Won Premier Award At Ulster Festival

The Sligo Drama Circle, presenting “The Playboy of the Western World” (J.M. Synge), swept the boards at the Ulster Drama Festival in the Grand Opera House, Belfast, on Saturday night last when they were awarded the Grand Opera House Perpetual Challenge Cup, taking the trophy to the 26 counties for the first time ever, and the Friers Cup for decor. The play was produced by Mr. Walter Mc Donagh, Bonne Chere Restaurant, High St., Sligo and the set was designed by Rev. Bro. Columban, of the Marist Order, Castlerea, and formerly of Sligo.

The members of the cast were – Eddie Fitzpatrick, Eddie Mc Dermottroe, George Molloy, Pat Kilgannon, Joan Fitzpatrick, Seán O’ Reilly, Liam Mc Kinney, Ray Cawley, Ann Laffey, Ruth Crampton, Imelda Mulligan, Eily Kilgannon, Freddie Chrystal, Lionel Gallagher and Joe Meehan. Lighting was by Liam Canning and Rory Callagy, while Messrs. Callagy and Meehan were also responsible for stage management.

In addition to the two trophies, the Circle were also awarded the Association of Ulster Drama Festivals Certificate of Merit for decor and also the A.U.D.F. plaque. The adjudicator, Mr. Stanley Hildebrandt, a member of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators, said the play itself was a poem and a work of genius. It would take its place amongst the classics of all time and still be accepted in the theatre of the future. Like all great plays, it would come across to an audience no matter at what level it was performed but to do it any kind of justice a great performance was required. The setting was inspired in its simplicity and evoked the right atmosphere for the play. The details looked right and were most effective. It seemed to have been built for a smaller stage but like all good sets it had little difficulty in adjusting to the wider spaces of the Opera House. The lighting complimented the setting. It was not easy to light this play correctly but he thought it just right. Costumes and make-up were fine, every character looking exactly like what they were supposed to represent – they seemed to have the right background.

Production by Walter Mc Donagh was most sensitive. He made the grouping look easy but anyone who the play would realise how difficult this could be. He was pleased to observe that the producer had used his own favourite device – a door in the centre of the back wall. This was really difficult to handle but if used correctly could lead to some wonderful effects and this producer knew how to use it to the maximum advantage. The pace was very interesting – slow and deliberate at the start as the players got the feel of the audience. He was a little worried as the same pace continued throughout the act but there was a great build up in the second act leading to a marvellous crescendo in the final act. The overall production was in harmony with the construction and mood of the play.

Eddie Fitzpatrick as the Playboy convinced him, probably for the first time that “Christy” was a real character. This was a delightfully thoughtful performance, the actor feeling himself small in act one and growing inwardly in size and strength until his full development in the end. “Old Mahon” played by Eddie Mc Dermottroe, had a dynamic approach to the part which, with the aid of his magnificent voice, made him accept this character completely even though his physique was so much in contrast to that of his son the “Playboy”. He was very pleased with George Molloy as “Michael James”. This actor spoke his lines so well that he did not lose a single word and he also gave a very sensitive pointing to his lines. Pat Kilgannon as “Pegeen” had everything for the part – looks, voice, hair and an untamed quality which belonged to the background of the play. One never had the feeling that “Marks and Spencers” was just around the corner as one so often did with other Pegeens.

The “Widow Quinn” as portrayed by Joan Fitzpatrick gave an interpretation of the part which was new to him but he now realised that she was a genuine competitor for Christy. He particularly liked he when she was accepting that she would not succeed in winning Christy from Pegeen. Shawn Keogh, played by Seán O’ Reilly, he found hard to accept at first as he was so big that he could scarcely believe that he would not accomplish something, somewhere, sometimes, but as the play went on he fully accepted this character and the interpretation given to the part worked completely. Liam Mc Kinney and Ray Cawley were excellent as the two farmers, Philly Cullen and Jimmy Farrell. They looked exactly right, their make-up and costuming being particularly good. They gave very authentic performances. The four girls Eily Kilgannon, Ruth Crampton, Imelda Mulligan and Anne Laffey had the right quality of naiveté and sense of wonder for the parts. Here were four lovely performances.

If there was any fault to be found in the performance it was that some of the cast from time to time seemed to forget the vast size of the theatre and failed to project sufficiently. But, overall, the treatment that such a great play deserved was given and they were grateful to Sligo Drama Circle for having done so.

On their return to Sligo on Sunday night the members of the Circle were given a civic welcome and reception by the Mayor, Mr. Sidney Gallagher, at the Sligo Town Hall, where they were also greeted with music played by Our Lady of Lourdes Boys’ Club Band, Sligo, under its trainer and conductor Mr. Joe Burns. The Mayor said it was a great honour for him to welcome the members of the Drama Circle and to congratulate them on their wonderful achievement in winning the Ulster Drama Festival award. One must admire the great voluntary effort which had been put into amateur drama in Sligo and he was aware that many evenings and even days had been set aside for rehearsal. He hoped that the day was not far off when they would have a Municipal theatre in Sligo.

Mr. Eddie Fitzpatrick, Chairman of the Circle, returning thanks, said they were all very proud of having brought the trophy to Sligo. When he delivered the letter of greetings from the Mayor of Sligo to the Lord Mayor of Belfast , said Mr. Fitzpatrick, he was very pleased to receive it and said he hoped to visit Sligo in the near future. The fact that they had taken the trophy across the border for the first time was not really significant because back in 1937 a similar achievement was attained by Sligo Unknown Players who brought back another trophy from another Festival in Belfast. In thanking the Mayor for his magnificent welcome, Mr. Fitzpatrick also thanked the Boys’ Band for their attendance.

from The Sligo Champion, May 26th, 1967