Sligo Man’s Play for Hawk’s Well

1991 is a big year for Sligo author John Kavanagh. During the summer his first book of poems “Etchings” was published by Salmon Publishing of Galway to critical acclaim and now Sligo Drama Circle is about to give a reading of his first play “A Savage Humility” in the Hawk’s Well Theatre on Tuesday 12th November. Based on the Cuchulainn saga, John deals with the legendary hero from a new angle – an aging champion for whom everything begins to go wrong; his past comes back to haunt him, his marriage to Emer is under stress, his relationship with the High King Conchubhur takes on a wholly new meaning. And the tensions of present day Ireland, particularly Ulster, have their echoes in the distant past, the more things change the more they remain the same.

Directed by Lionel Gallagher and with a cast that includes Paddy Dooney, Walter Mc Donagh, Columb Mc Bride, Siobhán O’ Dea, Joe Meehan, Seán Burke, Michael Leyden and Jackie Henry, Sligo Drama Circle hope that the author will be encouraged and informed by what he sees on the Hawk’s Well stage. Many recent Irish plays have been severely criticised for being staged without proper preparation and exploration, the criticism being that they were presented in major theatres in an unfinished state to the detriment of the play and the discouragement of the author.

Sligo Drama Circle considers that there is great potential in this new work and hopes that John will be assisted in his writings for the theatre by this exposure to the Sligo public. It is hoped further that all who are interested in new writing and new authors will attend this reading (8.30 Tuesday 12th November) and that a full discussion of the work will be held between public, author, cast and director after the performance. While it is not a full staging but a rehearsed reading, it should prove a most interesting and stimulating evening.

from The Sligo Champion, November 1991