Ballyduff Drama Group, directed by Ger Canning, were crowned RTÉ All Ireland Drama champions at the Gala Awards ceremony in Athlone’s Radisson Blu Hotel last night.
They scooped the top prize for their performance of ‘The Ferryman’ by Jez Butterworth as the curtain came down on this year’s festival.
Dalkey Players were placed second for their presentation of ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Millar and directed by Emma Jane Nulty.
First-time qualifiers Ballycogley Players, directed by Pat Whelan, who performed the farce ‘Out of Order’ by Ray Cooney were placed third.
No strangers to Athlone, Ballyduff Drama Group last won the All-Ireland in 2022. Their director Ger Canning also won the Best Director award.
In addition John Stack, who played Quinn Carney, won the award for best actor and Mary Colbert won the award for the best actress in a supporting role.
While Noel Hayes, won the award for the best stage management, and Donie O’Sullivan, took home the award for best stage setting.
Ballyduff Drama Group has been performing on the 3 Act circuit for over 40 years, winning the All Ireland on two occasions, in 2004 and in 2022 with ‘Rabbit Hole’.
Last year they came second with their production of ‘The Welkin’.
In performing ‘The Ferryman’, Ballyduff threw all caution to the wind when it came to the saying ‘never work with children or animals!’.
Their performance included appearances by a live and very engaging baby boy, a local baby named Páidí, as well as a live goose and a rabbit.
The RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival is held under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland and this year marks the 20th Year of RTÉ as title sponsor of the event.
Mark O’Brien, Executive Director, Abbey Theatre said they were delighted to continue their partnership with the festival.
He announced that after much deliberations the winner of the Abbey Award for 2024 are Dalkey Players who presented ‘The Crucible’ and that the Abbey looked forward to hosting the group in the Peacock in a number of weeks.
To mark the 20th year of RTÉ as title sponsor of the event, a special one-off prize – the Bride Rosney Award – was awarded to newcomers from each group.
During Ms Rosney’s tenure as Director of Communications at RTÉ from 2002 to 2009, the partnership with the All-Ireland Drama Festival began.
She often referred to the inter-generational aspect of the amateur drama groups seeing it as a torch that was carried through the generations and a fountain on which great communities would flourish.
Her partner Peter McMenamin, who presented the awards, noted that Bride Rosney was an influencer who felt that RTÉ was too Dublin 4 centric.
This year’s adjudicator at the festival, Mr Tom Byrne, has over 45 years involvement with amateur drama, competed in his first festival in 1979 and has won numerous awards as a director.
Since taking up adjudicating in 2011 he has adjudicated at ADCI qualifying festivals throughout Ireland.
Commenting on the festival, Mr Byrne praised the nine extraordinary groups singling out their talent and creativity.
Amongst the finalists were several premieres, that of a new Irish play, ‘Margaret’ about Margaret Thatcher in her final years, ‘In the Shadow of the Glen: Reimagined’ (after JM Synge), and a festival premiere of ‘Radium Girls’.
Award Categories:
- RTÉ Perpetual Trophy to the Overall Winner – Ballyduff Drama Group
- Best Director – Ger Canning, Ballyduff Drama Group
- Best Actor – John Stack, Ballyduff Drama Group
- Best Actress – Rachel O’Connor, Ballyshannon Drama Society
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Sean Carty, Ballycogley Players Drama Group
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Mary Colbert, Ballyduff Drama Group
- Best Stage Management – Noel Hayes, Ballyduff Drama Group
- Best Stage Lighting – Cian Redmond, Wexford Drama Group
- Best Stage Setting – Donie O’Sullivan, Ballyduff Drama Group
- Adjudicator Award – Alison Rogers, Newpoint Players
- Drama League of Ireland (DLI) Summer School Scholarship – Hannah Clabbey, Dalkey Players,
- The Abbey Theatre Award – Dalkey Players, who presented ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller.
- The special one-off Bride Rosney Awards for newcomers went to Shay Hannon, Ballycogley Players Drama Group; Seán Foley, Ballyduff Drama Group; Sam Asaylee, Ballyshannon Drama Society; Joseph Sunderland, Bridge Drama; Claudia Verdecchia, Clontarf Players; Rachel McConnell, Dalkey Players; Mickey Brannigan, Newpoint Players; Lauren Mitchel, Properous Dramatic Society and Naoise O’Connor, Wexford Drama Group.
