Drama at Inish at Hawk’s Well

“I was born with a play script in my hand”, joked Irene Fleming when she spoke to Sligo Weekender about her production of “Drama at Inish” which the Sligo Drama Circle are presenting at the Hawk’s Well Theatre from Wednesday May 9th to Saturday May 12th. Irene, a teacher at St. Cecilia’s, Cregg House, began her acting career with the late Charlie Hughes as did many of the cast of “Drama at Inish” and again, like many of the cast, she was a member of the All-Ireland winning “A Streetcar Named Desire”. With her present production, Irene is determined to repeat the success of the Abbey Theatre when they revived “Drama at Inish” last year.

“In fact the Abbey produced it twice, once as a musical and then as a straight play”, said Irene. “Our cast is a mixture of a continuation of an association that began with Charlie Hughes and younger actors”. “Drama at Inish” was written in 1933 by Lennox Robinson and is set in a small seaside town that is being visited for the summer season by a theatre company. The lead role of the extrovert actor-manager of the company, Hector de la Mare, is taken by Paddy Dooney, fresh from his professional tour with the Druid Theatre Company in “Playboy of the Western World”. Paddy, a founder member of the Sligo Drama Circle, has featured in many of its productions. He is ably assisted in “Drama at Inish” by Pam Donaghy as his wife, Constance Constantia, who is a very experienced actress and was a member of the cast of the Drama Circle’s production of “Fallen Angels” last year.

In “Drama at Inish”, Mr. de la Mare presents plays in the local hall by the Russian and Scandinavian writers who brought such influence on Irish dramatic writing of that period. The town folk take the plays very much to heart and a minor Peyton Place develops on the Irish coast. Dramatic suicides are contemplated although never successfully carried out and with comic results. “The play is a comedy and while it was set in the 30’s, in many ways it is relevant to the Ireland of today”, said Drama Circle Chairman, Seán Burke. “The local politician steps out of line and people might be forgiven for thinking that the author had particular political events with Sligo connections in mind when he wrote the part of Peter Hurley”

The comedy of the play is displayed beautifully in one scene when Peter Hurley, the local T.D., was asked if he ever spoke in the Dáil. “I riz twice one day but someone else riz quicker”, he replied. The proprietor of the hotel, Mr. John Twohig, the most important man in town and chairman of all the committees, including entertainment, is played by Seán Burke. Lionel Gallagher plays the T.D. Peter Hurley, Maureen Barry is Mrs. Twohig, Brenda Boyle is Lizzie, John Twohig’s sister who claims she was jilted by Peter. Peter’s son, Eddie, is played by Kevin Boyle, Michael the Boots by John O’ Dea, previously seen with the Profile Players. Ruth Marshall plays Christine Lambert, Joe Meehan plays Hegarty the reporter, Cormac Sheridan the local Sergeant, Pádraig Harte the local farmer Slattery and Yvonne Curran the hotel maid, whose production of a Yeats play at Feis Shligigh won a member of the cast, Denise Burns, the Mary Friel Cup for the overall winner in the drama section.

“We wish to express our appreciation for the support we have received from the business people of Sligo. Amateur groups need financial aid as well as patronage in efforts to educate for leisure and promote the arts”, said Mr. Burke.

from The Sligo Weekender, May 1984, by Mary Gaffney