Oh, the drama!

IT WAS the year Motorola introduced the first mobile phone to the US, the year seatbelts became mandatory for drivers in the UK, and the year China’s population reached 1 billion.

Times may have changed a lot since then, but for a small group of aspiring local thespians, 1983 marked the beginning of a love affair with drama that has endured to this day.

Founded by Jean Monahan and Karen Carleton, and named after the local parish area, the Balally Players quickly established themselves among other leading lights on the amateur drama scene.

Both the membership and the annual programme of the company have grown exponentially since then. Nowadays Balally Players typically produce one or two full-length productions, a Christmas variety show, competitive one-act and full-length plays for the drama festival circuit, and an outdoor Shakespeare production in mid-summer week.

Committed to an ethos of drama as an inclusive activity, the company continually aims to offer all its members the opportunity for creative expression through a broad and diverse spectrum of work. Workshops designed to improve members’ skills are ongoing throughout the year, and the company has presented high standard theatrical productions in a wide range of genres over the years.

In the late 1980s Balally Players started competing on the drama festival circuit in Ireland, and the company has enjoyed considerable success securing individual awards for actors, directors, technical designers, and stage managers.

The group reached the All-Ireland finals on numerous occasions, and landed the coveted One Act Champion Title in 2006 with their production of

‘Melody’ and again in 2007 with

‘Riders to the Sea’.

Under the direction of Jean Monahan, the group hosted a One Act Drama Festival in 2006, as part of the Drama League of Ireland (DLI) Drama Festival circuit.

Now an annual event at the Mill Theatre in the Dundrum Town Centre, the Dundrum One Act Festival has become a popular destination for amateur drama groups nationwide. Arising from this success, the group was chosen by the DLI to be the Leinster hosts for the All-Ireland One-Act Finals in 2010.

Not content to sit on their laurels, the group has, over the years, proudly taken plays to France, Denmark, Canada and the USA, and in August 2009, Balally Players were honoured by being selected to represent Ireland at the World Festival of Theatre in Monaco –

‘Mondial du Theatre’.

For years the company’s Christmas Show

‘Christmas at Airfield’ was a hugely popular event on the local community calendar. It was abandoned in 2011 due to the closure of Airfield for reconstruction. However, in response to public demand, 2012 saw the welcome return of the Balally Players’ variety show, this time

‘Christmas at Marlay’.

As it begins to celebrate its 30th year, the company eagerly awaits its first production of 2013,

‘The Glass Menagerie’, by Tennessee Williams. This production, directed by local resident Oran O’Rua will be performed in the Mill Theatre, Dundrum, from March 20 – 23.

Bookings can be made online at www.milltheatre.ie or by telephone to the Mill Theatre Box Office at 01-2969340.