Sligo’s Night At Drama Festivals

It was Sligo’s night at the Western Drama Festival in St. Brigid’s Hall, Tubbercurry, last Sunday when Sligo Drama Circle carried off the top three-act award with Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”, and Liam Mc Kinney was awarded the Jim Wynne Trophy for the Premier Production of the festival. The group secured twelve points in their quest for All-Ireland nomination. In the one-act section, Sligo Ladies Circle were the winners with “One Hour to Dusk” by Anthony Booth and Joan Fitzpatrick was awarded a silver medal for production. The group were nominated to the All-Ireland One Act Competition at Naas. Added to this, Shane Cleary won the Owen B. Hunt Gold Medal for his performance of “Willy Loman” in “Death of a Salesman” – a performance described by the adjudicator, Mr. Robert Armstrong, London, as a deeply intelligent one.

And it was Sligo night in Roscommon, too, because the Drama Circle figured prominently among the prizewinners when adjudicator, Gerda Redich, announced the results on Sunday. The Sligo group won the premier award, the Guinness Trophy, and the vital nomination to the All-Ireland finals in Athlone while Producer, Liam Mc Kinney, took the Festival Cup for the best production as well as the producer’s Gold Medal. The play was also awarded the Irish Mosaics Cup for the best lighting. Commenting on Sligo’s performance, the adjudicator said she was glad the group had obviously gone for a difficult play instead of resting on their laurels. The show had the three C’s , Clarity, Conviction and Compassion as well as the three V’s Variety, Veracity and Vitality.

She was greatly taken by what she described as the ingenious division of the stage and she also remarked on the beautiful sound effects which were blended into the overall production. She added that the technical back-up to the team was extremely efficient. Referring to the individual performances, she warmly praised Shane Cleary. The Drama Circle will do a special repeat run of the production in Sligo prior to their appearance at the Athlone Festival towards the end of April and all those who have not yet had the opportunity of seeing the show will be on the look-out for further details of this three-night run.

from The Sligo Champion, March 19th, 1971