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Saturday night brought the final curtain down on the 68th Newry Drama festival at Newry Town Hall with an incredible amount of trophies going to Newpoint Players for their phenomenal performance of Sean Treanor's Mary K, although sadly the Premier Award didn't go their way, with the performance of God of Carnage by Prosperous Dramatic Society coming out on top.
Before closing the festival Chairperson Maire Donaghy commented on the high standard of drama and the sheer theatrical exhilaration the week had brought to audiences.
Her remarks were earlier endorsed by adjudicator Brian Marjoribanks when in his final adjudication he commented that the standard of the week’s productions were as high if not surpassing those of many professional repertory companies.
It was indeed a wonderful week of drama including farce as in Rosemary Drama’s performance of the adaptation of Moliere’s ‘Tartuffe’ and the haunting exploration of the struggles and despair suffered, particularly by women in rural Ireland in the late 19th and earlier 20th century in Newpoint’s production of ‘Mary K’
Bart players ‘The cemetery club’ and and Bunclody/Kilmashall’s ‘The Good Father’, provided comedy and filled the hall with laughter.
‘The Anastasia File’performed by Theatre 3 Newtownabbey explored one of the many conspiracy theories surrounding the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas the second.
The winners of RTE All Ireland Drama Festival finals, Prosperous Dramatic Society , closed the festival with their much acclaimed production of ‘God of Carnage’
The final night’s award ceremony brought triumph to Newpoint Players who picked up a staggering 11 trophies including Best Young Most Promising Actor Neil Heaney and Best Supporting Actress Judith Quinn. They also picked up the coveted Audience Award and came third place in the festival. The runners up were Bunclody and the premier award went once again to Prosperous.
However the 68th festival was about much more than the plays, the adjudications, the awards and gaining places in other National festivals
For audiences it was a landmark, a social event which the pandemic had robbed them of for over two years. They had emerged from the isolation, returned to their community, and met much missed friends.
During the audience teas at the interval, the sense of their sheer joy and relief to be out again was palpable. Many expressed how happy they were to feel connected again, to have regained their place in society, and to once again enjoy the normality of a night out in the theatre.
For actors and crew there was a feeling of delight that their passion and talents that had lain so latent for so long were to be celebrated again.
They could once again work as a team, they could experience the thrill of playing to a live audience and could revel in the much missed applause after a period where, for the first time in living memory, theatres all over the world lay in darkness and silence for such a prolonged time.
For the staff in the Town Hall the reward of being busy and having a purpose was evident with the spring in their steps.
The caretaker spoke of the contrast of ‘two years of nothing happening’ with the Town hall having a full diary of events and staff happily ‘run off their feet’
For the committee the uncertainty was finally over. The early weeks of planning the 2022 festival were filled with anxiety and uncertainty.
There were concerns over the availability of teams, the possible reluctance of audiences to attend, implications about restrictions and of course the health and safety of all involved.
Such uncertainty was quickly dispelled when the curtain rose on the opening night and in the words of Chairperson Maire Donaghy, ‘ our stunning Town Hall has lit up again to welcome everyone’
Newry Drama Festival 2022 will not only be remembered as a highly successful theatrical event but as a triumph for the beginning of the rejuvenation of our Arts community who were for so long in the wilderness.
Roll on 2023.
Results
Best Technical Production - The Stage Services North Cup
Winner: Newpoint Players Mary K
Nominations:
Rosemary Drama Group Tartuffe
Newpoint Players Mary K
Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group The Good Father
Best Costumes - Newry Musical and Orchestral Society Cup
Winner: Rosemary Drama Group Tartuffe
Nominations:
Rosemary Drama Group Tartuffe
Newpoint Players Mary K
Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group The Good Father
Best Music and Sound - The Gerard Murphy Cup
Winner: Newpoint Players Mary K (Live Music)
Nominations:
Newpoint Players Mary K (Live Music)
Bart Players The Cemetery Club (Good Selection - All cues on time)
Theatre 3 The Anastasia File (Simple, effective)
Best Moment of Theatre - The Vivian Harty Cup
Winner: Newpoint Players Mary K (Opening Tableau)
Nominations:
Newpoint Players Mary K (Opening Tableau)
Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group The Good Father (Cot death of baby)
Prosperous Dramatic Society God of Carnage (Final mobile phone call as they
returned to normal)
Best Lighting - The Patrick Carey Cup
Winner: Newpoint Players Mary K (Spot on Mary and complex cues)
Nominations:
Newpoint Players Mary K (Spot on Mary and complex cues)
Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group The Good Father (Change of mood/atmosphere)
Prosperous Dramatic Society God of Carnage (Ability to see face of Alan walking down stage right
Best Décor - The Violet Durkan Cup
Winner: Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group The Good Father (Simplistic/effective)
Nominations:
Newpoint Players Mary K (Use of rostra – detail)
Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group The Good Father (Simplistic/effective)
Rosemary Drama Group Tartuffe (Merging of costumes and background flats)
Best Stage Manager - The Patrick Crinion Cup
Liam Farrell Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group
Audience Award The Northern Bank Cup
Newpoint Players Mary K
Best Young Actor/Actress/Most Promising Performer - The Sam Russell Cup
Winner: Neil Heaney Daniel in Newpoint Players Mary Kay
Nominations:
Neil Heaney Daniel in Newpoint Players Mary Kay
Emily McGlennon Philomena in Newpoint Players Mary K
Best Supporting Actress - The Regina Hanratty Cup
Winner: Judith Quinn Mary (younger) in Newpoint Players Mary K
Nominations:
Judith Quinn Mary (younger) in Newpoint Players Mary K
Vivian Shepherd Doris in Bart Players The Cemetery Club
Eileen Lee Mme Pernelle in Rosemary Drama Group Tartuffe
Best Supporting Actor - The Round Table Cup
Winner: Matt Freeman Samuel Wright in Newpoint Players Mary K
Nominations:
Matt Freeman Samuel Wright in Newpoint Players Mary K
Brian Haslett Cleante in Rosemary Drama Group Tartuffe
Best Actress - The Anne Boyle Cup presented by the Boyle Family
Winner: Mairead Connaughton Jane in Bunclody /Kilmyshall Drama Group The Good Father
Nominations:
Pauline Lynch Mary (older) in Newpoint Players Mary K
Mairead Connaughton Jane in Bunclody /Kilmyshall Drama Group The Good Father
Zita McGarry Kelly Veronica in Prosperous God of Carnage
Best Actor - The Ardmore Cup
Winner: Robert Massey Alan in Prosperous Dramatic Society God of Carnage
Nominations:
Alan Kennedy Orgon in Rosemary Players Tartuffe
Pardraig Darcy Tim in Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group The Good Father
Robert Massey Alan in Prosperous Dramatic Society God of Carnage
Best Director The Sean Hollywood Cup
Winner: Ciaran Healey Prosperous God of Carnage
Nominations:
Sean Treanor Newpoint Players Mary K
Kieran Tyrell Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group The Good Father
Ciaran Healey Prosperous God of Carnage
Most Ambitious Choice - The Owen Mooney Cup
Winner: Newpoint Players Mary K
Nominations:
Rosemary Drama Group Tartuffe
Newpoint Players Mary K
Prosperous Dramatic Society God of Carnage
4th Place in this Festival
Bart Players The Cemetery Club
3rd Place in this Festival
Newpoint Players Mary K
Runners Up The Lions Cup
Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group The Good Father
The Premier Award - The Canavan Cup
Prosperous Dramatic Society God of Carnage
