Like A Virgin

Written by Gordon Steele
Directed by Jean Monahan
Performed in Mill Theatre and five venues around the country in Nov & Dec 2011

Jean Monahan directed 'Like A Virgin', the Balally Players entry for the National One Act Festival in 2010.

At the presentation of awards in the Mill Theatre on Sunday 5 December 2010, Aoibhinn Finnegan was awarded the Assunta Delany Bursary, a place on the DLI Summer School next year, for her role as 'Angela'.

In the Finals Festival, which was hosted by 'Dundrum 1 Act Festival' and supported by Balally Players, the group finished in fourth place, missing third place by a point.

The run of heats before the Finals ended with two firsts, two seconds and one third place.

Two members of the group singled out for individual awards in Palmerstown were Aoibhinn Finnegan for Best Actress and Patrick Hand for Best Stage Management.

‘Like A Virgin’, by Gordon Steel is a romp through the bubble-gum years of teenage life. Angela and Maxine, besotted with Madonna, play truant from school, form a band, attempt to write songs and, with hairbrushes in hand, live out their adolescent dreams of becoming famous. Meanwhile Angela's mother, Viv, struggles to come to terms with her marriage break-up and her daughter's explosive lifestyle, as the play roller coasters through hope, sex, ambition, despair, and, most of all, love.

Getting to the All Ireland One Act Finals Festival was a great achievement for Jean and her team and involved a considerable amount of work over many months.

 

Picture Gallery

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The play was performed in the Mill Theatre Studio from 20 to 23 October as part of a 'tripple bill' entitled "Playin' It Cute" before embarking on its tour of the following Circuit venues.

• Cavan - Thu 4 November
• Palmerstown - Sat 6 November 
• Ballymahon - Fri 12 November
• Maudebawn - Fri 19 November
• Carrigallen - Sat  20 November

The performance of 'Like a Virgin' was accommpanied by two short plays directed by Brian Molloy and Óran O'Rua.

Óran O'Rua had readings to cast his production 'The Mystery at Twicknam Vicarage' by David Ives on Monday 13 and Wednesday 15 September in St Tiernan's School. The play had the following cast and crew.

Brian Molloy held readings to cast 'Time Flies' on Monday 27 September in St Tiernans School (see directions and map on the Links page). 'Time Flies' is a sweet romance about two angst-ridden mayflies who discover in the middle of their first date that their life span is only one day. That doesn't leave much time for foreplay. It's a play that truly tests the old cliché: Live every day as if it's your last. The cast consists of one Male Mayfly, one Female Mayfly and David Attenborough!