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The curtain has come down on the 71st Newry Drama Festival following a week of extremely entertaining performances at Newry Town Hall, culminating on Saturday night, 29 March wit adjudicator Geoff O'Keefe's announcement of his 2025 winners.
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South Dublin based Balally Players production of 'Ulster American' was selected as the winner of the festival taking the Premier Award and recipient of the Canavan Cup. The black comedy by David Ireland also took Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and the Audience Award. The festival obviously kept the best wine to last as the production took to the stage on Saturday night.
Giving his adjudication on the night O'Keefe said "Balally players brought us a unified presentation. All areas of the design served the play so well. They were designed and executed to a very high standard.The director and his cast brought us three very strong characterisations. They found humour, they honoured the razor sharp dialogue and they brought us a thoroughly engaging production that was very strong on all levels”.
Runners up Bunclody/ Kilmyshall Drama Group's production of 'The Beacon' received The Lions Cup as well as awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Stage Manager and Best Lighting.
Home group Newpoint Players whose production of 'Ghetto' performed as the opener to the festival took six awards at the festival including Most Ambitious Choice, Best Young Actress, Best Moment in Theatre, Best Costumes, Best Technical Production and Best Music and Sound.
Award Winners Newry Drama Festival 2025
- Premier Award- The Canavan Cup: 'Ulster American' Balally Players
- Runners Up - The Lions Cup: 'The Beacon' Bunclody/ Kilmyshall Drama Group
- Most Ambitious Choice- The Owen Mooney Cup: Ghetto' Newpoint Players
- Best Director - The Sean Hollywood Cup: Declan Rudden, Balally Players, 'The Ulster American'
- Best Actor- The Ardmore Cup: Kevin Stanton 'Ulster American' Balally Players
- Best Actress - The Ann Boyle Cup: Aislinn Finn 'Ulster American' Balally Players
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role - The Round Table Cup: Tim Connuaghton 'The Beacon' Bunclody/ Kilymashall Drama Group
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role - The Regina Hanratty Cup: Lisa Redmond 'The Beacon' Bunclody/ Kilymashall Drama Group
- Best Young Actor/ Actress/ Most promising Performer - The Sam Russell Cup: Ellen McGuigan, 'Ghetto', Newpoint Players
- Audience Award - The Northern Bank Cup: 'Ulster American' Balally
- Best Stage Manager - The Patrick Crinion Cup: Liam Farrell 'The Beacon' Bunclody/ Kilymashall Drama Group
- Best Decor - The Violet Durken Memorial Cup: 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' Rosemary Drama Group
- Best Lighting - The Patrick Carey Cup: Grace Dunbar & Kevin McEvoy, 'The Beacon', Bunclody/ Kilymashall Drama Group
- Best Moment in Theatre - The Vivian Harty Cup: 'Ghetto' Newpoint Players
- Best Music and Sound - The Gerard Murphy Cup: 'Ghetto' Newpoint Players
- Best Costumes - Newry Musical and Orchestral Society Cup: Ghetto' Newpoint Players
- Best Technical Production - The Stage Services North Cup: 'Ghetto' Newpoint Players
Congratulations to the extremely hard working festival committee. This may well be the last Drama Festival in Newry Town Hall for several years as Council prepare to close the facility to start the building of a new theatre on the Sean Hollywood Arts Centre site.
