Group Information

Glengarriff Theatre Group Nestled beneath the Caha mountains and to the west of Glengarriff village stands the old village Church which served the community until 1904. At that time, a new community Church was built within sight of the original building. Today the old church serves the community in another way; it is now the community hall. You can be sure to find numerous group meetings and events hosted there week after week.

The village hall had one great offering fundamental for any theatre group, “a stage”. With a facility like this within the community and a number of thespians living locally, the time was ripe for the formation of the theatre group. The group was formed in 2001 and to this day the original members are still heavily involved, which is a testament to their dedication and love for the arts.

We always put on a Christmas show during December, sometimes a traditional pantomime and sometimes a play, but always with lots of song and dance, involving as many of the local children as we possibly can. There are usually a couple of performances in Glengarriff, and a Charity performance either in Glengarriff or Bantry.

The Spring Play is an adult play usually consisting of six to eight members. The group has built up a reputation for great drama and these productions always draw a large crowd. Play selection and rehearsals for the spring play typically begin once the Christmas play is finished. The group finalizes the selection usually in January or early February and rehearsals commence. The performances are held around Easter each year. there is also always a performance in aid of local charities.

In more recent years we have held an additional performance during the summer months. This is to coincide with the Maureen O’Hara golfing classic which attracts golfers from far and wide and is hosted in Glengarriff Golf Club. In 2009, for the first time we ventured further afield and put on a performance of that year's adult play at the new Carnegie Centre theatre in Kenmare. This went  down very well, and hopefully we will be repeating this in future years, starting with two performances of the 2010 play there in July.

The lead up to any performance is hectic, with a lot of coordination and effort required to bring the show together. There is a lot of work carried out behind the scenes, including public relations, set design & construction, lighting and audio, prop selection, costume design, stage management, stage continuity, makeup and much more. It takes a lot to put on a show, but once the night arrives and the hall fills the effort is paid back with interest. There is nothing like the laughter from the audience to bring the show to life and energize the actors.

Above all else, the theatre group is about the community. Over the years we’ve watched the children within the community build confidence and character. This is a very social event for the children; they learn how to perform together. Their self awareness, public speaking skills and creativity improve along with their self-esteem, but most of all they are having fun and building friendships. Year after year the children take on new roles and parts in the shows to a point where they have no fear whatsoever about walking out on stage in front of a full house and giving the performance of their lives. It is our hope that providing these experiences to children will allow them to develop into confident young adults prepared for the "stage of life".

At one play reading, Maggie arrived with the news that a movie director was shooting a short movie on Garnish Island and he was looking for actors from our group to participate in this movie. He had heard about the group through the grapevine. A number of members within the group were cast and most of the group also participated as extras. This was truly a memorable event for one and all and we look forward to the release in the near future. The weekend was also a great social event for the group and between each take there were plenty of things to see and explore on the island. The weather was great and the company better.

It was interesting to sit and watch the numerous takes until the director had exactly what he was looking for. Luckily the rain held off for the weekend and we were able to complete the shooting. After each production it is not uncommon for the group to get together to let our hair down and unwind but most of all to talk about the performances and have some fun and laughter. There are plenty social evenings throughout the year and never a dull moment.

Besides the annual productions, the group gets together weekly during the dark months for play readings. These can occur anywhere from the village hall to the local bar to a member’s house but they are always enjoyable. Mostly we select plays to read that are potential runners for the new group play but we also read through non runners for the experience.

Contact us at – Thanks for reading - Glengarriff Theatre Group.