As always, we are most grateful to you and to all our other supporters in Skibbereen Town Hall and the Everyman Palace Theatre in Cork, as well as patrons of the drama festival circuit venues we have been touring to for the past five years. In that time, under the direction of Fachtna O’Driscoll – who is taking a well-deserved sabbatical from that demanding role – we reached the All-Ireland finals twice, including last year in Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo, with the Louis Dalton play ‘Lovers Meeting’, which was one of the group’s most successful productions ever.
Catherine Field has a hard act to follow, but we would not have twisted her arm to take on the role of artistic director of Skibbereen Theatre Society, unless we were fully confident of her capabilities! Her choice of this beautifully-written memory play by Niall Williams is an inspired one and, even though it is a difficult production to stage, I am sure you will agree, on seeing it, that the cast has risen magnificently to the challenge, under her direction.
Apart from staging this play, there has been a number of other aspects to Skibbereen Theatre Society, including the promotion of shows by visiting theatrical groups to the Town Hall and the running of a series of acting workshops, facilitated by Keran Brady, whose protégés are putting on a one-act play this Spring to showcase what they learned. These workshops were made possible by the generous grant aid of the Cork County Arts and Library Service, headed up by Ian McDonagh, who has been a great source of help to the group – which we very much appreciate.
Also, following the success of the ‘Remember Skibbereen’ pageant during the 2001 Munster Fleadh Cheoil, the Skibbereen branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann has commissioned the threatre society to devise a similar production to be staged in front of Skibbereen Heritage Centre at the opening of the 2003 Munster Fleadh Cheoil toward the end of July. While, as the saying goes, there is no rest for the wicked, we would not be so enthusiastically involved in theatre unless we enjoyed it – and we hope that you, in turn, will enjoy our efforts.
It is very much a team effort, on stage and off, and I thank all our members for their input since rehearsals started last November. Of course, staging such a show would not be possible without the support of all our sponsors, advertisers, those who lent props and all those who helped in so many ways – to whom we are truly grateful.
Thanks once again to you, the audience, for supporting our efforts. Enjoy the show!
Con Downing, chairman,
Skibbereen Theatre Society.