The Ballaghaderreen Players are thrilled to be making their first appearance at the Backstage Theatre, Longford with a play widely considered the crown jewel of contemporary Irish theatre – Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa.
Set in the fictional town of Ballybeg, County Donegal in 1936, it is a memory play told from the point of view of the adult Michael Evans, the narrator. He recounts the summer in his aunts’ cottage when he was seven years old. This unforgettable summer brings the possibility of joy, dance and love to these extraordinary, ordinary women.
This is Brian Friel’s moving and timeless masterpiece about family, home, belonging and the sweeping tides of industrial change.
The Ballaghaderreen Players were reformed in 2023 with local theatre maker Julie Sharkey as director, to coincide with the inaugural Ballaghaderreen Arts Festival. They are committed to creating high quality productions of Ireland’s great plays, while making sure the process is every bit as enjoyable as the performance itself.
To date, they have performed and toured Big Maggie (2023), The Cripple of Inishmaan (2024), The Field (2025). This year it’s the turn of the beautiful Dancing at Lughnasa.
They are delighted to be performing for the first time at the Backstage in Longford and hope it will be first of many visits.
The performance takes place on Friday, August 14th at 8 pm.
