Dundrum Festival

The Dundrum One Act Drama Festival returned to the dlr Mill Theatre, Dundrum, Dublin from Friday to Sunday, 17 to 19 November 2017.

Tenth Anniversary of Festival hosts National Finals in 2016

The All Ireland One Act Drama Finals were in Dublin in that special year of 2016 — six short years since we first extended a welcome to participating groups from all over Ireland. Balally Players and the Dundrum One Act Festival hosted the Finals and our website provided much detailed information for those competing and also for those who traveled to support and enjoy the drama and all that surrounded it. Festival Director for the finals was Karen Carleton.

We were honoured to be invited by the Joint Committee of The Drama League of Ireland and The Amateur Drama Council of Ireland to host the Finals again in 2016. The annual festival in Dundrum was run by Jean Monahan since it was established in 2006. This year Jean was Festival Treasurer and Fiona Walsh was Festival Secretary. Tony McGettigan, the current Chairman of Balally Players, was coordinating the Liaison for the participating Drama Groups. They were supported by many Balally Players members in the work that helped to make the 2016 National One Act Festival Finals a great success.

Awards presented in the dlr Mill Theatre, Dundrum

The Adjudicator, Tom Byrne, presented the awards at the Finals Festival in the dlr Mill Theatre, Dundrum, Dublin on Sunday 4 December 2016.

Results

A summary of the awards presented is shown in the tables below.

Perpetual Trophies

Adjudicator & DLI Awards

Final Results — Open & Confined Categories — 4 Dec 2016

Dundrum One Act Festival 2015

Mill Theatre, Dundrum Town Centre

The Dundrum One Act Festival returned to the Mill Theatre, Dundrum, Dublin from Thursday to Saturday, 29 to 31 of October 2015.

Three nights of drama on and off stage and the competition ended with the final night adjudication on Saturday. Drama enthusiasts from all over the country gathered in and around the Mill Theatre to enjoy the plays, the festival atmosphere and the reviews of plays each night from Festival Adjudicator Walker Ewart.

The social aspect of the One Act Festival is something always commented upon by those directly involved and those who come to see the plays and the groups who perform.

The eleven plays presented in the festival are shown on the right.

The Dundrum One Act Festival is part of the one act drama circuit. The winners from local festivals, including Dundrum, qualify for the 2015 All Ireland Final in Galway.

The Festival Director was, once again, Jean Monahan and Master of Ceremonies was Oran O'Rua.

The shows started on Thursday at 7pm and on Friday at 8pm. There were two sessions on Saturday at 4pm in the afternoon and 7pm in the evening.

Dundrum One Act Festival 2014

The Dundrum One Act Festival was in Mill Theatre, Dundrum, Dublin from Thursday to Saturday, 6 to 8 of November 2014.

The adjudicator was Tom Byrne.

The ten plays in the festival were as follows:

Thursday 6 November at 8pm

• Bangor Drama Club: The Actor's Nightmare by Christopher Durang
• Conna Drama Society: Hero by Michael Lynch
• Balally Players: When the Wine is Cold by John Kendrick

Friday 7 November at 8pm

• Theatre 3 Newtownabbey: The Virtuous Burglar by Dario Fo, translated by Joe Farrell
• Lucan Drama Group: The Death of Me by Norn Foster
• Kinnerton Players: The Seduction of Chaos by Kent R. Brown

Saturday 8 November at 2pm

• Coolgreany A.D.S.: Stay Carl Stay by Peter Tolan
• Blue Hat Productions: Volpone by Ben Jonson, adapted by Michael Ryan

Saturday 8 November at 7pm

• Enniscorthy Drama Group: P.V.T. Wars by James McLure
• Breffni Players: Spectre by Don Nigro

Dundrum One Act Festival 2012

The Dundrum One Act Festival was in the Mill Theatre, Dundrum, Dublin from Thursday to Saturday, 1st to 3rd of November 2012.

Once again the Festival was coordinated by Director Jean Monahan. The two nights of the Festival will see works by nine playwrights including Dermot Bolger, A R Gurney Jnr, Samuel Beckett, Eoin Colfer, Anthony Booth, Jeffrey Hatcher, Arlene Hutton, Don Negro and David Mamet.

Thursday 1 November

The groups taking part on Thursday 1 November from 7:30pm were 'On Q Theatre Company', 'Rush Dramatic Society' and 'Insight Theatre'.

Friday 2 November

On Friday 2 November the performances were by 'Skerries Thaeter group', 'Coolgreany Dramatic Society' and 'Athlone Little Theatre'.

Saturday 3 November

The final night of the Festival had 'New Heritage Theatre Group', 'Breffni Players' and 'Prosperous Dramatic Society'.

The performances began at 7:30pm on Thursday and Friday, with an earlier start, 7:00pm, on Saturday.

Festival returned for fifth year to host National Finals in 2010

The first Dundrum One Act Festival was held in the Mill Theatre, Dundrum, Dublin in 2006. In its fifth year, 2010, the festival hosted the finals of the National One Act Drama Festival in the Mill Theatre from 3 to 5 December. Festival Director for the finals was Karen Carleton.

The All Ireland Drama Finals in 2010 was hosted by 'Dundrum 1 Act Festival' under the auspices of the Drama League of Ireland and the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland. The event in the Mill Theatre, Dundrum drew on extensive support from Balally Players. One part of that support was the Festival website, which was built by Balally Players and hosted within balallyplayers.com

It is a great tribute to the success of the previous Festivals run by Jean Monahan that the hosting of the Finals was awarded to Balally Players. The Festival Director, Karen Carleton, worked with many Balally Players members to make the 2010 National One Act Festival Finals a great success.

Dundrum Festival Results for 2009

Open Category
Winner	36 Players
2nd	Prosperous Dramatic Society
3rd	Bradan Players
Confined Category
Winner	Breffni Players
2nd	Crossbridge Players
3rd	Leeson Park Players
Individual Awards
Best Actor	Robert Massey (Properous Dramatic Society) The Zoo Story
Best Actress	Emma Bolger (36 Players) 27 Wagons Full of Cotton
Adjudicators Award	Lurlene Duggan, Director (Properous Dramatic Society)

Schedule of plays performed during the Dundrum Festival - 2009

"Year three even better" - Festival Director, Jean Monahan - Oct/Nov 2008

On Thursday 30 and 31 October and Saturday 1 November 2008 the Dundrum One Act Festival was held in the Mill Theatre at 8pm on the first two nights and at the earlier time of 7:30pm on Saturday.

The event was organised under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland and the Drama League of Ireland.

This festival has grown from strength to strength since it began just two years ago. Festival Director, Jean Monahan noted that there were three plays each night, all directed/produced at the highest level. "It is a prestigious competition which gives great entertainment and great value at €12 each night. There are two intervals which give audiences ample time to visit the bar and discuss the pros and cons of each production".

The Festival is a nominating one to the All Ireland Finals and renowned adjudicator Tom Doherty spoke each evening on the merits of each play presented, making his winning nomination on the final night.

Jean and her team worked hard on the preparations for the festival. She said that the support received each year was very important to her and her team and also to the participating groups.

The schedule of plays for the festival was as follows.

The Dundrum One-Act Festival opened on Thursday 30 October with an Irish Premiere of a work by local playwright Madeleine Stringer. 'Rhyme for Reason'was performed by Taney Drama Society. Cavan group Stradone Players travelled to Dundrum with 'Billy The Member' from Des Waters of Wexford. Three plays were performed each evening and on Thursday Brian Friel’s two hander 'After Play', beautifully and tenderly written, was performed by the multi award winning group Crois Dearg with Paul Sharkey at his sparkling best.

Friday 31 October had a Halloween feel to it with 'Fireworks' by Iseult Golden, whose previous work ‘Tick My Box’ played to great acclaim. 'Ashes to Ashes' was the Pinter offering in the festival. Interpreting and misinterpreting Pinteresque visual and spoken language seems to be half the pleasure of seeing the great mazemaker's plays and it was presented here by Maeve O’Donovan with Fiona Breen and Dara McFeery. The third Halloween offering was a live wire piece of surrealism from Bradan Players: Eugene Ionescu’s 'The Bald Prima Donna'. A dazzling evening’s entertainment.

On Saturday 1 November the performances began at the earlier time of 7:30. 'Late Entry' was David Tristram at his brilliant best, in a play of biting wit and beautifully observed satire. It was presented by Malthouse Players from Galway, well known for their deft touch with comedy. This was followed by the Geraldine Aron’s story of the tender simple relationship of brother and sister 'Bar and Ger' with Breiffni Players from Carrick-on-Shannon. The evening ended in a hail of laughter as two of the country’s most experienced actors Paddy Behan and Seamus O Rourke brought yet another comedy in 'Elysium Nevada'. Playwright Barry McKinley will be remembered for his ‘Small Box Psychosis’ and Carlow Little Theatre ended the festival with this Irish premiere.

Adjudicator Tom Doherty gave his critique each evening at the end of the shows.

Tom Doherty (ADA GODA)

Adjudicator Tom Doherty

One of Ireland’s best-known Drama Tutors and Adjudicators, Tom has gained wide-ranging experience of the festival circuit over the last 30 years.

In recent times he has had a run of Finals including the Northern Ireland One-Act Final in Belfast; The All Ireland Confined Final in Claregalway; The All Ireland One-Act Final in Carrickmore and the Scottish Final in Greenock.

He was also invited to adjudicate the All Ireland Final in Athlone in 2010.

Second Festival of Short Plays in Mill Theatre, Dundrum - November 2007

Following the great success of the first Dundrum One-Act Festival in 2006, Balally Players presented the festival once again in the first week of November 2007.

The event was organised under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland and the Drama League of Ireland. The plays were performed each evening from Thursday 1 to Saturday 3 November 2007 in the Mill Theatre, Dundrum.

First place went to Balally Players with 'Riders to the Sea by J. M. Synge'.

St. Patrick's Dramatic Society took second place and Belvoir Belfast was third. Balally Players members also received individual awards. The Adjudicator's Award was given to Director Geoffrey O'Keeffe and Best Actress was Muriel Caslin O'Hagan.

Results

• 1st - Balally Players with Riders to the Sea
  by J. M. Synge
• 2nd - St. Patrick's Dramatic Society with Death of a Dummy
  by John Reason.
• 3rd - Belvoir Belfast with Toghair
  by Garvan Tohill.
  
  
• Adjudicator's Award - Director Geoffrey O'Keeffe
• Best Actor- Seymour Cresswell for Harry in Death of a Dummy.
• Best Actress - Muriel Caslin O'Hagan for Maurya in Riders to the Sea.

Confined Results

• 1st - Breffni Players with Last Tango in Little Grimley
  by David Tristran.
• 2nd - Kilmant Players with The Big Cats
  by Alec Baron.

The Adjudicator was Tony Rushforth. Tony studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London and is an actor, director and playwright. For twenty years he was Head of the Department of Drama at St. Mary's University College in Strawberry Hill. Tony is a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music and has an MA in Modern Drama. He has adjudicated in Sydney, England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

A total of ten plays were performed over three nights in the main auditorium of the Mill Theatre.

First Festival of Short Plays in Mill Theatre, Dundrum - November 2006

The first week of November saw the launch of the 'Festival of Short Plays' at the Mill Theatre in Dundrum, organised by Balally Players. On Friday 3 November a very successful first Festival of Short Plays was brought to a close. Over the three nights of the festival, three plays were performed each evening by local theatre groups and some from further afield.

The plays entered for the festival were:

Wednesday 1 November
'The Dumb Waiter' by Harold Pinter
Timeless Players

'Losers' by Brian Friel
Shannonside Drama Group

'Riverside Drive' by Woody Allen
Blue Transit Theatre Company

Thursday 2 November
Geography of a Horse Dreamer' by Sam Shepard
Bradan Players

'Drama tis Personnae' by Tony Deegan
Taney Drama Society

'The Trophy Wife' by Matt Casserino
City Limits

Friday 3 November
'I Dream before I take the Stand' by Arlene Hutton
Taney Drama Society

'The Donohue Sisters' by Geraldine Aron
Breffni Players

'The Rebel Countess' by Ivy Bannister
St. Patricks Dramatic Society, Dalkey

Adjudicator Scott Marshall addressing the audience at the Mill Theatre

The award winners were as follows:

Open Category
1st Taney with I Dream before I Take The Stand
2nd St.Patrick's Dramatic Society Dalkey with The Rebel Countess
3rd Timeless Players with The Dumb Waiter

Confined Category
1st Breffni Players with The Donahue Sisters
2nd Taney Dramatic Society with Dramatis Personae
3rd Shannonside Drama Group with Losers

Best Overall Award
Sinead Donovan

Adjudicator's Award
Bradan Players Leixlip

Adjudicator Scott Marshall with Sinead Donovan

The Adjudicator Scott Marshall is seen here with Sinead Donovan who won an award for 'Best Overall Performance' for her part in 'I dream before I take the stand' by Arleen Hutton, which was produced by Taney Drama Society. Sinead played Catherine Sloper in 'The Heiress' (Nov 2003) and Rose Arbuthnot in 'Enchanted April' (Apr 2005) with Balally Players. Details on these plays are on the Productions page.

The adjudicator announced the overall winner after the final performances on Friday 3 November. The Festival of Short Plays was held under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland (ADCI) and The Drama League of Ireland (DLI).