Christopher’s detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that turns his world upside down. **Winner of 7 Olivier & 5 Tony Awards**

Wednesday 26th February – “Lend Me A Tenor” by Ken Ludwig

World-renowned tenor Tito Merelli has signed onto play Otello at a Cleveland Opera House in the fall of 1934 . He arrives late, and through a set of crazy circumstances, passes out after mixing wine with a huge does of tranquilizers. Believing that the divo is dead, the excitable opera manager taps his hapless assistant, an aspiring singer named Max, to suit up as Moor and replace Merelli. Meanwhile the Tenor’s jealous wife, his ambitious female co-star, Max’s young girlfriend and the flirtatious head of the opera guild are on the scene fighting – sometimes literally – for the star’s attention.

Thursday 27th February – “Skylight” by David Hare

East London school teacher Kyra Hollis is visited by Edward Sergeant and, later on the same night, his father Tom Sergeant. Kyra had been living with the Sergeant family years earlier but left after her affair with Tom was discovered by Tom’s wife, who has since died. Edward now accuses Kyra of having left him as well, as he saw her as a big sister, and he demands to know why she left his life. Shortly thereafter, Tom, a wealthy restaurateur, appears unheralded and for no apparent reason. Kyra’s less-than-glamorous lifestyle leads him to poke fun at her to the point of insult, accusing her of self-punishment. The talk turns to their relationship. It becomes clear that their chances to be rekindled rest on whether one of them can change preconceived notions of the other.

Friday 28th February – “The Blackwater Lightship” by Colm Tóibín