Drama about to unfold as Laois week long festival arrives
See live performances of plays by Briel Friel , Roddy Doyle, Colm Toibín and more
Theatre fans will be flocking to Laois shortly from all over the country for Mountmellick's prestigious annual Drama Festival.
Mountmellick is gearing up for an exciting week of top-tier amateur theatre and competition, as the 34th annual Mountmellick Drama Festival kicks off on Friday night March 7, organised by Mountmellick Drama Group.
Seven nights of high drama, with tales of love, comedy and tragedy will be enjoyed in the town's restored Art Deco theatre in Mountmellick Arts Centre, , a stalwart in the county's arts calendar.
The festival, a staple in Ireland’s amateur drama scene, will feature some of the best drama groups from across the country, each competing to impress both audiences and adjudicator Martin Maguire.
Ahead of the festival Mountmellick Drama Group will themselves shine on their home stage, with a performance of three one-act plays.
Each night, Mr Maguire will follow the show with a critique on stage, and on the final exciting night he will announce all the winners.
With a reputation for high-quality performances and passionate storytelling, the festival promises a week of compelling drama, emotional depth, and artistic excellence.
The Festival Director is Patricia Conroy.
“We’re incredibly excited for this year’s festival.
“We have a wonderful community of people involved, from the performers to the volunteers who help make it all happen and the audience who attend.
“The 2025 festival is a testament to the enduring passion for drama that exists in Laois and the surrounding counties” she told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.
Mountmellick Community Arts Centre is a 450 seater venue known for its intimate atmosphere and enveloping accoustics, that allows audiences to feel truly connected to the action on stage.
Nightly plays begin at 8pm. This year's line up as follows:
Friday March 7: The Weir By Colm McPherson - Upstage Players Claremorris. In an isolated pub, local lads are having their daily pint. A strange woman arrives.
Saturday March 8: The Snapper by Roddy Doyle – Clann Machua Drama Group. Classic comedy as Sharon Rabbitte becomes pregnant and refuses to reveal the father.
Sunday March: The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Toibin – Ballyduff Drama Group. It’s 90s Ireland and HIV/AIDS is still a terminal diagnosis. A family come together to tend to 29-year-old Declan. Can they unit face up to the illness and each other?
Monday March 10: Rathmines Road by Deirdre Kinahan – Thurles Drama Group. A bristling, highly topical, personal drama about the struggle by a woman to be believed about a sexual assault.
Tuesday March 11: Skylight by David Hare - Wexford Drama Group. East London drama about a hidden marital affair and whether it will be rekindled.
Wednesday March 12: The Beacon by Nancy Harris – Bunclody/Killmyshal Drama Group. Beiv, a celebrated artist has moved from suburban Dublin to her holiday cottage on an Island off the coast of West Cork. But a dark shadow from the past hangs over her.
Thursday March 13: Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel – Sliabh Aughty Drama Group. old. In the warmth of the Donegal harvest of 1936, the five Mundy sisters love, survive, fight, and dance.
Friday March 14: Class by David Horan & Iseult Golden - Glenamaddy Players. A parent-teacher meeting goes very wrong in CLASS - a new play about learning difficulties: in school, in life, wherever.
Season tickets are €80, nightly tickets €15 plus online booking fees, (€12 nightly concession).
Tickets are on sale now through Eventbrite, with a limited number available. They are also available on the door nightly.
For more information and to buy tickets, visit the Mountmellick Drama Festival online at www.mountmellickdrama.ie
Follow them on social media for the latest updates. Enquiries can be made to info@mountmellickdramafestival.
The festival is held under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland, supported by Mountmellick Credit Union and Laois Tourism.