Glen Theatre Drama Group To Finish Run In Cork And Dublin

By TADHG CURTIN

It has been an amazing past year for the The Glen Theatre Drama group. Launching the 2023 - 2024 season with their second annual one act play festival last autumn, and their first three act play, the hilarious Tearing and Dragging, their recent agm concluded a tremendous year. Well, not quite. The group will be performing three more times over the next month, completing their successful run of performances of the second three act play of their season, John B. Keane’s The Rain at the End of the Summer. The two biggest dates are the Everyman theatre in Cork and the Civic theatre in Dublin. A third date and location will be confirmed shortly. Details for Cork and Dublin are on the following page.

Running since March and having been last performed in Bruach Na Carraige on May, the group saw an unprecedented turnout for the play. It was certainly a risk. The play was little known to even the most ardent John B. fans. Adding to that was the heavy

themes of the piece. Ultimately word got around that it was a work worth checking and many did.

The group wishes to thank everyone who supports the group and the theatre. Always open to members, we hope to see you all again this autumn!

Sean O’Deadaigh’s 'Our House Ablaze' is set to run in September.

For more information, phone 029 56239 or 087 7558752.

The cast in rehearsal. There was some rough weather during these meet ups. One may have been tempted to stay by the fireside on nights like these but such is the spirit of the group that they prevailed. Ice, wind, rain. Didn’t matter. What pushed the group was the knowledge that it would be well worth it with audiences taking their time to attend their performances.

It wasn’t all serious drama. For all the heaviness in Rain, the preceding Tearing and Dragging, a comedy drama by Hank Regan, had the crowds laughing. The above pictures were taken on the final night of each performance. John B. Keane’s daughter, Joanne Keane, came for Rain’s final performnace in Banteer. It’s a bittersweet feeling that final night. Months of hard work coming to an end. Everyone goes back to doing their own thing. But there are memories created with these productions not just for the audiences but the people involved. Memories for a lifetime. That is one of the great aspects of the groups legacy. And here is to creating many more!

A collage of moments from the play. Like the Irish weather, the range of emotions are all over the place. The audience never knows what’s coming; whether it might be a laugh or gasp, or maybe both!

If you haven’t already, you might, or recommend to someone you know, to check the group out at the upcoming venues on the upcoming dates.

August 23rd & 24th, 8pm. The Civic, Tallaght, Co. Dublin

Ticket Prices: €22.

Concession: €20

Box Office: 01 462 7477 www.civictheatre.ie