Newry Drama Festival owes its existence to Newry Musical Feis. The growing popularity of amateur drama in the local area in the 1940s, meant that by 1948, the drama section had outgrown the Feis.
A separate committee was formed under the Chairmanship of Mrs J.H. Collins and in 1949 Newry Drama Festival was inaugurated.
For over seven decades, the Festival has offered a platform to many groups from all over Ireland. The first Festival had 49 entrants in ten classes, with performances taking place over twelve days; day and night. This was reduced to six nights in 1961, but later increased to nine. The plays in Irish disappeared from the programme in the mid-1950s and the Junior Section and One Act Plays by the end of the 1970s; First Newry Drama Festival programme from 1949. The a separate One Act Drama Festival had been established in adjudicators were Frank Harwood and Thomas (Tomás) MacAnna, who adjudicated the Irish plays. 1976. Today nine performances take place over nine nights of Newry and Mourne Museum Collection the Festival.
The Festival is affiliated to both the Association of Ulster Drama Festivals (AUDF) and the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland (ADCI), meaning that winners of the Premier Award are nominated for both finals. Dedicated and long serving committee members work tirelessly to achieve and maintain the Festival’s high calibre. Whilst the committee members changed over the years, the executives all served for long periods of time.
Throughout its history there have only been six Chairpersons; Mrs J.H. Collins, William Petty, Dr E.L. Wilson, Owen Mooney, Sean Hollywood and currently, Gerry McNulty. There have been three Vice Chairpersons; Edna McKinstry, Violet Durkan, (who was in the post for over 40 years) and Art Magennis.
Committee of the first Newry Drama Festival as listed on the 1949 programme. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection
Newry Drama Festival Silver Jubilee Committee and Guests, 1977. Standing (L-R): Fr P. V. O’Brien (Director DLI), Nuala O’Brien, Owen Mooney (Chairperson), Joan Cassidy, Eileen Mooney (Secretary), Brendan O’Brien (Director All Ireland Festival, Athlone) Sitting (L-R): Maureen Grant, Reginald Westcott (Adjudicator), Violet Durkan (Vice-Chairperson) Newry and Mourne Museum Collection
Newry Drama Festival Committee, 1986. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection Nancie Murphy was the original Festival Secretary. Maureen Daly and Nora Wilson filled the post between 1961 and 1971. Eileen Mooney became Secretary in 1976 and still holds the post in 2018.
William Petty, Charlie O’Hare, Matt Welford, Pat Grant,
Mary McKeown and Regina Hanratty all spent long periods as Newry Drama Festival Committee, 2015. Treasurer. Christine Farrelly took over the post in 1999. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection Newry Drama Festival Committee, 1998. Newry and Mourne Museum Billy Locke looked after publicity in the early years and Collection Eamonn Fitzpatrick, Maureen Grant and Anne Boyle have all spent many years in the role.
Long serving Stage Managers include Sean Markham, Gerry McNulty and Treasa Davey. In the early years the stage crew made the sets, helped by Jimmy and Joseph Quinn.
Honorary Life Members: Sam Russell, Joan Cassidy, Nora Wilson, Dr E.L. Wilson and Charlie Smyth.
Newry Drama Festival Golden Jubilee Committee and Sponsors, 2002. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection
Newry Drama Festival Committee with Roma Tomelty Carnegie (Adjudicator), 1993. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection Quality of adjudication is an important aspect of the Festival, often exemplified by the national and international stature of the adjudicators.
The first adjudicator, Frank Harwood, performed the inaugural ceremony on 14th February 1949, commenting that Newry Drama Festival was far ahead of the most up-to-date English festivals in planning, schedule and entries. In 1950, Cyril Cusack’s adjudication was a performance in itself, followed in 1951 by Hilton Edwards, co-founder of Dublin’s Gate Theatre with Micheál Mac Liammόir.
Many adjudicators of the highest quality have been involved with the Festival over the years, with some coming back on numerous occasions such as Finlay J. MacDonald, Alan Nicol, Scott Marshall, Michael O’Hara and Tomás MacAnna.
During Gerda Redich’s one-woman show in 1976, she told the audience how in 1938 she escaped from the Nazis by skiing over Gerda Redlich was one of the favourites, coming to Newry the Alps and then spent eighteen months with a travelling circus in Italy. After her arrival in England in 1939, she adjudicated, produced no less than five times, between 1954 and 1976. Due to and lectured all over Britain and Ireland. the Troubles, the 1976 Festival had difficulty filling a full Newry and Mourne Museum Collection programme of plays. On one of the nights when there was no play, Gerda gave a one-woman performance, An Evening with Gerda: The Adjudicator Entertains, telling her life story on stage.
In 1985, Irish theatre, film and television actress Anna Manahan, well known for her role as ‘Mrs Cadogan’ in the TV series Accomplished actor, director, producer and playwright, Roma The Irish RM adjudicated the Festival. She would go on to win a TONY Award for her portrayal of ‘Mag Folan’ in The Beauty Tomelty Carnegie was also the first Arts Director of Newry and Queen of Leenane in 1998. Mourne Arts Centre. She adjudicated in 1993 and 2002. L-R: Eamonn Fitzpatrick (PRO), Owen Mooney (Chairperson), John Lynch, Anna Manahan (Adjudicator), Rowel Friars Newry and Mourne Museum Collection (Vice-President of AUDF) and Eileen Mooney (Secretary). Newry and Mourne Museum Collection
Alan Nicol with Owen Mooney (Chairperson), Local theatre, film and television actor Gerard Finlay J. MacDonald produced dramas for BBC Playwright, theatre director and 1988. Murphy adjudicated at the 40th Festival in 1992. radio and television before moving into current actor, Tomás MacAnna joined the From Scotland, Alan first came to Newry in No stranger to the Town Hall stage, he had affairs. He made four appearances as adjudicator Abbey Theatre in 1947, directing 1978 and adjudicated on four occasions. competed regularly as a young boy in Newry between 1957 and 1984. Irish language drama, later becoming He always wore a kilt and had a different Musical Feis and performed in the Abbey Courtesy of Radio Times Artistic Director. He adjudicated tartan for each night of the Festival. He also Christian Brothers’ School plays. the Irish language plays in the early adjudicated in the UK, North America and Newry and Mourne Museum Collection days of the Festival, coming back to Japan. adjudicate in 1983 and 1994. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection Newry and Mourne Museum Collection
Finlay J. MacDonald’s adjudication sheet from the 1961 Festival. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection Newpoint Players, Waiting Ballyduff Drama Group, Dancing at Lughnasa, 2013. Clarence Players, Taking Sides, 2013. Bangor Drama Club, Moonlight and Magnolias, 2013. for Godot, Premier Award Newry and Mourne Museum Collection Newry and Mourne Museum Collection Newry and Mourne Museum Collection winners, 1994. Newpoint Players have won the Premier Award eleven times. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection
Newpoint Players, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, 2013. Silken Thomas Players, Mercury Fur, Premier Award Holywood Players, A Month in the Country, 2015. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection winners, 2013. Holywood Players have won the Premier Award on four occasions. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection Newry and Mourne Museum Collection
1949 Newpoint Players, A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1950 Bangor Drama Club, Our Town 1951 Lislea Dramatic Society, The Playboy of the Western World 1952 Loreto Players, Bonaventure 1953 Keady Dramatic Society, The Shadow of a Gunman 1954 Portadown Dramatic Society, Home is the Hero 1955 Portadown Dramatic Society, Playboy of the Western World 1956 The Eclipse Drama Group, All Souls Night 1957 Belfast Bank Dramatic Society, The Hasty Heart 1958 Newpoint Players, Arms and the Man 1959 Dublin Shakespeare Society, Hamlet 1960 Queen’s University Belfast, Murder in the Cathedral 1961 Queen’s University Belfast, The Flies Rosemary Drama Group, Kindertransport, 2016. 1962 The Genesian Players, Many Young Men of Twenty Newry and Mourne Museum Collection 1963 Belfast Drama Circle, Othello 1964 Newpoint Players, Captain Brassbound’s Conversion 1965 The Guinness Players, Dublin, Monserrat 1966 The Guinness Players, Dublin, Twelfth Night 1967 Newpoint Players, The Poker Session 1968 Orangefield Boys’ Sec. School Drama Soc., The Enemy Within 1969 Bart Players, Belfast, This Happy Breed 1970 Bart Players, Belfast, The Corn is Green 1971 Dundalk Group Players, The Hostage 1976 Olivian Players, Dublin, The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds 1977 Clarence Players, Belfast, Rashomon 1978 Bart Players, Belfast, Oh, What a Lovely War 1979 ’71 Players, Derry, Over the Bridge 1980 Bart Players, Belfast, Confusion 1981 The 33 Players, Dublin, Kennedy’s Children 1982 Bart Players, Belfast, The Queen’s Highland Servant 1983 Gorey Little Theatre, A Life Prosperous Dramatic Society, Kildare, One Man, Two Guvnors, 1984 Strand Players, Dublin, The Death of Doctor Faust 2016. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection 1985 Sundrive Players, Dublin, Orpheus Descending 1986 Guinness Players, Dublin, A Streetcar Named Desire 1987 Sundrive Players, Dublin, The Plough and the Stars 1988 Newpoint Players, Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme 1989 Newpoint Players, A Chorus of Disapproval 1990 Bart Players, Belfast, When We Are Married 1991 Bardic Theatre Group, The Field 1992 Newpoint Players, Marat-Sade 1993 Bardic Theatre Group, The Miser 1994 Newpoint Players, Waiting for Godot 1995 Holywood Players, Amadeus 1996 Sundrive Players, Dublin, The Mai 1997 Holywood Players, The Cherry Orchard 1998 Sundrive Players, Dublin, Fathers and Sons 1999 Holywood Players, Lettice and Lovage 2000 Castleblayney Players, At the Black Pig’s Dyke Bart Players, Rumours, 2016. Bart Players from Belfast have won 2001 Ballymoney Literary and Debating Society, Last of the Red Hot Lovers the Premier Award on six occasions. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection 2002 Sundrive Players, Dublin, Living Quarters 2003 Newpoint Players, Trojan Women 2004 Newpoint Players, Portia Coughlan 2005 Dundalk Theatre Workshop, I’m Not Rappaport 2006 Newpoint Players, Murder in the Cathedral 2007 Holywood Players, A Woman Of No Importance 2008 Dundalk Theatre Workshop, Les Liaisons Dangereuses 2009 Balally Players, The Great Hunger 2010 Silken Thomas Players, The History Boys 2011 The Palace Players, Doubt 2012 Rosemary Drama Group, When We Are Married 2013 Silken Thomas Players, Mercury Fur 2014 Prosperous Dramatic Society, Boeing Boeing 2015 Bunclody/Kilmyshall, Stolen Child 2016 Dundalk Theatre Workshop, Glengarry Glenross 2017 Bunclody/Kilmyshall, Agnes of God Lifford Players, A Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocer’s Assistant, 2016. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection In 2004 Newry Drama Festival in partnership with Newry and Mourne District Council were invited to host the 52nd All Ireland Confined Drama Finals. The event was held in Warrenpoint Town Hall, attracting full houses for the nine nights of the Finals.
Under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland, the nine productions in the Finals were whittled down from one hundred and fifty competitive performances by thirty-eight groups at thirty-four drama festivals around Ireland.
The Finals were adjudicated by Michael Twomey. Involved in all aspects of theatre from pantomime to Shakespeare for well over half a century, he won many awards for acting and directing during an extensive and versatile theatrical career.
The winners, awarded the Clare Galway Perpetual Trophy were Silken Thomas Players, Kildare for their production of Bent by Adjudicator Michael Twomey. With over thirty years’ experience Martin Sherman. The group also made history by being the first as an adjudicator, he was a founder member of the Association of Drama Adjudicators. group to stage two plays in the same final. Newry and Mourne Museum Collections
The Finals were a resounding success and are still being talked about all over Ireland.
Poster showing the nine finalists’ productions. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection
Poster for the All-Ireland Drama Finals in Warrenpoint. While the open finals have remained in Athlone since the beginning of the Festival Circuit in 1953, the confined finals have rotated around the Provinces since the early 1980s. Newry and Mourne Museum Collection Design: [email protected]