The final line-up for the 2019 Claremorris Fringe Festival of Drama has been announced!
For full details on this year’s competition, please see the new Fringe Festival website
Friday March 15th
John Corless is a surrealist comedy writer from Claremorris, Co. Mayo. He co-wrote (with Liam Horan) and performed in “The Pull” which toured Ireland for four years from 2012. He wrote “A Great Consolation” for the centenary of the 1916 rising, and has written numerous short plays for the stage and radio.
Group: HalfSolid ProductionsThe death of Anne’s husband presents unexpected problems in this comedy.
Anne: Christina Jordan
Men: John Corless
Technical: Darragh Burke.
Director: John Corless
Michael Goulding was born Manchester and moved to Mayo in 2000. He has been involved in numerous musical productions over the years with both Claremorris and Castlebar Musical Societys. As well as acting Michael has turned his hand to writing and has written numerous plays for radio and stage. He works for Western Care Association and also presents a programme on Midwest Radio on Monday's at 10pm.
Group: Grand ProductionsA play about a father and daughter and the All-Ireland Final.
Ciara: Vivienne Lee
Josie: Ronan Egan
Director: Michael Goulding
Sunday March 17th
Amist the chaos of the modern world, Nicola Kean finds playwriting to be a form of therapy and a means to dissect the myriad of colourful characters that she encounter in her day-to-day life. In 2016, she won the Claremorris Fringe Festival and earlier this year, she was short-listed for the Eamon Keane full-length play award. She is currently working on her third full-length script.
Group: Fringe BenefitsMammy has never been keen on Eugene’s taste in women. But this time he’s found himself a real doll.
Eugene: Ollie Turner
Mammy: Sinéad Sheridan
Fifi: Aishling Costello
Director: Nicola Kean
Fiona Kelly is an award-winning radio producer and broadcaster, best known as a presenter of "It says in the papers" on RTE 's "Morning Ireland". Since 2017, she has also been writing storylines for "Fair City". She lives in Dublin with her husband, two children and a dog called Magic.
Group: The Clockwork Theatre CompanySarah and Karl are a young couple planning their future together – but do they share the same values?
Sarah: Rebecca Flynn
Karl: Corey Patton
Roddy: Michael Heavey
Director: Fiona Kelly
Monday March 18th
John Paul Murphy is an actor and playwright from Co Galway. As an actor, John Paul has appeared in Jack Taylor, Fair City and Wrecking the Rising (TG4). With all his plays, John Paul laces his writing with lots of humour. His most recent play 'Turn around bright eyes' won the award for best new writing at the Galway Fringe 2018.
Group: Clurichaun TheatreAn ageing, decadent old actress reminisces on her life before her final performance.
Miss Durant: Carmel McCarthy
Director: Donna Patrice Reidy
Galway native Sarah Fahy writes poetry, prose and scripts. She is also an actress and director with local groups in Loughrea. As a playwright she has had two plays stage performed. Her play ‘Significant Loss’ was recently adapted into a short film and won The Offline Film Festival in Birr, Co Offaly. Sarah's passion truly is the arts.
Group: The Drama HeadsThree women, all under the same roof, but living very different lives.
Peggy: Geraldine Brennan
Marian: Sarah Fahy
Karen: Delia Keane
Director: Donna Patrice Reidy
Thursday March 21st
Paul Maher is a Tipperary native and his plays have been short-listed for the PJ O’Connor Awards, Listowel Writer’s Week, Kenneth Branagh Award & London Festival of Pub Theatre. His work has been performed at local Arts Festivals in Cashel & Clonmel.
Group: Wilde River Drama GroupAnna’s Polish hairdresser, Kalinka, decides to help Anna out with a bit of marriage counselling.
Kalinka: Karina Gdowska Jakubowska
Anna: Yvonne Murray
Mike: James Murray
Director: Sighle Hughes
Peter Gould is a writer and theatre director based in London. After a career in journalism, mainly with the BBC, he now works as a volunteer with The Questors Theatre in Ealing, where he helps to develop new work for the stage. Peter was a qualifier in last year’s Fringe and we are delighted to welcome him back again to Claremorris this year.
Group: Charlestown Drama GroupA play about 21 st Century underclass, that challenges the assumptions we make about those less fortunate than ourselves.
Tom: Tony Henry
Becky: Anita O Sullivan
Cassie: Carmel Parsons
Jade: Miriam Colleran
Directors : Natalie Byrne and Naomi Clarke
Saturday March 23rd
Joe Bergin lives in Leixlip, Co. Kildare and has been involved in amateur theatre for over forty years as both actor and director. His play “Merry-go-round” was placed second in the Claremorris Fringe in 2017 and he went on to win first place in 2018 with another piece “Interplay”. He has just completed a course in “Directing for the Theatre” at Maynooth University.
Group: Tumble Down ProductionsA young woman finds herself tied to a chair, her captor is unsure of the implications of what he has done. Just who is trapped?
Man: Brendan O'Sullivan
Woman: Collette Kinsella
Director: Joe Bergin
Moira Mahony is an actor and director from Athenry, Co. Galway. She has worked with numerous groups including Seumas O'Kelly Players, Athenry Drama Group, BlenDiva Productions, Unspoken Word and the Dramaheads. Moira has been involved in Claremorris Fringe for the past 5 years, acting and directing. This her first attempt at play writing.
Group: BlenDiva ProductionsA couple are delivered the devastating news that their only child has additional needs.
He: Paul Hughes
She: Moira Mahony
Joan: Natalie Halloran
Joshy: Ciarán Mahony
Director: Donna Patrice Reidy