drama on near

All The Way to Mars and Back by Eddie Naughton
Directed by Anna Nugent

ALL THE WAY TO MARS AND BACK is about day in the life of a community where the endemic drug problem has become a way of life. It begins with the funeral of a drug addict and ends with yet more deaths.

In between, the play points up the sinister elements that has the community in a vice like grip; the unscrupulous drug baron, the uncaring, aspiring dealers, and the dangerous, pathetic addicts who do what they must to outlive each day.

Then there are the broken parents in the community whose way of life has been altered utterly by the fact that their drug dependent sons and daughters now look on them merely as a resource to get what they want to maintain their habit.

The play offers no answers but does ask questions.

CAST:

Amy Herbert as Laura

Stephen Kelly as Franner and Tommy

Laurence Lowry as Liam and Voice

Michael Mullen as Peter and Henchman

Paul Nugent as Bobo, Priest, Newscaster, Server and Det. Treahy

Fiana Toibin as Bernie, Marion and Teasie

This series was made with the support of the Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision scheme through the Television License Fee.

Still We Sing by Martina Collender
Directed by Anna Nugent

Ghent, 1956, autumn. The play opens to find a small group of actors in rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet. We discover these play-actors are being led Nickolas Locke and they are rehearsing the play in brutal conditions, against all odds.

We discover this group of people have been torn from their homes, their lives, the livelihood, the identity, there dignity has been torn from them. Everything they have ever known has been ripped from them. The reason for this is the colour of the skin, there accents, where they come from, who they are, crimes they are accused of committing, none of the reasons make sense. None of these reasons are good enough. They are deeply distressed and confused by the way they are treated by the soldiers, who have come and are forcing them to live in a segregated area. The area they are living is very small, there is three building with no toilet facilities and is expected to be the home for over 1,000 people. If they were to leave they would shot. If they were to escape there is nowhere to go. There is limited food and is rationed out. Every morning they must attend a meeting led by the Commander, a man who has been chosen by the soldiers to deliver news, at these meetings they are told of news about rations, of new people arriving, of certain people expected to leave. This a source of constant worry as they never know what they will be told or not.

The soldiers who man the area, carry guns, and have fists as strong as steel, they aren’t afraid to use.

They characters in the play range from a few weeks old to 50 years old, each passing moment is ticking clock on their lives, each breath they take is bated with fear, each day is a new treat and still, they insist on rehearsing the play, still, the battle on against all odds.

CAST:

Paul Nugent as NICKOLAS LOCKE

Fiana Toibin as KATHERINE LOCKE and NEWSREADER

Iva Kevra as GRACE LOCK and NEWSREADER

Mark Anthony O’Rielly as SAMUEL LOCKE

Tim Casey as JONATHAN ILIC and GENERAL JODI

Ryan Roy as STEPHEN PETROVIC and TOMMY LOCKE

Emmanuel Okoye as ANDREW PETROVIC

John J. O’Hagan as JACK VENEZIA

Made with the support of the Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision scheme through the Television License Fee.

To The Bone by David Donavan
Directed by Anna Nugent

To The Bone is a rural drama exploring the relationship between generations and changing attitudes. Jack is helping his father Bob on the family farm but longs for something more. He faces a crossroad as decisions need to be made and friendships are tested in his journey of self-discovery.

Laurence Lowry as Bob

Paul Nugent as Jack

Aoife Commons as Jess

Patrick de Monfort as Tom

Fiana Toibin as Mary

Made with the support of the Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision scheme through the Television License Fee.

Class of 2025 by Diandra Xavier
Directed by Anna Nugent

Anisa Kapoor is on the brink of adulthood, juggling school pressure, family expectations, and the endless chatter of her virtual assistant. When she’s asked to give a graduation speech, she must choose between perfection and honesty.

Vivian Birungi as Anisa

Brigid Leahy as Alexa

Brian Robinson as Barista

Rebecca Rose Flynn as Eimear

Shruti Shandilya as Mum

Fiana Toibin as Redwood Principal

Made with the support of the Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision scheme through the Television License Fee.

Tenterhooks by John Morton
Directed by Sarah Baxter

Tenterhooks is a darkly comic drama about two strangers, adrift in their lives who keep meeting in various suicide black spots over the course of a summer. Brid is a self-styled damsel in distress looking for a knight in shining armour to rescue her. She lives alone in a big house in the country and is searching for someone to take an interest in her life and connect with. Jimmy is a recently unemployed taxi driver who stakes out suicide spots looking for souls to rescue. He lives at home with his uncaring mother and abusive stepfather and is struggling to get a foothold on his life.

Both consistently bump into each other by chance but due to miscommunication, they struggle to create a bond. Eventually both of their lives take drastic turns for the worse as they both court death and their plights become more dire. With no help in sight, they are forced to cling to each other. But how long can either of them hang on for?

Pattie Maguire as Brid
Darragh Feehely as Jimmy

Made with the support of the Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision scheme through the Television License Fee.