KING ARTHUR
16.01.22 — 21.01.22
SAMUEL BECKETT THEATRE
PROUDLY PRESENTED BY THE ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY OF MUSIC, A SEMI OPERA BY JOHN DRYEN & HENRY PURCELL DIRECTED BY AOIFE SPILLANE-HINKS.
A NOTE FROM IADT
The Institute of Art, Design and Technology is once again delighted to be working with Royal Irish Academy of Music for this, our fifth annual opera collaboration. Students from our Design for Stage and Screen Ba (Hons) undertake an intensive four year programmewith us and a key part of that experience is working on realised productions such as this evening’s opera. The programme at IADT offers specialist study for production designers, costume designers and makeup/character designers who go on to work in theatre, film, television and associated practices. The work you will see tonight is primarily by our third years and marks an important and exciting point in their studies as they gather and demonstrate further creative and technical skills in taking performance from initial concept through to the finished production. We extend our congratulations, thanks and best wishes to all the students and staff who made this performance possible and we hope you enjoy the show.
Liam Doona Head of Design and Visual Arts Institute of Art, Design and Technology
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A special thanks from RIAM and IADT to the following persons who helped make this opera possible Clare Barman, Mary Brennan, Shirley Casey, Laoise Doherty, Liam Doona, Moggie Douglas, Imelda Drumm, Veronica Dunne, Monica Frawley, Owen Gilhooly, Ciara Higgins, Deborah Kelleher, Kevin Kelleher, Virginia Kerr, Lynda Lee, Martin Marley, Ruth Meehan, Sylvia O’Regan, Cathal Quinn, Philip Shields, Kathleen Tynan.
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A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR, AOIFE SPILLANE-HINKS Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen has been on my wish list forsome time. Three hundred years ago opera was a highly experimental art form. The original Fairy Queen was described as a ‘semi-opera’. Itconsisted of the bowdlerised text of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Purcell’s musical numbers essentially making up masques which came at the ends of the acts of the play. Sometimes the musical numbers bore some relation to the progress of the play, sometimes not! The result is an exuberant baroque ‘entertainment’ which provides the student cast, orchestra and designers with a wonderful opportunity to participate in and reinvent this brilliant work.Once again we have had a full production design created by the students of IADT’s Design for Stage and Screen programme. This is the sixth opera production that we have collaborated on and it is a wonderful partnership for the RIAM each year. The design of set, costume and make-up showcases their emerging production design talent. In addition the visual identity for the poster and programme was selected from over twenty designs by IADT visual communication design students. This production is a wonderful example of what can be achieved when arts education institutions work together and share ideas, resources and creative energy. There has been a terrific team spirit throughout the months of rehearsal and preparation for this production. I am indebted to my colleagues in the vocal faculty of the RIAM and the tutors at IADT and to the professional production team who have worked with a great enthusiasm and generosity towards the realisation of this production. I hope you enjoy the performance. 6
CAST & CREW
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KING ARTHUR
Matthew Manion
EMMELINE
Niamh Sheey
OSWALD
Cealachann Smith
MERLIN
Samantha Brennan
PHILDADEL
Laura Ahern
HIGH PRIESTNESS
Emma Hils
GRIMWALD
Seamus Brady
VENUS
Stephanie Kinsella
CUPID
Anna Helena
CONDUCTOR
David Adams
DIRECTOR
Aoife Spillane-Hinks
LIGHTING DESIGN
Paul Keogan
MOVEMENT DIRECTOR
Paula O’Reilly
BAROQUE STRING COACHES
Claire Duff, Aoife Nic Athlaoich
SET DESIGN
Kathy Ann Murphy, Conor Neville, Maire Ni Allurain, Rachel Tripp, Students of Design for Stage and Screen at IADT
COSTUME DESIGN COSTUME DESIGN
Gary Deegan, Lucia Counihan, Students of Design for Stage and Screen at IADT
MAKEUP AND HAIR DESIGN
Hazel Moran, Hannah McAteer, Students of Design for Stage and Screen at IADT
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ORCHESTRA
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GRIMWALDS SPIRITS
Caroline B, Niamh Sheey, Orla B, Stephanie Kinsella, Sean Tester, Ceallachan Murnoy
SHEPERDS
Samantha B, Ceallachan, Aimee K, Sophie, Hugo, Stephanie, Seamus, Lauren M, Sean Trent, Rachael C, Orla Brennan
COLD PEOPLE
Anna Helena, Marta S, Eilis F, Hugo, Caroline B, Aimee K, Anna Maria, Rachael C, Ceallachan, Seamus Keoghan
FINAL CHORUS
Anna Maria, Samantha, Aimee K, Sophie Smith, Orla, Sean, Rachael
MAGIC PEOPLE
Orla Bruce, Seamus, Aimmee Kearney, Anna Maria H, Rachael C, Sophie B, Lauren McC, Samantha B, Sean T
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SONG - "YOU SAY 'TIS LOVE" PART 1
YOU SAY ‘TIS CREATES TH WHICH SO S COMPLAIN; WOULD FAIN MY HEART IN UNEASY CRU
S LOVE HE PAIN, OF SADLY YOU AND YET N ENGAGE N THAT UEL PART.
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Aoife Spillane-Hinks is a director who works in Ireland and the United States. She is the co-founder of Then This Theatre and an associate artist with PICT Classic Theatre. Her American credits include Sharon’s Grave, Waiting for Godot, and Our Class (PICT Classic Theatre, Pittsburgh) and her Irish credits include It’s Not About Love (Making Strange Theatre/Dublin Fringe); Spotless (Rise Productions/Then This Theatre); So Where Do We Begin? (Sugar Coat Theatre); Holy Mary by Eoin Colfer (Breda Cashe Productions); Collected Stories and The Yellow Wallpaper (Then This Theatre); Pilgrim (The Gonzo Theatre/ Edinburgh Fringe); The Motherfucker with the Hat (ORion Productions); Run/ Don’t Run (Project Arts Centre/National Tour); Serious Money (Rough Magic); Hamlet (Second Age); Boston Marriage (Gate Theatre/Dublin Theatre Festival). Aoife has curated and directed events for the Abbey Theatre Community and Education Department, for the International Literature Festival Dublin, and for the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
DIRECTOR AOIFE SPILLANE-HINKS
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A former organ scholar of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Trinity College Dublin, David Adams studied in Freiburg (with Ludwig Doerr) and Amsterdam (with Piet Kee and Ewald Kooiman), winning prizes at international competitions in Speyer, Lüneburg, Dublin and Bruges. Since his début recital at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, at the age of 16, he has performed throughout Ireland, the UK and Europe, and is a regular guest at major international festivals. He regularly appears with all the Irish orchestras and is much in demand as an ensemble player in the fields of early and contemporary music. As a conductor he has worked with the Ulster Orchestra, English Touring Opera, Opera Theatre Company, the Orchestra of St Cecilia and the Irish Baroque Orchestra. He has premièred many new works including numerous compositions written specially for him. In addition to solo organ CDs recorded on the organs of Trinity College and the National Concert Hall Dublin, he has recorded for Naxos, Black Box and Wergo.
CONDUCTOR DAVID ADAMS
PRODUCTION TEAM
PRODUCER
Kathleen Tynan PRODUCTION MANAGER
Michael Kyle STAGE MANAGEMENT
Mary Kilduff ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
Gordon Bell PUBLICITY
Stephanie Dickenson SOUND RECORDING
Johnathan Nangle REHEARSAL REPETITEUR
Adam Collins COSTUME SUPERVISOR
Clodagh Deegan HAIR AND MAKEUP SUPERVISOR
Fiona Hogan PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHY
Colm Hogan VIDEO RECORDING
Edgar Grunewald 15
THEATRE TEAM
DIRECTOR
Chrissie Poulter GENERAL MANAGER
Francis Thackaberry HOUSE MANAGER
Ann Mulligan BOX OFFICE MANAGER
Rhona Greene TECHNICAL MANAGER
Michael Canney TECHNICIAN
Colm Hackett
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FOR MORE INFORMATION
www.riamopera.wordpress.com www.flickr.com/photos/riamlibrary Twitter @riamopera PRINTING
CRM Design & Print Ltd. GRAPHIC DESIGN
Megan K Griffin @megankgriffindesign