Ennis Players' Supper Theatre at the Old Ground

In the current economic climate it takes quite an effort to get a crowd of 150+ to come out of a wet November evening. This  is a feat the Ennis Players managed several nights this week at the Old Ground In Ennis. Gathering around to see live bodies assume alter egos to tell a story has enduring appeal and  on Wednesday  night, the large function room   was packed  for the amateur dramatic society's latest offering. This was  the 26th season of the Ennis Players' 'Supper Theatre'. The format is a good one, it entails 2 or 3 short one act plays followed by a supper where one can dine and discuss the performance.Sitting in the Old Ground Hotel  bar always has the feel of a theatrical experience for me with an ever changing cast of 'characters' entering and leaving stage left and right through the doors at each end.

This year's production was 2 one act plays. The first was in the style of Miss Marple or Agatha Christie where the plot  had the giveaway title of 'What Shall We Do With The Body?' by Rae Shirley. This was a three hander comedy  with Carmel Quinn playing the crime writer role of Miss Temple and Ailbhe McMahon as her new new assistant, Miss Worthington. Tony Coffey was the Man visitor. The second play was The Way of All Fish by Elaine May and directed by Joe Varden and I felt this was the stronger piece of the two. This was a 'power play 'between a boss and her assistant. Amy McEnnis captured the New Yawker accent wonderfully as the macho boss whilst Bairbre deBarra delivered a fine performance as the mousey employee who harbours murderous intent.

Old Ground- great venue and service

The supper component of the evening was excellent with the Old Ground staff working wonders to deliver top class food to the many at the same time.

An excellent evening for €15 and  I look forward to Ennis Players' production of a Martin McDonogh play in the New Year and their endeavours on the thriving amateur drama scene.  Meanwhile the Players are hosting the All Ireland One-Act Drama Festival 'Drama in Ennis' from 2nd to 4th December

Gadding about during the Ennis Trad Festival 2010

Ennis Trad Festival brought a welcome  influx of musicians  and punters to the town last weekend. 



On Friday, I looked in to the Old Gound were there was a pleasant buzz of anticpation with visitors toting instruments of various shapes were checking in. On Saturday ,  I had lunch in the packed  Rowan Tree with my cousins Anne and Helen White   We  met chanteuse, Siofra Brock daughter of Paul  and   star of the West End  , Helen Ball, dining with husband Lorcan and baby.   Looking into Queens Bar there is a flurry of flautists and other assorted musicians  tootling  merrily away . On O Connell Street  dodging the heavy showers, I meet  travelling poet James Anthony Kelly and buy a copy of his poetry volume Porter and Emotion described as 'A vast diverse and varied collection'  . How could you resist.  I find it  somehow reassuring  that we still have travelling bards in Ireland .





Travelling Bard James A Kelly

  

 In Glór, I am just in time  to watch  the hapless presenter attempting to round up representatives of the runner ups who seemed reluctant to  collect their prizes and eventually  the winners ,  the Tulla Road  Ceili Band (not to be confused with the Tulla Ceili Band) are  eventually  shepherded  on stage to perform their valedictory set.  While some of the punters in my vicinity had selected them, there was quite a few who felt Corofin Ceili Band also deserved the crown but there was a spirit of general good humour generally about the procedings  and no one seemed to feel too hard done by.