Write a comment
Night 5 of Newry Drama Festival saw 'The Beacon' By Nancy Harris performed by Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group.
In opening his adjudication, Adjudicator Geoff O’Keeffe recounted that this play “ The Beacon” by Nancy Harris, was first presented at the Town Hall Theatre, Galway, before transferring in 2019 to Dublin in a Druid and Gate theatre co-production. The play was written by Irish writer Nancy Harris, a BAFTA award nominee, better known for her writing of the highly successful TV series “The Dry”.
O’Keeffe described this play as being on one level a thriller mystery, but also that it examines violence and inter generational trauma, the dynamics of family secrets, sexual politics and unrequited love.
The unfinished business in this family’s past is, O’Keeffe explained, reflected in the “unfinished and exposed setting for the play”. The challenge for the company was to create a believable if dysfunctional family unit. O’Keeffe continued, that they needed to explore the pain and trauma that comes from a lack of truth, a lack of loving and a willingness to let go of the past. O’Keeffe continued “ they must bring great truth and integrity to these characters who are all in some way searching for their beacon to show them just how to get along in life”
O’Keeffe thought the set, with the cottage undergoing renovation was “ beautifully rendered”. It “ feels like somewhere that an artist would live”. He felt that the neutral pallet allowed the painting to shine and the ocean view window gave a sense of the environment. O’Keeffe opined that one of “ the most brilliant moments of the week” was the end of Act one when the window cracked. The only criticism he could give was a suggestion of renovation by distribution of dust sheets.
O’Keeffe thought the lighting was “ executed seamlessly” . He felt that the sound was well chosen , the choice of music was appropriate. The costume gave a good sense of the characters. He particularly liked what the character Ray wore, and could easily see him “ prepping his podcast in some hipster cafe”. Overall there was a strong level of presentation. the director was challenged to create a sense of a dysfunctional family and he thought this was captured really well. He felt that the story telling was alive in the moment, not contrived. The adjudicator thought that there were one or two moments which left a space, that sense of a space needed to be experienced as though seen for the very first time. He said that the delivery of lines worked very well.
He felt the scene between Donal and Colm, where their relationship is revealed, worked very well, it was “ measured and well paced”. The fragility and vulnerability of Colm through his outward dislikability was really well achieved. “ I found the pain that man experienced and yes, he is unlikeable but now I understand why “… O’Keeffe thought this was really well achieved and thought Bonnie really gave us a sense of that young American girl, her following of Biev round her workshop felt really natural.
The final scene between Biev and Colm was so powerful, the way they engaged, “ the drive, the connection was really strong”. One question he might have for the group was why was Biev so angry in the first scene for so long? He found it too stringent. However overall there was so much going on that was admirable. He congratulated the director Kieran Tyrell. He thought Biev, played by Elaine Jordan, gave a strong characterisation , was vocally so assured, that she has some really fine moments and her final scene was oh so powerful.
Colm, played by Padraig D’Arcy, gave a really “ finely judged performance”. Bonnie, played by Lisa Redmond, brought a lovely quality to her characterisation, however, he also felt that, because of the accent, there was a higher register at times and the clarity wasn’t always there with every word. However it was a very measured performance.
Donal, played by Tim Connuaghton, brought a really well rendered characterisation, he was playful, he was loyal, he was hurt and he was also proud. Finally, O’Keeffe continued, Ray, played by Keith McLoughlin, a role which was hard to play as he came on late in the play, did it very well.
So, O’Keeffe concluded, that the production “ brought us a well thought through presentation, where design areas felt unified at a strong level. The technical demands of creating a cracked window live on stage were expertly achieved. The director and cast captured the dynamics of this dysfunctional extended family unit and found moments of light and shade and while the opening scene might have been dialled up a bit too much, we found so much to admire”.
