Festival fever is coming to Roscommon as the town gears up for the annual Roscommon Drama Festival in early March.
And this year’s programme doesn’t disappoint! Already, shows are selling out as the 2018 festival boasts an opportunity to see the work of well-known playwrights including John B. Keane, Conor McPherson, Michael Harding, Tennessee Williams and Neil Simon.
The annual nine-night celebration will bring a host of amateur theatre companies from as far away as Wexford to perform on the stage at Roscommon Arts Centre – and though they may be ‘amateur’ by name, the shows are anything but amateur by nature!
Roscommon Drama Festival has established a reputation for itself as being one of the best in the country and as a result, it attracts the crème de la crème of companies to perform here. In its time, more than one All Ireland winner has tread the boards of the Roscommon festival stage.
The festival provides a great opportunity to see plays that ordinarily audiences may not have the chance to see at theatres throughout the year – this year, for example there’s a rare opportunity to see Michael Harding’s play ‘Una Pooka’ and Tenessee Williams’ ‘The Glass Menagerie’ – which will be well known to a whole generation of people who studied the play at school.
The man that all the companies are hoping to impress in Roscommon this year is adjudicator Brendan Murray. Brendan holds an MA in Modern Drama Studies from UCD and has over 25 years’ experience working in theatre. He has acted and directed on both stage and screen, with an impressive CV that includes work for TG4, RTE, BBC and The Disney Channel. On stage he has performed with The Abbey, An Taibhdhearc, Town Hall Theatre Galway and Project Arts Centre, to name but a few. He was also co-director of the multi-award winning companies Punchbag and Fíbín. Brendan is currently Director of Áras Inis Gluaire – Erris Arts Centre, Belmullet, where he works in collaboration with the RHA Dublin and the RIA. He will be familiar to local festival enthusiasts, having adjudicated here previously.
Roscommon Drama Festival is a nine-night celebration of drama. If you haven’t yet booked your tickets or you’re not quite sure what show you’d like to see, then check out the full festival programme at: roscommondramafestival.ie or pick up a festival brochure from the box office at Roscommon Arts Centre. With tickets priced at just €14 & €12, there’s no excuse not to come along! Booking for all events is available online at: roscommonartscentre.ie or on 090-6625824.
