Dalkey Players, directed by Emma Jane Nulty, were crowned RTÉ All Ireland Drama Champions for their performance of By The Bog of Cats by Marina Carr at the Gala Awards ceremony in Athlone’s Radisson Blu Hotel on Saturday May 6th as the curtain came down on the RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival.
The annual festival is held under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland (ADCI) who celebrates its 70th Anniversary this year, with nine groups performing in Athlone to packed houses.
Ballyduff Drama Group, directed by Ger Canning, who presented The Welkin were placed second and Thurles Drama Group, directed by Margaret McCormack, who performed The Seafarer were placed third.
after winning the 2023 RTE All Ireland Drama Festival for By The Bog of Cats
(Pics: Eric Molloy)
By the Bog of Cats by Marina Carr premiered at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre in October 1998. The play takes place in the midlands of Ireland; loosely based on Greek mythology, it contains many mystical and mythical elements, including ghosts, curses, and references to witchcraft. Its themes include land ownership, motherhood, betrayal/abandonment, and ethnic prejudice.
Dalkey Players previously won the All-Ireland title in 2017; By the Bog of Cats director Emma Jane Nulty also won the Best Director award, with adjudicator, Paula Dempsey commending Nulty for her creative approach and unique directorial choices.
In addition to the best director prize, Dalkey Players' Sarah Coughlan, who played Hester Swaine won the award for best actress and Anna Kilcoyne, won the John Butler scholarship for her role as ‘Black Wing’. The company also took home the awards for best stage management and best stage lighting.
Paula Dempsey and Festival DIrector Regina Bushell after winning the Perpetual Trophy
Other award winners on the night included Andy Doyle from Wexford Drama Group, named Best Actor for his role as Andre in The Father; Rachel O’Connor, Ballyshannon Drama Society, named best actress in a supporting role for her role as Claire in A Delicate Balance; and Matt Tracey, Thurles Drama Group, named best actor in a supporting role for his role as Ivan Curry in The Seafarer
Additional awards went to Ballyduff Drama Group, who won the award for best stage setting, while Treasa Davey won the Adjudicator Award for her role as Winnie in Happy Days, and the ADCI/Drama League of Ireland (DLI) Summer School Scholarship went to Fiona Ahern, Ballyduff Drama Group, for her role as Mary Middleton, in The Welkin.
Commenting on the festival, adjudicator Paula Dempsey remarked on the high standard of the finalists, recalling the magic of live theatre captured in a quote by Florian Zeller, author of The Father: 'What you see in one night will never happen again; it's something that will disappear. At the end when everyone applauds, it’s both to say thank you and goodbye to something that appeared and disappeared. For a very short moment those people shared something that from the very beginning was going to disappear.'
