Passing of Drama Circle Great

It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing yesterday of one of our longest serving members, Joan Fitzpatrick. Joan will be fondly remembered by all those in the dramatic community in Sligo for her wonderful contribution to the development of drama and theatre in Sligo. She will be particularly remembered as an actress, singer and director.

Members of Sligo Drama Circle will remember her fondly as an actress, director, committee member, colleague and friend. Sligo audiences will especially remember her great characterisations on stage and the many wonderful productions that she directed with such expertise and aplomb.

As far as we are aware, Joan started her Drama Circle journey with a role in “God’s Gentry” in 1959 and was involved in innumerable productions until her final involvement in our production of “Moll” in 2013. To say that she devoted a great portion of her life to the stage would not be an understatement.

Speaking as the director of Sligo Drama Circle’s musical “Guys ‘n Dolls” (1984), Joan said:

“If we give as much happiness to our audiences as we have had during rehearsals, we will be content”.

And that was the abiding belief of Joan – that your enjoyment of your own performance permeated to the audience. If you enjoyed your role, no matter how small, and believed in it, then your audience would also believe in you.

As an actress, Joan gave many outstanding performances on various Sligo stages as a member of the Sligo Drama Circle for more than half a century: Lady Alice Moore in “A Man For All Seasons” (1978); Golde in “Fiddler on the Roof” (1979); Aunt Eller in “Oklahoma” (1976); Mary Magdalene in “The Man Born to be King” (1971); the Widow Quinn in the award-winning production of “The Playboy of the Western World” (1967) and also (1975);  Stella in the All-Ireland winning production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1970); Amanda in “The Glass Menagerie” (1969); Elizabeth Proctor in “The Crucible” (1972); Nell in “Endgame (1980).

After seeing Joan’s performance in “The Glass Menagerie” in the All-Ireland finals in Athlone in 1969, the Irish Times critic Aileen Coughlan said at the time:

“As Amanda, Joan Fitzpatrick went a long way towards recreating this complex character”.

Speaking in the book “Festival Glory in Athlone”, Shane Cleary, a past member of the Sligo Drama Circle said:

“I always liked appearing in plays with Joan. Her timing and natural acting ability put me at ease and also seemed to make our scenes convincing”.

Mr. Robert T. Armstrong, a Dublin-born professor of speech and drama and adjudicator at the All-Ireland festival in Athlone in 1970, referring to Joan’s performance as Stella in the Sligo Drama Circle’s winning production of “A Streetcar Named Desire”, said she “was one of the most splendid supporting actresses” he had ever seen.

Over the years, Joan directed numerous memorable productions for the Drama Circle, many of these for the Hawk’s Well Theatre, which she and her late husband Eddie campaigned for in the 1970s, including: “Blithe Spirit” (1993); “Guys and Dolls” (1984); “The Odd Couple” (2001); “Oliver” (1987); “A Streetcar Named Desire” (2004); “The Beauty Queen of Leenane” (2005); “Charley’s Aunt” (2002); “The Sunshine Boys” (2006); and her final stint as Director was a revival of “The Odd Couple” (2012).

Joan even made it onto the big screen playing the part of Mrs. Coulter in the 2001 movie “Mapmaker“.

Joan will be remembered by many young people who received training in speech and drama from her, either in her drama school or in many of the schools in which she worked. She prepared many children and young people for plays, poetry and Feis performances as well as preparing them for their drama exams. This was her life’s work to which she devoted all of her energy, enthusiasm and dramatic knowledge and experience.

However, Sligo Drama Circle was her second home as it brought her nearer to the stage. If she wasn’t giving one of her memorable performances on stage, she was probably sitting in the Director’s chair, imparting her knowledge and expertise. To those of us who came into contact with her through the Drama Circle, Joan shared her passion and her vast theatrical experience. Although we are an amateur group, Joan instilled in us the belief that we could aspire to the highest of professional standards.

Joan pushed the boundaries, dramatically speaking, to bring something fresh to a performance or a scene. A look, a pause, a change of pace, a stance could be the difference in transforming a scene from a good one to a memorable one. We always understood that Joan had high expectations for a production and those same expectations became a shared goal for all involved in a production, cast and crew.

We fondly remember Joan and thank her for the great dramatic and theatrical legacy that she has left us. Her presence around our rehearsal space in the Market Yard will be sorely missed but never be forgotten, as images of her varied characters are contained in our permanent photographic exhibition.

We in the Sligo Drama Circle extend our condolences to Joan’s children Jane, Michelle, Robert and Brian, her brothers Robert and John, and to her extended family and wide circle of friends.

The video below was recorded on the final night of the production of “The Odd Couple” in June 2012, which Joan directed and which she referred to as her “swansong”! We were joined on stage that night by Joan’s family, her friends and colleagues from the Drama Circle, and her many friends from other local groups like Everyman Theatre, Coolera Dramatic Society and the Musical Society. In the video, you will hear Joan herself remark:

“I’ve had a wonderful life in the theatre. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. It has taught me so much. I made great friends ….. wonderful, wonderful friends”.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.

(Top photo: Joan in “Where’s Charley?” (1982); Middle Photo: Joan as Director of “The Sunshine Boys” (2006) with her son Robert; Bottom Photo: Joan with the cast of “The Odd Couple” (2012), her final role as Director.)