A Tragi-Comedy
By Brian Friel     Directed By Vera Kelly

The Play

Philadelphia, Here I Come! centres on a young Irishman, Gar O’Donnell, on the eve of his departure for Philadelphia. Gar is presented to us as two individual characters, played by two different actors, representing his Public and Private selves. Public Gar is the man who is seen and who interacts with the other characters in the play. Private Gar represents Gar’s inner thoughts and feelings and he can interact only with Public Gar. As the evening unfolds and through a series of flashbacks, memories and present action, we learn of his conflicting feelings about leaving Ballybeg, which represents for him both that which he detests and that which he loves.

The Cast

A Comedy
By William Rocke     Directed By Bob Fox

The Play

When vivacious forty-something Josephine McGowan wins a Glamorous Grandmother Contest and brings home suave, womanising TV actor Clive Cartwright as a prize she upsets more than her gone-to-seed husband Michael… ‘Try Anything Twice! Is a saucy comedy, full of very clever one-liners which the cast throw at each other with wicked good fun… Josephine seems to enjoy her nights out with romantic Clive. But when glamorous reporter Paula Smith arrives to Interview her husband, he sees a way to prove he still has ‘it’ with hilarious results!

The Cast

A Drama
By Martin McDonagh     Directed By Barney Farrelly

The Play

The play centers on the life of Maureen Folan, a 40-year-old spinster who takes care of her selfish and manipulative 70-year-old mother Mag. Maureen’s sisters have escaped into marriage and family life, but Maureen, with a history of mental illness, is trapped in a seriously dysfunctional relationship with her mother.

The Cast

A Drama
By Jimmy Murphy     Directed By Larry Coughlin

The Play

When the President of America visits Ireland-what better way to entertain him than a showband from the good old days! The members of the Castlecomer Jukebox are ready to reform, its been years since they dusted off their instruments and took the house down. Can they pull it off and shine in the limelight once more? or will past hurts, crooked politicians and greedy business dealings strike a sour note and send the bad crashing down…? Tune in in the Spring to find out!

The Cast

A Drama
By Anne Dunphy     Directed By Lisa Krueger

The Play

Life is grand at the rest home. But, when Bridie dies, and her son finds out the truth about her past, the lives of those involved will never be the same.

The Cast

A Comedy
By Hugh Leonard     Directed By Tom Kearney

The Play

An upwardly mobile couple living in an upscale Dublin suburb, and their business partner are showing what real patriotism is all about-selling it in the form of hotels. Each room in the Patrick Pearse Motel is decorated with a portrait of a national hero. Unbeknown to her doting husband, the lady of the house is plotting a tryst with an old flame, a television commentator famed for his rudeness. Soon the stage is filled with mistaken identities, dropped trousers, a flimsy negligee and false accusations. On a rainy night at the Patrick Pearse Motel, the characters crisscross paths, threaten one another with a shillelagh and hide in convenient closets. An hysterical bedroom farce that will have you wondering how will all of this turn out and who will get out alive?

The Cast

A Drama
By Michael Carey     Directed By Larry Coughlin

The Play

Young Margaret Finnerty returns to Cloonmore in Co Donegal from a time spent in America. She marries local farmer Patrick Finnerty and settles down to married life. However, her life becomes fragmented and dysfunctional, the reason for which she can’t explain. Could the existence of the nearby Craddock’s Well hold the key? The play touches on themes of loneliness and emigration in a rural way of life that’s both very humorous and still very innocent.

The Cast

A Comedy
By Deirdre Kinahan     Directed By Georgina Chapman

The Play

The show must go on! And in the small town of Athboy, County Meath, the Athboy Players certainly hope so. With their 25th Anniversary looming, the group want to dazzle, shine and show off their artistic talents to their loyal and faithful audience. What better way to do this than to stage John Millington Synge’s masterpiece “Playboy of the Western World”. But alas…trouble is waiting in the wings!

Crew members are leaving at the last minute, actors are showing up late or not at all, the set is unfinished…where are the lights? The costumes? and why isn’t anyone learning their lines?!? What is a community theatre group to do? Can the sudden arrival of theatrical virtuoso Denis O’Byrne be the answer to the Players prayers? Surely someone with her talents and vision can only bring the Society to new heights? Ah…but Denise has plans of her own and will stop at nothing to see them realized!

Will the players fall prey to her whimsical notions..or will disgrace and shame befall them on the most important night of their lives…or will tradition and hard work see them through with their good name intact? If you really want to see what goes on behind the scenes of a theatre production, you have to see this show! Join us for a night of mad-cap antics both on and off the stage!

The Cast

The Tony Award winning play
By Hugh Leonard     Directed By Larry Coughlin

The Play

“Da” is set in 1960’s Dublin. After his Da’s funeral, Charlie returns to his childhood home only to find his father’s ghost stubbornly unwilling to leave the house. As the events of Charlie’s youth and Da’s troubled relationship with Charlie’s mother are replayed, we discover the darkly comic, bittersweet relationship that existed between father and son.

The Cast

A Three-Act Comedy
By Jimmy Keary    Directed By Mick Kenna

The Play

Michael Mullen, an Irish farmer, is going through a bit of a rocky patch. Not only is his wife, Noreen, disappointed with her anniversary present, but his good- for-nothing brother, Charlie, has conned him in to allowing him to stay with them “for a few days”.

Finally, to top things off, Noreen’s former lover, Claude Nolan, has just moved in next door and it appears the flame has not completely died out. Ever the helpful brother, Charlie devises a plan to help Michael with his predicament. Unfortunately, as seems to be the case with all of Charlie’s schemes, it backfires getting Michael into deeper trouble.

Not only that, but Charlie, as well as the rest of the characters, are caught in the undertow of his deception. Eventually, everyone is scrambling to dig themselves out of the wreckage. Enjoy the madcap comedy that results in the Gaelic Park Players production of Jimmy Keary’s “Love Thy Neighbor”.

The Cast