Sligo Drama Circle and the “Sive” Connection

With rehearsals in full swing for the current production of the John B. Keane classic play, “SIVE” in April in the Hawk’s Well Theatre, it’s an opportune time to look back and reflect on the connection between Sligo Drama Circle and John B.’s debut play.

The connection stretches all the way back to the first production of the play in 1959. John B. was desperately trying to make a name for himself as a playwright but wasn’t having much success. He had his debut play “Sive” already written but couldn’t manage to get anyone to stage the play. Both the Abbey Theatre and the RTÉ Players rejected putting on a professional production of the play, so John B. had to consider an alternative route to his goal of becoming a professional playwright.

It was the RTÉ Players who suggested that he should give the play to an amateur group to “test the waters”, so to speak. As the amateur drama movement was in the middle of its heyday at the time, this suggestion made perfect sense. So, John B. gave the play to his local Listowel Players group, a move which would act as the catalyst to the theatre establishment sitting up and taking notice of this budding playwright.

The play struck a chord with local audiences in Kerry and was an outstanding success. The Listowel Players took the play on the amateur drama circuit and received enough nominations to make it to the 1959 All-Ireland finals in Athlone. It was at this event that the connection between “Sive” and Sligo Drama Circle commenced.

At that same time, Sligo Drama Circle was having great success with its current production of Donagh Mc Donagh’s verse play, “God’s Gentry”. It was an all-singing, all-dancing dramatic romp with a talented cast of local actors including Paddy Dooney, Joan Fitzpatrick, Eddie Mc Dermottroe, Maisie Mc Daniel, Brian Bohan, Eddie Fitzpatrick, Monica Toher, Joe Mc Morrow among others.

Sligo Drama Circle’s production of “God’s Gentry” also received enough nominations to make it to the All-Ireland drama festival for the third year in a row, having been placed second and third in the previous two years. Sligo Drama Circle members were hopeful that it would be third time lucky. So, the stage was set for a showdown between the Listowel Players production of “Sive” and Sligo Drama Circle’s production of “God’s Gentry” with both being hotly tipped.

Many in Athlone thought that Sligo Drama Circle would take the premier award for the first time since its establishment in 1956. However, it was not to be. The theatre gods had determined that it was John B.’s time to step into the limelight – “Sive” won the 1959 All-Ireland Final with Sligo Drama Circle coming in second place. “Sive” had at last cemented its place in Irish theatrical history and it also signified the emergence of a new voice in Irish theatre, John B. Keane. Listowel Players went on to perform “Sive” in the Abbey Theatre, Dublin for a week following their win in Athlone.

In the intervening years, Sligo Drama Circle has performed “Sive” on four previous occasions. The first of these productions was in the Town Hall in 1970, when the play was produced for the popular “Summer Theatre” series of plays. Proceeds from the production went to the “Little Theatre Fund” – a fund that members of Sligo Drama Circle set up to achieve their goal of having a purpose-built theatre established in Sligo. Among the cast of that production were Kay Guinane, Walter Mc Donagh, Eddie Fitzpatrick, Brian Bohan, Liam Mc Kinney and Rory Callagy. It was directed by Walter Mc Donagh. A young Maria Mc Dermottroe played the title role of Sive. John B. Keane was supposed to attend one of the performances but this did not materialise.

The next Sligo Drama Circle production of “Sive” was again in the Town Hall in July and August 1978. Again directed by Walter Mc Donagh, the cast included Frances Downey, Ann Mc Dermott, Ray Cawley, Liam Mc Kinney, Éamon Flanagan, Joe Meehan and Ronan Mc Dermott. Lionel Gallagher played the part of Seán Dóta for the first time and a young Michelle Fitzpatrick took on her first full role with Sligo Drama Circle, playing the part of Sive.

The third Sligo Drama Circle production of “Sive” was in 1987 in the Hawk’s Well Theatre, which had been open since 1982. For the third time, it was again directed by Walter Mc Donagh. On that occasion, the cast included Kay Guinane, Yvonne Curran, Joe Meehan, Brian Bohan, Daragh Mc Moreland, Eddie Mc Dermottroe and Rory Callagy. Lionel Gallagher played the part of the aging Seán Dóta for the second time and the girl he wants to marry, Sive, was played by his own daughter Darina!

The 1987 production also marked the return to the stage of Eddie Mc Dermottroe after a gap of seventeen years and he received a round of applause on his first entrance onto the stage. Incidentally, Rory Callagy showed a photograph of himself and Eddie McDermottroe dressed as the two tinkers to John B. Keane himself, to which he remarked that “Sive never seen a pair of more likeable rogues”!

Our last production of “Sive” was in the Hawk’s Well Theatre in October 2010. The cast included Pat Sweeny, Ann-Marie Byrne, Gerry Ryan, Ultan Burke, Paul Quinn, Gerry Sheerin, Michael Leydon and Liam Cunningham. The part of Sive was played by Emily Treacy. The production was directed by Fintan Whelan. The play has not been performed by Sligo Drama Circle since then.

As we approach the date for curtain-up for our current production of “Sive” in the Hawk’s Well Theatre, April 2-5, we remember all those members of Sligo Drama Circle who have been part of the great connection with John B. Keane and his debut play, “Sive”.