Category Archives: Play
Unwanted: The Ballad of Mossy Flood by Seamus O’Rourke
Claremorris Town Hall Theatre Presents:
Unwanted: The Ballad of Mossy Floods
A new play written by Seamus O’Rourke
Friday, 9th June
Doors: 7.00pm | Show: 8.00pm | Full Bar
Mossy Flood has a knack of going the long way around a story. In so doing, he makes us laugh and examine ourselves in a way we haven’t done before. He might be an unsociable odd-ball with a big thick head, but his wrestle with the everyday is pure gold. He will always land on his feet or at least somewhere near his feet… because he is Mossy Flood… and he’s from Longford.
After a couple of appearances on social media a few years back, Mossy Flood is probably Seamus O’Rourke’s most loved character… his musings have been viewed millions of times on the internet and now, he finally has his very own show. ‘The Ballad of Mossy Flood’ might just save humanity from self-destruction.
Harvest Moon Theatre Group presents: GOD of CARNAGE
Harvest Moon Theatre Group presents:
GOD of CARNAGE
by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hamptom
Good Friday Night – 7th April 2023
Doors: 7.00pm | Show: 8.00pm | Full Bar
Synopsis of Play
God of Carnage was written by Yasmina Reza and was first published in 2008. Two sets of parents meet to resolve a conflict between their two children. What is supposed to be a civilised meeting turns into a barrage of name calling, tantrums and tears. In this hysterical comedy when the gloves come off, dirty laundry is aired and the grownups find themselves in their own playground. Originally written in French, the play was translated into English by translator Christopher Hampton, and has enjoyed acclaim in productions in both London and New York.
Sunday Independent described the play as ‘.. very funny…a positive joy to watch..’’
The Sunday Times said it ‘…Is highly entertaining…it certainly gave us a good laugh’
Group Information
Harvest Moon Theatre Group is a new group based in Claremorris, Co Mayo, with members drawn from all over Connaught. All of the group members have experience of the All-Ireland circuit with other groups.
Kevin Woods is a native of Roscommon. He has played Ray in ‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane’, Bartley in ‘Spreading The News’, IRA Man and Scottish Veterinary Student in ‘The Lone Furrow’, Bartley in ‘The Cripple of Inishmaan’, The Neighbour in ‘27 Wagons Full of Cotton’ and Padraig Pearse in ‘A Nation Once Again’ amongst many other plays and films.
John Morley, from Bekan, has played Johnnie Pateen in ‘The Cripple of Inishmaan’, Roger in ‘I Do Not Like Thee Dr Fell’, Tom in ‘Conversations on a Homecoming’, Pato in ‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane’, Frank in ‘Frank’s Last Waltz’. He has also appeared in a number of Short films with The Little Cinema Galway and Dolmen Films.
Rosemary Dixon is no stranger to the stage in Claremorris. She was part of the Garrymore Drama Group that won the All-Ireland Confined Finals in 1990 with their production of The Playboy of the Western World directed by Ray Leonard RIP. Rosemary played The Widow Quinn in that production. Rosemary has played Miss Dee in ‘Sharon’s Grave’, Julia in ‘The Country Boy’, Freda in ‘The Year of The Hiker’, Maureen in ‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane’, Kate in ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’ and many more parts.
Vera Kilgallon is from Mayo Abbey and has appeared as Maureen in ‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane’, Breda in ‘Eden’, Peggy in ‘Conversations On a Homecoming’, Vera in ‘Factory Girls’, and Helen in ‘The Cripple of Inishmaan’. She has directed a number pf plays and appeared in a number of films including a small part in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’.
John Corless is a photographer, writer and director from Claremorris. He has written radio and stage plays and his work has been performed and broadcast nationally. His documentary ‘Dancing Nancy’ about the bombing of Claremorris Town Hall in the 1970s, was broadcast on RTE Radio One in 2022.
This is the group’s first appearance at Claremorris Town Hall Theatre.
Seven Letters – A Play by Rian Flatley
Claremorris Town Hall Theatre Presents:
Seven Letters
A play by Rian Flatley
Friday, 14th April 2023
Doors: 7.00pm | Show: 8.00pm
After a two-night run in Claremorris Town Hall Theatre in 2022 and as part of a nationwide tour in 2023, SEVEN LETTERS, the poignant and often humorous play returns to Claremorris Town Hall Theatre by popular demand on Friday, 14th April 2023.
Seven Letters provides a platform for seldom heard voices; three lives are unfurled before us through a carefully constructed recipe of dialogue, monologue, and song. Stories are told, secrets revealed and friendships are forged. Three very different women whose paths would otherwise never have crossed are thrown together through societal circumstance. Sensitive subject matter is handled with delicacy and care, but also brutal honesty. A fierce hunger rages within these women, a need to be heard, to be remembered, to be loved, and to be alive. The emotional balance is finely poised, bringing us between laughter and a raw truth that evokes sadness and empathy.
Songs that reflect the plot are interwoven throughout the drama, a series of strong ballads that provide an echo of youth and hope for the future. Seven Letters is constantly asking us to pause a moment and think about the path ahead of us. This play is a tribute to everyday women who go through life with memories weighing on their hearts. These are women who suffer from love, abandonment, hope, heartbreaks. No matter what troubles fell at their feet they kept their heads up and moved on, often with wit and laughter. Seven Letters reminds us that our youth goes by all too quickly as our passing seems to drag on for far too long.
The professional all-female cast portray an age range from 25 to 80 plus. The females in the room, whom society at large has deemed ‘invisible’, are now seen and have a voice. Their sheer determination and mission is to make you listen and relate to their stories, and ultimately respect and regard them for their age rather than punish them for it. As a society we now know that we are an ageing one, and the emotional wealth of the community can only benefit by embracing all ages, with all that they have to offer, especially fuelled by the knowledge that many of us will reach a life that has only a few years ahead but so many behind.
Claremorris Drama Festival 2023
The 51st Annual Claremorris Drama & Fringe Festival will take place from Thursday the 16th to Saturday the 25th of March 2023.
The adjudicator will be Walker Ewart (ADA).
2023 Schedule
Thursday March 16th – Opening Night
Seamus O’Rourke – Padraig Potts’ Guide to Walking
Friday March 17th – 8pm Brideview Drama Players (Open)
The Father by Florian Zeller
Saturday March 18th – 8pm Ballyduff Drama Group (Open)
The Welkin by Lucy Kirkwood
Sunday March 19th – 8pm Dalkey Players (Open)
By the Bog of Cats by Marina Carr
Monday March 20th – 8pm Ray Leonard Players (Confined)
The Kings of the Kilburn High Road by Jimmy Murphy
Tuesday March 21st – 8pm Parke Drama Group (Not In Competition)
Cash On Delivery by Michael Cooney
Wednesday March 22nd – 8pm St Patricks Drama Group (Confined)
Dear Frankie by Niamh Gleeson
Thursday March 23rd – 8pm Ballyshannon Drama Society (Open)
A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee
Friday March 24th – 8pm Corofin Dramatic Society (Open)
Stolen Child by Bairbre Ní Chaoimh and Yvonne Quinn
Saturday March 25th – 8pm Glenamaddy Players (Confined)
Proof by David Auburn
Followed by Presentation of Prizes
Tickets are available now from the Box Office and from the link below.
