Tom Murphy’s Bailegangaire At Cois na hAbhna

Arts and Entertainment - Theatre

Wednesday, 28 July 2010 11:27

Written by Denise Lyons

Likely Hailstones production of Tom Murphy’s Bailegangaire runs in Cois na hAbhna, Galway Road, Ennis from August 19th – 21st, at 8pm.

Tickets are priced at €10, €8 concessions (students and oaps.) Tickets can be booked on 065 6824276. The play is performed in English.

Tom Murphy’s Bailegangaire is a haunting account of frustrated lives half lived and unresolved tensions between a senile grandmother, Mommo and her two granddaughters Dolly and Mary. This is a dark reflection on lost dreams, where what was once hoped for is beginning to slip away through disconnection, desperation and a fading reality. Mommo’s rambling tale of a laughing contest from long ago is the loose thread on which Dolly and Mary must take a grip if anyone is to achieve the catharsis that could set them free.

Likely Hailstones is kindly supported by the Clare Arts Office and the production is run in association with Quin Players Drama Group. All cast and crew are working on an unpaid basis. Mommo is played by Bernardine Maloney. Bernardine has a diploma in Theatre Studies from NUI Maynooth and has worked with the Tullamore Players. Previous work includes roles in The Beauty Queen of Leenan, The Marriage of Figaro and A Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocer’s Assistant. Mary is played by Laura Griseto. Laura is a psychology graduate from UCC and TCD and has an associate diploma in Speech and Drama. She was the winner of the Nancy Wallace Bursary in 2003 and won the award for Best Actress at the Irish Student Drama Association Festival in 2008 for her role in UCC’S Trainspotting. Dolly is played by local actress Oonagh McCarthy. Oonagh is a member of Quin Players Drama Group and recently impressed audiences with her performance as Widow Quinn in The Playboy of the Western World.

Artistic Director Katie O Farrell graduated in 2007 from University College Cork’s Drama and Theatre Studies Programme.  During her time in UCC Katie performed in numerous productions, both scripted and devised. She was nominated for Best Set Design and was the the winner of the Best Director award at the Irish Student Drama Assocation Festival 2008 for Frank McGuinness’ Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme. The production was also nominated for Best Lighting, Best Production, Best Ensemble Work and won the award for Best Supporting Actor. Katie was one of three directors featured in Granary New Directors Festival 2008 with her production of Frank  McGuinness’ Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me. In recent months Katie has been focusing on Likely Hailstones, worked as producer on the Quin Players production of The Playboy of the Western World and also as a freelance youth drama facilitator.

The launch/fundraising evening in Brogans Bar on August 5th at 8pm will feature a scene preview from Bailegangaire, live music from Tamasine Anna Plowman from the Caravel String Quartet and Cork soprano Alison Arnopp, finger food and more. Entry is just €5 and all are invited to come along and support the arts.

Likely Hailstones was established as a creative media company in 2010 by Artistic Director Katie O Farrell.

The company is envisaged as a mid-way step between amateur dramatics and professional theatre. With a belief that in the current economic climate the importance of the arts has never been more pressing, we aim to entertain, to stimulate debate, to challenge perceptions and raise new viewpoints. Theatre is the mirror through which society is reflected; Likely Hailstones aims to hold the mirror to the more challenging faces of the world and explore what lies beneath.