2,000 participants take part in week-long drama festival

A week-long drama and performance festival ended at the weekend after 51 individual competitions involving over 2,000 participants aged five to 20 years.

The Feis Maitiú Drama Dublin was held at the Mill Theatre, Dundrum, where the skills of young people were tested in the areas of poetry recital, improvisation, drama, mime, storytelling and Shakespeare recital.

Competitions took place from Monday to Saturday last week often lasting from 9.45am until after 9pm.

The competition began in 1909, organised by Capuchin monks keen to get children involved in drama and performance. It was taken on by drama teachers and parents about 10 years ago and moved between several theatres before settling at the Mill Theatre six years ago.

A Feis Maitiú Cork also takes place each year from January to April and, in addition to drama, involves singing and music.

Prominent names in drama and acting have been involved in past competitions including Oscar winner Brenda Fricker and Joe Dowling, former artistic director of the Abbey Theatre.

Dowling recently wrote about winning the under-12 mime competition in 1960 and being presented with a gold medal by the late Milo O’Shea, the adjudicator in the competition.