One Act Drama Festival 2023 proves a huge hit for Ballina
Pictured at Ballina One Act Drama Festival in Ballina Arts Centre were, front row, from left: Avril Greham (committee), Gerry Ring (committee), Anna Walker (Adjudicator ADA), Padraig Mitchell (Martin Mitchell Memorial Cup), Marie Loftus (Festival Director), Christina Flynn (Festival Secretary). Back row: Conor Shaffrey, Millrace, Best Actor Open; Tim Oates, Ray Leonard Players, Best Director and Play Confined; Maura Clancy, Corofin, Best Actress Open; Brendan Hurley, Adjudicators Award, Liam Daly, Millrace, Best Director and Play Open. Picture: John O'Grady
The curtain call for the 2023 Ballina One Act Drama Festival has been completed and it was once again a hugely successful staging of the event for the committee, organisers and participants.
Taking place from November 3 to 5, this year’s event - the eighth - further consolidated Ballina as an established and popular location in the national One Act Drama Festival scene.
Staged at the Ballina Arts Centre and directed by Marie Loftus, the festival was extremely well-attended and featured several new groups and playwrights to the circuit, as well as welcoming back many accomplished groups from Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Dublin, Mayo and Sligo.
Marie and her team left no stone unturned to ensure that this year’s event continued to build on the growing legacy of the One Act Drama Festival in Ballina, which hosted the All-Ireland Finals of this event in 2022.
This year, Morag Prunty, aka Kate Kerrigan, famed for her one-woman show ‘Am I Irish Yet’, opened proceedings on Friday night and immediately engaged the audience and got them ready for what was to come.
New additions to the Ballina One Act Drama Festival included the presentation of the Martin Mitchell Perpetual Cup for the Most Imaginative Production, named in honour of the much-loved Detective Garda who sadly passed away in 2019. It was presented to the winner Tim Oates by Martin's father Padraig.
Anna Walker, this year’s adjudicator, enthralled the audience with her personable, honest and insightful analysis of each play, adding an extra touch of sparkle to this year’s festival.
The awards ceremony was well-attended and also attracted a strong online viewing.
The winners this year were as follows: Adjudicators Award, Patrick Murphy as The Interrogators Assistant in "Bobby Gould in Hell" by David Mamet (Conna Drama Group); Martin Mitchell Memorial Cup for Most Imaginative Production, Tim Oates Director of "A Night without Stars" by Carl Nuzum( Ray Leonard Players); Best Actress Confined, Vera Kilgallon as Tara in "A Night without Stars" by Carl Nuzum (Ray Leonard Players); Best Actor Confined, John Baldwin as The interrogator in "Bobby Gouldin Hell" by David Mamet (Conna Drama Group); Best Actress Open, Maura Clancy as Ella in "An Opening Night" by John Clancy (Corofin DG); Best Actor Open Conor Shaffrey as Andy in "An Agreement" by Freda Donohue (Millrace DG); Best Director Confined, Tim Oates for "A Night without Stars" by Carl Nuzum (Ray Leonard Players); Best Director Open, Liam Daly for "An Agreement" by Freda Donohue (Millrace DG); Best Play Confined, Ray Leonard Players Claremorris for "A Night without Stars" by Carl Nuzum; Best Play Open, Millrace Drama Group Cavan for "An Agreement" by Freda Donoghue.
All awards were crafted locally. The committee wishes to thank everyone who supported this year’s One Act Drama Festival.
