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The Curtain rises for the 69th year of Newry Drama Festival on Monday 27 March in the Town Hall at 7:30pm with audiences guaranteed 6 nights of outstanding entertainment.
The committee has been working tirelessly to ensure that the 2023 festival will be a memorable event. Part of their task is to generate income to ensure, not only the success of this festival, but to secure future festivals. To that end, the committee express their deep appreciation of their main sponsor McCallister and all other sponsors who donated so generously. Season ticket holders, some of whom have been patrons of the festival for more than 50 years, sponsors and other members of the drama community can expect a warm welcome and will have an opportunity to catch up with friends at the opening night reception in the board room at 7:00pm.
The Plays
The festival opens with the return of Rosemary Drama group with their production of Toast based on Nigel Slater’s award- winning autobiography. It reflects the tastes and smells, pains and pleasures of growing up in the 1960s- from jam tarts to angel delight- and is a funny heart breaking joyous and veritable feast for all the senses.
This is followed by Bart players who, like Rosemary, have been competing in Newry for many decades. They are presenting the popular One Man Two Guvnors which is based on the classic Italian comedy The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni. In this award- winning English version by Richard Bean with songs and music by Grant Olding, sex, food and money are all high on the agenda.
For the first time the festival are delighted to welcome a neighbouring company Lislea Dramatic Players who will be appearing as non-competitors but who promise to provide a night of pure joy and laughter on Wednesday 29th March with their production of See How They Run by Philip King.
Thursday is curtain up for the local group Newpoint Players who no doubt will play to a packed house with their production of Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days. Winnie buried to her waist in act 1 and to her neck in act 2 spends her time following her daily routine and prattling to her husband, who is largely hidden and taciturn, about happier days. The play was listed in the Independent newspaper as one of the 40 best plays of all time.
The penultimate night brings the welcome return of Bunclody/kilmyshal with The Night Alive by Conor McPherson. Set in a squalid bedsit in an old Edwardian Dublin house it sees Tommy and his friend Doc scraping by from day to day amid the junk filled squalor of their living accommodation. When Tommy rescues a young prostitute Aimee from a beating on the street, he brings her home where tentative friendships develop between herself, Tommy and the other men who live in the house. However, all changes when Aimee’s boyfriend comes looking for her.
On the final night Dundalk Theatre Workshop perform Brian Friel’s Faith Healer. Voted one of the most significant plays of the 20th century it is about the life of the faith healer Francis Hardy as monologued through the shifting memories of Hardy, his wife Grace and stage manager Teddy.
Adjudicator Ailbhe Garvey Hughes F.L.C.M.(TD) L.T.C.L. A.D.A, M.S.T.D will have the task of appraising the competing companies’ work. Those she places 1st, 2nd and 3rd will also have a chance to compete in the most prestigious events on the amateur circuit- the Ulster and All Ireland finals- a goal all production teams, cast and stage crew aspire to.
Season Tickets for Newry Drama Festival at £40 with student tickets at £20 can still be purchased on the opening night of the festival or by contacting a committee member prior to then. Nightly tickets are available at the door of the Town Hall each evening from 7:00pm and are £10 with concessions for £9.
