Castlepollard play brings home two Briery Gap awards
Castlepollard Community College’s latest dramatic production is something of a first for the school as it is written and directed by two students.
This original drama production called Still, written and directed by Claire Walshe and Laura Delaney, was accepted and performed live at the Briery Gap schools drama competition, at the Everyman Theatre in Cork city last month.
Claire and Laura, who took part in many school musicals and drama competitions during their time at the school, decided to produce their own drama, featuring members of the TY class. “We love drama and acting, so it was great getting a different perspective behind it all and actually seeing all the work that goes into making the drama come to life,” said the pair.
The play is based on the Salem Witch Trials in the late 1600s, in which 200 people, mainly women and teenage girls, were accused of being witches.
Claire and Laura decided to write the story from a different perspective, and it follows the main character, Alice, who lost her former warlock husband Winton when he fled the town to escape the witch hunter Edward.
Edward sets out with his hunting group to murder Winton. All the while, Alice’s daughter Elizabeth feels a strange feeling of connection to someone, but she isn’t sure who it is until the end.
The Everyman is a large theatre and not as simple as the group’s regular venue, Mullingar Arts Centre; the lighting and props are different, but the group performed well under those circumstances, demonstrating their adaptability.
The dedication and planning that went into a production of this calibre were rewarded when one of the lead performers, Michaela Byrne, took home the award for best single performance on the day, and the group took the runners-up trophy back to Castlepollard.
“I am extremely grateful for all the hard work my co-director Laura Delaney put in and also for the amazing talent of the TY students that were involved,” said Claire.
Local audiences will be looking out to see if the duo from Castlepollard Community College write a musical to be produced at Mullingar Arts Centre in the next year or two.
By Martin Boyhan (TY Student)