History

Sligo Drama Circle made its bow to the public for the first time on Sunday night, November 18th 1956. The Town Hall in Sligo was the venue for their presentation of Gerard Healy’s “Thy Dear Father”.

However, the seeds of the Drama Circle were sown in the existing Sligo Unknown Players, a successful group who had presented plays in Sligo for many years, Charlie and Maggie Hughes being prominent members. Former Unknown Players member Pádraig Foran recalled that the Drama Circle came into being as a result of what in political circles would be known as a ‘heave’. ‘Heaves’ and ‘splits’ had been part of amateur drama for many years. So, in the autumn of 1956, a group of people came together to form what became known as Sligo Drama Circle.

The Sligo Champion, in the week before the opening night, reported that a “really high class performance may be confidently expected” as many of the cast of “Thy Dear Father” had been known to Sligo audiences from previous performances. Admission charges for the first production were 3s (reserved) and 2s. Sunday night, 18th November, was the opening night of a four night run.

A press report in The Sligo Champion afterwards declared that the choice of “Thy Dear Father” as their opening production set the actors and actresses “a stiff test which all passed with colours flying”. The report sparkled especially about the performance of Paddy Dooney, which, it said, was “gripping throughout and the third act was unmistakeably his. Even when the others were speaking and he was silent he held the stage and the attention of the audience”. The report was also complimentary of the performance of Jo Lappin who, it said, played with “moving sincerity and an understanding that could only have been born of study and imagination”. Special mention was also made of the director of the play Walter Mc Donagh who, it said, had “every reason to be delighted with the way in which his work was received”. Profits from the first production were donated to St. Anne’s Church Building Fund.

Featured Image: Back Row (L-R) Joe Mc Morrow, Sadie Maguire, George Molloy, Mary Mc Govern, Ada Hay, Walter Mc Donagh, Ted Hughes, Marie Mulvihill, Eddie Mc Dermottroe Front Row (L-R) Jo Lappin, Paddy Dooney