The Playboy Of The Western World

For the second week running, one of Kilkenny’s youth theatres is launching a major production.

This time it’s our old alma mater of Dreamstuff Youth Theatre who are producing that ironclad classic of Irish theatre, JM Synge’s The Playboy Of The Western World. The production is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of Synge, one of Ireland’s most revered writers.

Directed by Mike Kelly, the show stars Peter O’Connor as Christy Mahon (a character often described as the ‘Irish Hamlet’) and Aoibhin Murphy as the iconic Pegeen Mike. Supported by a strong (and unusually small numbered) cast of supporting characters, this is the cream of Kilkenny’s young acting talent working with truly classic material. It should be a fantastic show.

The Playboy Of The Western World starts tonight April 28th and runs until Saturday May 2nd in The Watergate Theatre, Parliament Street, Kilkenny. Tickets are 10Euro, with a concession of 8Euro tonight and the show kicks off at 8pm nightly. Tickets can be booked on 056 – 7761674. Check out www.yifm.com for more details.

Road To Nowhere

Here’s the newest scene to go online from our production of Trainspotting which ran in The Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny in June last year.

This scene is one of the mad concoctions that Harry Gibson implemented in his 1994 stage adaptation. Whilst undergoing cold turkey, Renton is visited by Begbie who proceeds to talk at length about the disappointments of real life. What ensues is a surreal sing song to Talking Heads ‘Road To Nowhere’. Originally in the script, it was Chumbawamba’s Tubthumping but myself and Niamh didn’t really like that so we changed it to something a little bit more apt with a nice 80’s feel to it.

For more clips, check out the Devious Theatre Youtube.

Burying Your Brother In The Pavement

Kilkenny’s first youth theatre offering of 2009 arrives on local stages this week. Kilkenny Youth Theatre’s production of Jack Thorne’s Burying Your Brother In The Pavement will play in The Barn, Church Lane, Kilkenny from April 23rd to 25th at 8pm nightly.

Kilkenny Youth Theatre is the youth theatre wing of Barnstorm Theatre Company, one of their many wings in fact.  The play is being directed by Ronan Mac Raois, who is Barnstorm’s Outreach Development Officer.

The play is written by Jack Thorne, a playwright who also works as a screenwriter on TV shows such as Skins and Shameless.

The Barn is a fantastic theatre venue, one of Kilkenny’s hidden gems in terms of venues. We were very lucky to be the first group outside of Barnstorm to use it for Smitten and it really helped set the show apart from anything else we’ve done. It also gave a lot of Kilkenny people a chance to check out such a top class, studio space right under their noses. So if it’s a good night of youthful theatre you’re looking for, then The Barn is the place to be this weekend.

Tickets for the show are 10 Euro and they can be booked on 056 – 7751266 or email info@barnstorm.ie

Tripping Through The Meadows

The first act closes on our scenes from Trainspotting, our third production, which ran June 24th to 28th in the Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny last year.

This scene is taken from a few different chapters in the book and shows Tommy (Ken McGuire) sliding into heroin addiction as Renton (Ross Costigan) is distracted by Spud and Alison (Stephen Colfer & Maria Murray) who give him some eckies and take him on a trip through the meadows. Adventures with fun fairs, auld wifies, Frank Zappa and a mischievious squirrel ensue.

For more clips, check out the Devious Theatre Youtube.

Meet Ken McGuire

Ken is one of the founding members of Devious Theatre and has worked in pretty much every capacity going. He’s produced everything we’ve done, designed the website, taken photos, painted things and made tea. He was also one of the directors on Cannibal! The Musical, a project he nurtured since he was but a scamp.

As an actor, he has appeared in everything we’ve done. In the past year, playing the role of the tragic Tommy in Trainspotting, the sleazebag musician Niall in Smitten and he got to use his DJ voice to great effect in The War Of The Worlds.

Ken runs Event Media, Kilkennymusic.com and lots of other things too long and numerous to mention. His blog encompasses all of the work performed by Ken, and his many, many clones. It can all be found at KenMc.com

It Was Acceptable In The 80’s

The master builder of Devious Theatre, Eddie Brennan (Ibsen named that play after him and everything) is going to Uganda this coming June as part of the Uganda School Project. Along with a group of volunteers, Eddie will be building schools and much needed facilities for two months in Uganda. This will mean that we won’t have Eddie’s design and construction skills for our upcoming July production but because it’s a good cause we won’t curse him yet.

In an effort to raise funds for the project, Eddie has organised an 80s Nite this Friday, April 3rd in Cleeres on Parliament Street. There’s a fancy dress competition with the best of 80s fashion disasters being honoured. Also, myself and Paddy will be making our DJing debuts, where we will no doubt break the equipment. We’ve also raided the Devious soundtracks so anything we’ve ever used from the 80’s is going in. Especially The Boss. Johnny Holden of Cleeres has also promised to lay down a ‘bit of lino for breakdancing’. Should be retro fun.

All moneys donated will go directly to the Uganda School Project. Kick off is about 9pm.