Issuu

April

Sat 26 The Loved Ones

Rough Magic & Gate Theatre

May

Thurs 1– Sat 3 Loophole Mostrim Players

Sun 4 Irish Midlands Youth Orchestra Camlin Keys Festival

Thurs 8 Legends of the 60s

Fri 9 It’s Wine O’Clock

Sat 10 Céilí Afro Dabke with Catherine Young

Thurs 15 Tender Mercies Bealtine Festival

Fri 23 Philomena Begley & Ray Lynam

Sat 24 Gearoid Farrelly

Thurs 29 Michael Harding

Fri 30 Miss Mary Bealtine Festival In Edgeworthstown Library

June

Fri 6 Every Blooming Thing

Wed 11 Mosh

Thur 12– Sat 14 Fancy Dan Darren Yorke In Temperance Hall

Sat 14 The Good Crank Alan McMonagle

Sun 15 Legends of American Country QuICk GuIDE

Fri 20 & Sat 21 Lullaby Leaf

Sat 21 Onoir

Fri 27 nature Boy with séan Ronayne

Irish Wildlife Sounds

Sat 28 Route 66

July

Mon 14 - Fri 18 Theatre Camp

sept

Mon 22 Reverb

Luail Ireland’s National Dance Company

BOOk WITH COnFIDEnCE

Don’t worry if you or any of your party are unable to attend a performance. If you contact our Box Office team by phone only on 043 3347888 no later than 4pm two days before the show*, you can exchange your tickets for another performance or ask for a credit voucher (which does not expire).*Must be two working days.

Box Office hours: Mon-Fri (10am to 5pm)

Please note: No refunds/exchanges can be offered on the day of a performance or after a show has taken place.

If we need to cancel or postpone a show, our team will be in touch to let you know and offer you a refund or exchange.

ACCEssIBILITY AT BACksTAGE

We are always looking for ways to make your experience at Backstage as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. As your local Theatre and Arts Centre, we want to strip away any barriers that may exist and ensure that everyone feels welcome and knows that our space is your space. Please let us know, at time of booking, if you have mobility or any disability issues and we will do our best to make your visit as easy and enjoyable as possible.

AssIsTED LIsTEnInG sYsTEM

We are delighted to offer those with hearing loss access to a new range of Infrared Assisted Listening Devices. This system will enable audience members to hear speech and sound from the main stage regardless of where they are seated in our auditorium.

To find out about the two types of systems available visit backstage.ie or scan QR code. Prebook your unit at time of booking or by emailing box office in advance on admin@backstage.ie

sEnsORY FRIEnDLY

Our Social Story is availble to view/download on backstage.ie

If you or any of your party would like to visit our space before a performance to become familiar with the surroundings and take away the unknown element, please feel free to contact us in advance to arrange a visit during office hours.

Our website, backstage.ie, is also fully accessible complete with language translator and accessibility tools.

NASC presents a Rough Magic and Gate Theatre production

The LOveD ONeS

by Erica Murray

After a critically acclaimed world premiere at the Gate Theatre as part of the 2023 Dublin Theatre Festival, erica Murray’s unmissable play embarks on a nationwide tour.

The Loved Ones is a sharp, deeply moving, and wickedly funny new Irish play about motherhood, grief, and the families we find when life doesn’t go to plan.

Don’t miss the play that critics are calling ‘hilarious and heart-wrenching’— touring nationwide for a limited time only. Book now!

H H H H

“Wonderful, witty, assured and entertaining”

The Irish Times “Compelling...superb... perfection”

The Irish Independent

Mostrim Players present LOOPhOLe

by John McManus

Set in modern-day Ireland,this lively comedy is packed with sharp wit, colourful characters, and plenty of mischief. Two struggling farmers, Paidi and Cass, seem like the best of friends—but appearances can be deceiving. With just six months to live, Paidi decides to leave his land to Cass, but things don’t go as smoothly as planned.

His troublemaking brother, Rooster, has his own ideas, and the arrival of Kasia, a fiery Polish lady of the night, stirs the pot even more.Throw in the no-nonsense professionals Caroline, Karina & Bernie, and the ever-nosy neighbours, Mairead and Molly, and Loophole is a recipe for chaos!

Camlin Keys Music Festival present

The IRISh MIDLANDS YOuTh ORCheSTRA

Fresh off a performance in the National Concert hall, the orchestra will play a varied programme from Brahms and Tchaikovsky, through to John Powell’s soundtrack to how to Train Your Dragon and a new commission by Irish composer Tim Doyle under the direction of Matt Rafter.

The concert will also feature award-winning guest performers the Lynn Singers in a collaboration not to be missed.

The IMYO, formed in 2006, provides high-quality orchestral experiences for young musicians from all over the Midlands, including Longford.

Matt Rafter said: “We are very excited to perform in the wonderful Backstage Theatre, as part of Camlin Keys Music Festival. With a steady stream of talented young musicians coming out of Longford, this is the perfect opportunity to present high quality orchestral music, played by young musicians from all over the Midlands.”

THuRs 8 = MAY = 8PM = €27

Join multi award-winning, all-star musicians and singers Stephen, Raymond and Chris for this unforgettable musical masterpiece.

This ultimate feel-good show will transport you hand-clapping, swinging and singing all the way back to that magical golden decade that was the 1960s.

Performing high quality tributes to icons like Elvis, The Beatles, The Monkeys, The Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison, Tom Jones, Cliff Richard, The Beach Boys and The Drifters, don’t miss this entertaining live musical experience featuring over 40 iconic hit songs never to be forgotten!

CityTheatreDublinProductionspresents

It’s Wine O’Clock …or whatever drink tickles your tits til Friday – be it whores on Coors, troubles on Bubbles, frisky on Whiskey or zero craic on zero alcohol! Naughty Norma is newly divorced, horny as hell and believes 50 is the new 30. Her three teenagers tell her to “get a life and get a fella,” as they take over her ‘glow-up’ from Badger to MILF.

The braver, bolder Norma invites you on her journey as she gives a blow-by-blow account of her Tinder Sexcapades.

Life is a costume party, so pull on your sparkly Spanx, gather the glitzy gals, and pop your Cork!

n

Catherine Young Dance presents

CéILí AFRO DABKe

uKRAINe

After the incredible success of last September’s world music céilí dance on the Square, we’re continuing our 30th anniversary celebrations with another spectacular Céilí Afro Dabke ukraine.

Led by Catherine Young Dance & The Welcoming Project, this high-energy, world music céilí dance will bring together dance styles from across the globe. Powered by world-class live musicians and dancers, this is a free, inclusive event where everyone is welcome— whether you want to dance, try something new, or simply soak up the vibrant atmosphere. Join us on the Square to dance, celebrate, and connect with neighbours from around the world!

sat 10th May 7.30pm Market square FREE

TENDER MERCIES

Starring Sorcha Furlong

Written by Collette Cullen | Directed by Caroline FitzGerald

Presented in association with Age Opportunity as part of the nationwide Bealtaine festival - celebrating the arts and creativity as we age.

Fair City’s Sorcha Furlong, in a tour-de-force performance, captivatingly portrays Mary Fortune as she recounts the highs and lows, loves, disappointments and demons in an incisive, fine-tuned study of a woman on a downward spiral.

Furlong brings vividly to life a whole cast of characters from Mary’s past – her parents, ex-husband, hairdressing clients, neighbours, friends and beloved twin brother Barry.

Blackly comic and poignant you’ll be thinking of Mary long after the lights go down.

“...the star of the show is inarguably Furlong, and not because she’s the only one on stage. It’s a phenomenal performance.”

The Reviews Hub

“…Cullen has a gift for bringing the light into the darkness in her writing.”

The Irish Independent

WITH sPECIAL GuEsT JOE MOORE

If it’s country music you like then this is a rare chance to see real Country Music Royalty.

LIMITeD AvAILABILITY

Gearóid Farrelly follows his mammoth Glamour hammer tour with a hilarious new stand up show touching on the many, many, MANY things that make his blood boil.

“To be in Farrelly’s crowd is a joy. Each joke landed perfectly… impeccable comic timing”

HHHHH Broadway Baby

“Gearóid Farrelly is Bloody Hilarious” sarah Millican

“My Absolute Favourite”

Joanne Mcnally

Se LLING FAST

THuRs 29 = MAY = 8PM = €25

An evening in conversation with

MIChAeL hARDING

As he walks the Camino and talks to his father.

Michael harding’s father had a profound effect on his life. In 2023 Michael walked the Camino de Santiago, and wrote a volume of memoir entitled I Loved him from the Day he Died.Join Michael as he brings to life the Camino walk and the father who shaped his life.

MISS MARY

Edgeworthstown Library

FRI 30 = MAY = 11AM & 2PM = FREE

Miss Mary is an outdoor solo dance, tracing the footsteps of Ireland’s traveling dance masters. Created by Kristyn Fontanella, it explores her dance lineage and heritage, inviting the audience to connect with the land, share stories, and ask Where did you come from? how do you move? Will you dance with me?

This is an outdoor solo dance piece you will be standing and possibly moving around the space...so bring your comfy shoes and enjoy!

Booking for workshop essential on 043 3343335 or edgeworthstownlibrary@longfordcoco.ie

Workshop 11am Performance 2pm All FREE Workshop & performance taking place in Edgeworthstown Library

From the presenters of “Ireland Is” comes Every Blooming Thing, a spoken word road show presented by Colm Keegan and erin Fornoff, produced by Sofft Productions and LIve Network. Built around poetry’s ability to celebrate and champion the ordinary, the show’s central theme, inspired by Patrick Kavanagh’s line, is based on two poems – “Springshine” by Colm, and “A Billion Tiny Things” by erin. Both poems focus on everyday events and the small joys of being alive. In globally challenging times, it is important to find moments of celebration, joy and gratitude.

BY RACHEL ní BHRAOnáIn

Ages: 12+

This award-winning show is a dance, a gig, a theatrical shove into the heart of the pit. This is the meaning behind the chaos. Blending raucous dance, live music, interviews with real mosh pit devotees, and new writing, MOSh dives into the deeper meaning behind a misunderstood subculture. Is this violence or dancing? What are the rules? This is a show about a community connected through music and risk – a show with humour, heart and a hell of a lot of headbanging.

Winner Best Ensemble & Best Sound

Design Dublin Fringe Festival Awards 2023

H H H H H “the five cast members (who are exceptional) explode onto the stage in a flurry of bodies, potent bursts of energy and passionate releases”

The Irish Times

FANCY DAN

In Temperance Hall

A homegrown play for young audiences, from Longford’s own Darren Yorke and the team that brought us Fergal and the award-winning Boss Rob.

This is the story of a town hall, the mysterious ‘Fancy Dan’ who books it, and the explosive talk of the town on the local radio show.

Commissioned by Backstage Theatre and supported by the Arts Council, we are thrilled to present this momentous event in the heart of Longford the town.

For audiences aged 9+.

school shows

Thurs 12th & Fri 13th June 10am & 1pm €7

Family shows

sat 14th June 1pm & 6pm €10

The GOOD CRANK

by Alan McMonagle.

Directed by Gorretti Slavin. Starring Rose henderson

Join Kitty Clog and the motley crew she encounters as she embarks on a rollercoaster journey to find out what has happened to the one-and-only man in her life.

The Good Crank is a one-person comedy-drama presented in the voice of a woman certain in her belief that she is never going to die.

Treading a blurry line between humour and pathos; yearning and farce; belonging and marginalisation, The Good Crank is an exploration of the flip-flop existence of an older woman at odds with the world she has grown into.

“Kitty Clog will make you laugh and cry Rose Henderson is spellbinding as Kitty Clog aka The Good Crank.”

Author Alan McMonagle

“The Legends of American Country” returns for another fantastic night of toe-tapping Country nostalgia!

The upcoming tour will showcase highly acclaimed tributes to Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Don Williams, Patsy Cline, hank Williams, Tammy Wynette and Kenny Rogers and new tributes to icons Alan Jackson, Shania Twain, Garth Brooks and the new kid on the block Luke Combs, with countless other well-known singalong hit songs in this must-see musical extravaganza. Legends of American Country Show also features three superb singers who are all accompanied by a fantastic live band of musicians, guaranteed to transport you all the way, hand clapping and toe-tapping, to Nashville and back in one night. sun 15 = JunE =

Lullaby Leaf is a captivating, fun-filled, and immersive sensory theatre experience created by Ceol Connected for young children with complex needs and children with autism. A talented team of artists invite children on a sensory journey in this joyful multi-sensory theatre performance. With the gentle unfurling of a leaf, a soothing sensory world is brought to life through music and song, light, smell, movement, and touch. Lullaby Leaf has been described by teachers and parents/guardians as ‘enchanting’, ‘remarkable’ and a ‘masterpiece’. Lullaby Leaf at Backstage Longford is supported by Longford County Council through the Creative Ireland programme.

Max capacity: 6 children and their parent/guardian/carer. For children aged 3-8 with additional needs

school shows Fri 20th June 9.15am, 11am, 12.30pm. Family shows sat 21st 12pm & 2pm

This show is FREE but booking essentialeach show limited to 6 children (and their adults)

Onóir are getting ready to blow your mind… This is a night not to be missed as they put their unique stamp on the timeless ballads and folk songs that we all love. But be prepared for a few pleasant surprises as they delve into Americana, heart-rending soul and a little bit of country. In addition to top quality vocals there’s going to be some fun and laughter along the way.

Onóir are selling out venues in record time as their impassioned audiences are taken on a musical odyssey. From their new take on traditional Irish songs all the way through to up-tempo modern Irish classics, from tears to laughter, enjoy the onstage chemistry, excitement, and banter in a show that you will remember for a long, long time.

NATuRE BOY: A jOuRNEY OF BIRDSONG & BELONGING

seán Ronayne

How do we protect something we do not love or understand?

Ornithologist Seán Ronayne from Cobh, Co.

Cork is on a mission to record the sound of every bird species in Ireland – that’s nearly 200 birds. Often joined by his partner Alba, he travels to some of the country’s most beautiful and remote locations to capture its most elusive species and soundscapes: the busy seabird colony of Skellig Michael; a native woodland free from road noise in the Burren; the corncrake stronghold of Tory Island; a solitary nest in the Donegal uplands.

In this sound-packed, illustrative talk, Seán will bring you on a beautiful journey through Irish birds, sharing their sounds, stories and struggles. Along the way we get to know Seán, whose hypersensitivity to sound has proven both a struggle and a strength. At once inspiring and cautionary, Seán’s journey illustrates the beauty and importance of sound, and what listening can tell us about the state of our natural world, and how it can also heal and nourish the soul.

expect laughter, expect tears, and expect the unexpected. Not to be missed – you will never look at the world around you in the same way again.

LIve IN CONCeRT ROuTe 66 BIG BAND

Route 66, a fabulous 16 piece Big Band with a difference are delighted to bring their amazing live concert show back to Backstage.

The show which has been a huge success in theatres throughout Leinster for the past ten years, takes audiences on a magical musical tour from the ’40s right up to date with numbers made famous by Frank Sinatra, Glen Miller, Tom Jones, Adele, Joe Dolan, Tina Turner and many more.

A great mix of music played with a brilliant big band sound and a treat for every age.

MOn 14 - FRI 18 = JuLY = 10AM-2PM = €65

Backstage Theatre camp, the camp where playacting and talking loudly is encouraged!

Let your kids delve into the magical world of theatre and watch their confidence soar as they sample everything from writing, directing, lighting, acting and improv with plenty of laughter and fun. Demand is always high and it’s first come first served so parents, book your kids in now and kids, if you’re reading this - tell your folks to pick up the phone or hop online asap!

For 7-12 year olds

All you need is a packed lunch and a taste for fun!

Luail, Ireland’s National Dance Company present ReveRB

Movement and melody collide in an electrifying celebration of legacy, live music, and movement by choreographer Sarah Golding with music by multi-instrumentalist Lisa Canny. This high-energy performance combines powerful physicality with spellbinding vocals and composition, exploring the ways in which our actions ripple through time and leave their mark.

With Canny’s signature mix of traditional and modern sounds driving the dancers, every beat tells a powerful story, blending past and present in a raw, emotional experience. Get ready for a performance where rhythm lives, tradition breathes, and every moment and movement resonates.