As the longer nights settle in, West Clare is getting ready for entertainment with drama in Doonbeg as details of this year’s One-Act Drama Festival are confirmed.
The festival will take place on Saturday 11th, Sunday 12th and Monday 13th of November at Doonbeg Community Hall with a host of drama groups from around the county and the country. Corofin Drama Group; Ennis Players, and Oakhill Players, Knockerra will be joined by groups from Kildare, Cork, Offaly and Galway to perform a wide selection of short plays.
Organised by the volunteer committee of the West Clare Drama Festival, the Doonbeg One-Act takes place annually in November. Chairperon Andrew Killeen said “Drama is vitally important in rural communities up and down the country. The bringing together of a variety of groups and plays in a festival setting is a wonderful celebration of drama. It provides actors and producers with an opportunity to learn and develop their craft.”
The festival offers a wide range of plays to suit all tastes with everything from comedy and farce to tragedy and drama productions. Nine different plays will be performed by different drama groups over three nights in both Open and Confined sections – the full line-up can be viewed on www.westclaredramafestival.com and Facebook. The drama groups are competing as part of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland Drama League of Ireland One-Act All-Ireland circuit with the 2023 Finals taking place in December to be hosted by Castleblaney Drama Festival, County Monaghan.
This year’s adjudicator is Aodh McCoy, who has been involved in amateur drama for many years on the festival circuit receiving awards for directing, acting and stage lighting in festivals throughout Ireland including performances in All Ireland Open and Confined Finals.
Since beginning his career in adjudicating, Aodh has adjudicated one-act and full-length festivals throughout the country including the Northern Ireland AUDF One Act Finals in 2020 and 2023. He adjudicated the Northern Ireland AUDF full length Drama Finals in 2022. Aodh is especially delighted to receive the invitation to adjudicate West Clare Festival with its renowned reputation. He hopes to meet as many of the audience members as possible during the festival and discuss some of the excellent productions that the festival committee has put together in a mightily entertaining programme of one-act plays.
Details are available on www.westclaredramafestival.com and admission price is €12 for Adults or €30 for a Season Ticket for 3 nights and €6 for Children available on each night. Doors open at 7.15pm with Curtain Up at 8pm sharp.
