The second part of the Athlone Festival programme opened with the Confined Festival winners, Nenagh Players. I had hoped that their production of Jim Minogue's Flight to Grosse Ile would qualify for the All-Ireland, and when I saw Nenagh's quayside effects and coffin ship victims strewn along the foyer, I anticipated a spectacular presentation. But there was no stunning theatre in the piece. In parts indeed, it was quite gauche. If these harsh words send the author back to the drawing board, they will have done a service, because the subject deserves a powerful drama. Lifford Players have a long and distinguished record for All-Ireland appearances. It was disappointing, therefore, to see some clumsy direction and lighting, a few fluffed lines and an errant stage-hand dashing off as the second act of The Barracks began. The group did, however, capture the emotionally stifling hardship of the life of a Garda family in the Fifties, as described in John McGahern's book, adapted for the stage by Hugh Leonard.
Even if Billy Roche's The Cavalcaders contains a couple of memories too many, the Enniscorthy Theatre Group met the difficulty with panache. At work in the cobbler's shop or rehearsing their quartet, the four men in this cast worked as a skilfully tuned team. The women in their troublesome tale were superb. Add to this, a perfectly authentic set, intelligent direction and lighting, and you have a noteworthy production.
After a string of plays with narration, monologues, and flashbacks, Arthur Miller's The Crucible from Palace Players, Fermoy was a welcome joy. This was one of the most absorbing evenings of the festival, with a number of excellent performances. The group exploited fully the sinister element of the Salem `witch' trials.
Back in 1983, I was unimpressed by the first performance of The Great Hunger, Tom MacIntyre's adaptation of Patrick Kavanagh's poem. Castleblaney Players, with their Monaghan understanding of what Kavanagh and MacIntyre were about, proved that drama can work through image and gesture. Theirs was an imaginative masterpiece in design, direction, lighting and performance. Clever direction, a tasteful and functional set and fine acting were evident in Holywood Players' A Man for All Seasons. There were some minor lighting difficulties but costumes were particularly distinctive. The finale of the Festival was marred by the sad news of the death of John Forrest, former Chairman of DLI and current editor of its Newsletter. Sympathies to his family.
Phelim Donlon, Drama Officer at the Arts Council, will open Dundalk Amateur Drama International on Saturday. Torch Players, Limerick open the main theatre programme with The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the Moon Marigolds. This play about a boorish, drinking mother and her daughter's success in a school project features a tour de force by Mary Harvey and delightful performances from her supporting actresses. On Sunday, Players Theatre, from Wales, present a light-hearted look at Geoffrey Chaucer's work with Some Canterbury Tales. A group of actors prepare to present the play as written by Chaucer. Chaucer begins his prologue and introduces the company of pilgrims to the audience - but the actors are in revolt.
Locals hold the stage on Monday as Castle Players present Happy Birthday, Dear Alice by Bernard Farrell, when family secrets are revealed at a mother's birthday party. On Tuesday 26th, TACT from Israel present Mrs Klein by Nicholas Wright, in which a loveless mother analyses every aspect of her children's behaviour, leading to tragedy. This group's leading lady, Dawn Nadel, has won the Best Actress Award at Dundalk on two occasions. Scotterby Done Productions, from Essex (Wednesday), have already won awards and received rave reviews for their musical Torch Song Trilogy, which tells of a New York Jewish drag queen's loves and losses. . Thursday and Friday's, respectively, feature Castleblaney, who excel in Tom MacIntyre's acclaimed dramatisation of Patrick Kavanagh's poem, The Great Hunger, and Terry Eagleton's Saint Oscar by Moat Club Naas, with Padraig Broe. Mobile Theatre Guild, Alabama close the competitive element of the festival with the Connie Ray musical Smoke on the Mountain. Ends
All-Ireland winners
Esso Trophy for Winning Group: Corn Mill Theatre, Carrigallen. Esso Miniature Trophy for Winning Group's Director: Killian McGuinness. Best Actor: Maurice Kehoe, Coolera Dramatic Society. Best Actress: Mary Harvey, Torch Players, Limerick. Best Director Other Than Win- ning Group's: Michael Fieldhouse, Holywood Players. Best Supporting Actress: Cathy Lawlor, Moat Club, Naas. Best Supporting Actor: Joe Kelly, Sundrive Players. Best Set: Eugene Finnegan, Corn Mill Theatre, Carrigallen. Best Lighting: Cormac Carroll, Coolera Dramatic Society. Best Stage Manager: Terence Stewart, Holywood Players. Esso Playwriting Competition Winner: G. Men by J. G. McEvoy, Dunmurray, Belfast.
