Irish plays directed by John Dunne
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LADY GREGORY: A GALWAY LIFE by Phil Mason
Starring Maura Judges as Lady Gregory. First produced at Pentameters, London in Oct 2015 prior to an Ireland tour taking in Kerry, Cork and Galway. Lady Gregory was the driving force behind the Irish Literary Movement at the turn of the 20th century and was a central figure in the founding of Ireland's Abbey Theatre. She was also a major influence on W.B. Yeats, J.M. Synge, Sean O'Casey and many of the Irish writers of the day. |
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J M Synge:
The Tinkers Wedding & The Shadow of the Glen Riders to the Sea First produced at Pentameters Theatre, Hampstead 2015 “Anyone interested in bold, untamed female characters that march to their own tune should certainly see this pair of short plays.” Female Arts |
TINKERS WEDDING ON YOUTUBE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Caps3tY0qw&index=5&list=PLqHjYD9w2Xk-NvbEiwODpX-yBFqEKdtj9 |
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Yeats/Lady Gregory
Yeats: Pot of Broth: A gullible woman is convinced by a tramp that dropping a magic stone into hot water will make a wonderful soup. Yeats: Land of Hearts' Desire: A Faery Child visits newlywebs Shaun and Mary in Shaun's family home. The play includes extracts from Yeats' Celtic Twilight. Lady Gregory: The Travelling Man: A mother leaves her daughter in charge of a country kitchen as she pops out for some flour. A traveller enters. |
First produced at Pentameters Theatre, Hampstead 2015. Producer Léonie Scott-Matthews |
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ROMANCING THE SCORE
A comedy written by Shane White (Pentameters, London 2015) A comedy set in Belfast but could be set anywhere where old traditions are being challenged by new and brash commercialism. A city rising from the ashes, dispensing with old rivalries and tired, worn out traditions, consigning them to the quagmire that is the past. But, hey ho, it takes upon itself new ones. Where better to start than down the pub and where better to be down the pub than in Belfast. And not just any old pub, one particular old pub, Bridie’s Romancing The Score goes to the true heart of the game of football, of life, of lost hope, of unrequited love - of loneliness. |
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I’ll Tell Me Ma: Written by Tom O’Brien (Pentameters, London 2015)
The Clancy Bros. and Tommy Makem, were bigger in the USA in 1963 than the Beatles. Yet they may never have existed if it wasn’t for Diane Hamilton (nee Guggenheim) a wealthy American divorcee with money and influence who loved music - and Liam Clancy. This is the story of Liam, Diane and - the Ma of the title! |
Photo courtesy of Amy Doyle
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My Father's Watch by Patrick Maguire
Ronan and Tommy
My Father's Watch, written by the youngest member of the Maguire Seven (unlawfully imprisoned for bomb making activities in the 70’s), takes the audience through Patrick's life from his working class childhood in West London to his challenges since leaving prison. Listen to Patrick and Tommy on Ulster Radio's Arts Extra 24th May 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7dXNRTXIipo#! and check out his interview in the Belfast Telegraph. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/woman/life/patrick-maguire-a-time-to-heal-29305975.html
Allegiance by Mary Kenny
Bob and Dom face to face
A crucial meeting between Winston Churchill and Michael Collins in 1921. Winston Churchill said that he had “never seen so much passion and suffering in restraint” as he witnessed on Michael Collins’ face when signing the Treaty. Allegiance is a dramatic discourse about politics being the art of the possible played out between two unforgettable historical personalities – a drama which strongly compels starring Dominic O'Flynn (Collins) and Robert Joyce (Churchill).
Quare Times by Peter Hammond
Owen as a jubilent Frankie
Frankie Flynn is a northsider with long settled views on everything from child rearing and the role of women, to the quality of the pint in Dublin’s pubs. However, this doesn’t equip him well to cope with the endless challenges thrown up by his family, friends, and the changing world around him. But in the face of it all, Frankie clings to his principles like a sock to a washing line in a strong wind. Only an eejit would miss this warm and funny banter and sharp-tongued Dublin wit. Quare Times transferred from London’s Courtyard Theatre and the London Irish Centre to Dublin's New Theatre in Temple Bar where audiences left with tears running down their cheeks and legs. Quare Times - a real tonic for our times. Frankie Flynn is Owen Nolan (pictured)
The Visteon Ford Occupation by John Maguire
The Visteon/Ford Ocupation is the first play by John Maguire, who was a trade union rep during the seven week long occupation of the Belfast Ford/Visteon car part plant in 2009. Because of the dramatic events that took place up to and during these seven weeks, John felt strongly that the story needed to be told in the theatre. So with no previous experience of having written a play and with the inspiration from Martin Lynch to write it himself, he then went onto approach producer/director John Dunne at London Irish Theatre Company and the result is this 5 night run at The Emerald Roadhouse in Finaghy. The play is a large scale drama involving a cast of 14 actors following the events leading up to and including the mass workforce occupation in Belfast, Basildon and Enfield. This is much more than a factory set drama and sees the action stretch from Detroit to London and back to Belfast with a few stops on the way. It is an extraordinary true story that is coming to the stage in an extraordinary way. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAIq17fKqeg
Other plays written by Tom O'Brien and directed by John Dunne
Behan's Women
The play is set in the bar of the Chelsea Hotel in New York, in late 1963. Beatrice Behan has come over from her home in Dublin to have it out with her husband, Brendan, concerning rumors that he is having an affair with Valerie Danby-Smith and is about to divorce her.
“Hits the mark” Irish Post **** "John Dunne has done a great job adapting and directing and has cast it perfectly" Ham & High **** “Director John Dunne offers an expertly handled production and introduces much visual interest” Camden New Journal “Tightly written and well performed” Kilburn Herald ***
The play is set in the bar of the Chelsea Hotel in New York, in late 1963. Beatrice Behan has come over from her home in Dublin to have it out with her husband, Brendan, concerning rumors that he is having an affair with Valerie Danby-Smith and is about to divorce her.
“Hits the mark” Irish Post **** "John Dunne has done a great job adapting and directing and has cast it perfectly" Ham & High **** “Director John Dunne offers an expertly handled production and introduces much visual interest” Camden New Journal “Tightly written and well performed” Kilburn Herald ***
Kavanagh
Nik Wood Jones as Kavanagh
Patrick Kavanagh was born in the village of Inniskeen, Co Monaghan, in 1904 and is now regarded as Ireland’s most important poet after WB Yeats. The son of a shoemaker and small farmer, he moved to Dublin at the age of thirty-five, where he lived in poverty for most of his life, surviving on handouts, the occasional bit of journalism, but mostly being supported by his younger brother, Peter. Two versions of the play played successfully in London and across Ireland and focused on Kavanagh's turbulent but unrequited love affair with Hilda Moriarty, not to mention his ongoing battles with Brendan Behan. Nik Wood Jones (as Kavanagh) has defined the role, making it his own both in London and across Ireland playing in 32 venues over a twelve month period.
Money from America and other plays
Jackie and Jaqs in Money from America
Tom O'Brien's association with John Dunne's Irish Theatre goes back a number of years with Tom's Johnjo being the first show in a series of successful productions including Down Bottle Alley, I'll Tell Me Ma and Money from America (pictured). Tom's plays have had successful productions in London, America and Ireland.