Lislea Drama Festival continues to delight the audiences!

Cast  of Newtownstewart Theatre Company on stage at Lislea Drama Festival in their production of 'The New Electric Ballroom' by Enda Walsh. INNR0939Cast  of Newtownstewart Theatre Company on stage at Lislea Drama Festival in their production of 'The New Electric Ballroom' by Enda Walsh. INNR0939
Cast of Newtownstewart Theatre Company on stage at Lislea Drama Festival in their production of 'The New Electric Ballroom' by Enda Walsh. INNR0939
This middle weekend of this year’s festival saw two very thought-provoking plays presented on the Old Schoolhouse Theatre stage to packed houses - the competition is certainly heating up for festival adjudicator Imelda McDonagh.

​On Saturday night Pomeroy Players presented ‘There Came a Gypsy Rising’ by Frank McGuinness which was a new play for both the audience and the adjudicator.

This play tells the twisted story of the McKenna family when they gather at their remote west of Ireland holiday home to mark the twenty-first birthday of their late son Gene. Cousin Bridget appears along the causeway, inviting herself for birthday cake and conversation, ready to expose a family secret.

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This play deals with dark themes but is relieved by the comedy of Bridget whose antics had the audience bursting into spontaneous rounds of applause.

The adjudicator praised the whole company for the production which captured the great emotional depth ‘of a family struggling to come to terms with the suicide of one of their own.’

On Sunday, March 3 saw Newtownstewart Theatre Company’s performance of the Tony award winning play The New Electric Ballroom by Enda Walsh.

This claustrophobic drama tells the story of three sisters caught in the years that have passed since their halcyon days at the New Electric Ballroom trapped in a remote fishing village reliving their darker memories of their long-lost romances.

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The play is a glittered dusted, dark fable of the emotionally stultifying effects of a small-town life.

The festival adjudicator gave high praise to the set and production values and enthused that the performance delivered a ‘very intense tale of broken lives delivered by four very committed actors with strong visuals and with lovely change of mood before the end.’

Wednesday, March 6 will bring a lighter play to the stage (which is family friendly and young audience members are particular welcome to attend) when the Clanabogan Players will enter their production of Fortunes and Misfortunes by Jimmy Keary, which is a light-hearted look at the life of Daisy Fortune, into the festival competition.

Hardworking Daisy Fortune leads this comedic farce when she loses her job in the local café after her hapless son lets his pet snake escape amongst the customers. Turning her hand to housekeeping for the headmaster’s wife, only more chaos ensues at an elite poetry workshop.

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Tickets will also be available on the night at the Box Office from 7-8pm.

The final night is on Saturday, March 9 and curtain up is at 7.30pm as the awards will be presented after the play.

Nightly admission: adults £8, children £4. Ticket bookings 07966392766. Check Lislea’s social media and the local press for further details. Find them on Facebook and follow them @LisleaDramaFest #lovelislea Instagram @lisleadramafest.

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