Summer Theatre Production 2018
Roland Dickerby runs a health farm with his wife Julia, bought with the proceeds of a hefty insurance payout on the demise of Julia’s first husband, Sidney. Life isn’t easy for Roland and today Fate has something extra special in store for him: Sidney has decided to resurrect himself and turns up at the farm, just as Vanessa, the wife of Roland’s ex-boss from the Kindly Mutual, checks in for a health-giving visit. A fast, furious and frantic farce — Samuel French.
Full Length Festival Production 2018
Our festival play was Henrik Ibsen’s John Gabriel Borkman in a translation by Nicholas Wright, directed by Frances Hastie.
It played at Belvoir Players’ Studio Theatre on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 February, 2018 and at the following Festivals — Larne (Monday 5 March), Ballymoney (Friday 9 March), Newtownabbey (Thursday 15 March), Portadown (Friday 16 March) and Newry (Friday 23 March).
John Gabriel Borkman, a former ‘pillar of the community’ has been in voluntary seclusion in an upstairs room since enduring a prison sentence for embezzlement. His wife, her twin sister, his son and even Borkman himself are all trapped in the suffocating atmosphere of this claustrophobic household.
Larne Drama Festival
John Gabriel Borkman took second place overall and Jackie Wilson, as Ella Rentheim, won the Mary Hewlett Trophy for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. Stephen Connolly, playing John Gabriel Borkman, and Des Loughridge, as Vilhelm Foldal, were nominated for best actor and best supporting actor respectively as was Dorothy Wiley for costume design.
Ballymoney Drama Festival
Our production took third place and Jackie received the Dalriada Cup for Best Actress. Alan Marshall won the O’Cahan Cup for Decor and Drew McConnell, Paul Parkhill and Rosamund Monteith were awarded the Malachy McLaughlin Cup for Stage Lighting. Included in the nominations were Frances Hastie, for direction, Stephen for best actor and Des for best supporting actor.
Newtownabbey Drama Festival
Our production of John Gabriel Borkman took the Newtownabbey Drama Festival Trophy for the Overall Winning Team. Shaunagh McKirgan, as Gunhild Borkman, and Des Loughridge, as Vilhelm Foldal, were awarded the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor trophies respectively. Alan Marshall took the award for Best Set Design. We were also nominated for Best Director (Frances Hastie), Adjudicator’s Award (costumes), Best Actress (Jackie), Best Actor (Stephen), Best Supporting Actress (Lorraine Stevenson,as Malene), Technical Merit and Decor.
Portadown Drama Festival
Congratulations to Shaunagh McKirgan, as Gunhild Borkman, on winning the Mandeville Cup for Best Actress. There were nominations for Stephen (Best Actor), Frances (for interpretation of a straight play and Best Producer), Stage Presentation and Lighting.
Newry Drama Festival
As runners-up our production of John Gabriel Borkman was awarded The Lions Cup and the Owen Mooney Cup for Most Ambitious Choice. Frances Hastie won the Sean Hollywood Cup as Best Director and Stephen Connolly, playing John Gabriel Borkman, took the Ardmore Cup for Best Actor.
Ulster Drama Festival 2018
WE WON! The Clarence Players took the Premier Challenge Cup at the Ulster Drama Festival on Saturday night with their production of John Gabriel Borkman. As Best Director Frances Hastie was awarded the Belfast Newsletter Cup and Andrea Brown (Mrs Gunhild Borkman, right above) and Jackie Wilson (Ella Rentheim, left above) shared the UTV Hubert Wilmot Award for Best Actress. Newcomer, Amanda Rankin (Frida Foldal, right below) walked away with the Colin Blakely Award as the most promising young player and Alan Marshall gained The Friers Award for Best Decor.
Stephen Connolly (John Gabriel Borkman) was nominated for Best Actor.
One Act Festival Production 2017
Our production was Commencing by Jane Shepard, directed by Des Loughridge and featured Nicky Allister and Andrea Brown.
It played at the following One Act Festivals — Belfast on Saturday 28 October, Newtownabbey and Bangor on Thursday 2 and Thursday 9 November, 2017.
Nicky and Andrea shared the best Actress Award at Newtownabbey Festival.
Summer Theatre Production 2017
A devastating revelation leads to a series of hilarious situations as best friends, Pete and George, try to find a way out of their desperate plight without upsetting either of Pete’s wives or his second wife’s powerful mother.
Full Length Festival Production 2017
Our festival production was Marina Carr’s The Mai, directed by guest director Carole Stewart.
It had its first outing at the Belvoir Players’ Studio Theatre on Friday and Saturday 24th & 25th of February.
Subsequently it was seen at the following festivals: Ballymoney (Tuesday7th March), Larne (Thursday 9th March), Portadown (Friday 10th March), Newtownabbey (Tuesday 14th March), Bangor (Wednesday 22nd March) and Newry (Friday 24th March).
An accomplished, beautiful forty-year-old woman, The Mai has always sought an exceptional life. Robert, her cellist husband, has always felt stifled by The Mai’s ideals of perfection. After seventeen years he leaves her, whereupon she sets about building a dream house in the hope that he will one day return to her.
Ballymoney Festival
Overall we came second and director Carole Stewart took the Vin Smith Memorial Trophy for Best Director and cast members Heidi McKee and Shaunagh McKirgan received the Dalriada Cup for Best Actress and the Tom Dale Trophy for Best Supporting Actress respectively. Dorothy Wiley who was shortlisted for Best Actress received a certificate.
Larne Festival
Carole Stewart won her second award for direction, the Major Williamson Memorial Trophy, while the Elizabethan Coronation Trophy for Best Actress went to Dorothy Wiley and the Frank Davidson Trophy for Best Supporting Actor was awarded to Roger Jennings. The company also took the Alex Tyrrell Memorial Trophy for stage lighting and the Jaques Trophy for the Best Moment of Theatre. Oh, and we were second, again!
Newtownabbey Festival
The company took the Festival Trophy as overall winners and director Carole Stewart came away with the Best Producer’s award. We also lifted two presentation awards — the Chimney Corner Trophy for Best Set Design and the Newtownabbey Advertiser Technical Merit Trophy.
There were also a number of nominations — Best Actress (Jackie Wilson), Best Actor (Roger Jennings), Best Supporting Actress (Dorothy Wiley) and Rowell Friers Certficate for Best Decor (Alan Marshall).
Bangor Festival
Another first and another Best Director award for Carole Stewart. Heidi McKee and Shaunagh McKirgan received the awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively. Jackie Wilson, Dorothy Wiley and Roger Jennings were nominated for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Actor respectively.
Newry Festival
Congratulations to Shaunagh McKirgan on her Best Supporting Actress award and to Dorothy Wiley and Roger Jennings on their Best Actress and Best Actor nominations.
We qualified for the RTE All Ireland Drama Festival in the Deane Crowe Theatre, Athlone (Thursday 4 – Friday 12 May) and appeared on Friday 5 May.
We also qualified for the Ulster Drama Festival in The Theatre at the Mill, Newtownabbey (Monday 15 – Saturday 20 May) and took to the stage on Tuesday 16 May.
Ulster Drama Festival
The Clarence Players are now proud holders of the Premier Challenge Cup, having taken top honours at the Ulster Drama Festival. Director Carole Stewart lifted the Belfast Newsletter Cup as Best Director, Jackie Wilson took the UTV Hubert Wilmot Award as Best Actress for her portrayal of The Mai and Alan Marshall received the Friers Award for Best Decor. Heidi McKee (Millie), Dorothy Wiley (Grandma Fraochlan) and Shaunagh McKirgan (Julie) were nominated for the Richard Cochrane Award for Best Supporting Actress. Congratulations to everyone involved with the production.
One Act Festival Production 2016
Our One Act Festival production was Anton Chekov’s The Festivities, directed by Frances Hastie.
It took to the boards at the following festivals: Bangor (The Space, SERC, Thursday 27 October); Belfast (Belvoir Players’ Studio, Thursday 3 November) and Newtownabbey (Courtyard Theatre, Saturday 5 November).
This comedy tells of the fifteenth anniversary of the opening of a bank where the celebration soon turns to chaos.
Bangor Drama Festival
The company took the Abbey Press Cup for the Overall Winner and also the Tyrell Cup for Best Director (Frances Hastie) and the John A Lorimer Cup for Best Actor (Stephen Connolly). Tori Thompson was nominated for Best Actress.
Belfast Drama Festival
As well as taking second place overall we were awarded the Comedy Cup and Roger Jennings came out on top as Best Supporting Actor.
Newtownabbey Drama Festival
Director Frances Hastie took the Best Producer’s award and Stephen Connolly was nominated for Best Actor.
Northern Ireland One Act Final
The Festivities took to the boards once again for the Northern Ireland One Act Final on Saturday 28 January 2017, in the Belvoir Players’ Studio Theatre.
Congratulations to Dorothy Wiley and Roger Jennings on winning the Comedy Award at the One Act Finals.
Summer Theatre Production 2016
This year’s summer production was Beside The Seaside by Leslie Sands and was performed at:
Portrush Town Hall (Wednesday 3 to Saturday 6 August), Courtyard Theatre, Ballyearl (Saturday 20th August) and The Riverside Theatre, Coleraine (Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd September).
Full Length Production 2016
Our 2016 full length festival production was Jim Nolan’s Brighton, directed by Frances Hastie.
It was performed at the Belvoir Players’ Studio from Thursday 25 — Saturday 27 February and subseqently at the following festivals:
Ballymoney Festival on Thursday 3 March
City of Derry Festival on Wednesday 9 March
Larne Festival on Saturday 12 March
Portadown Festival on Monday 14 March
Newtownabbey Festival on Thursday 17 March
Bangor and Ards Festival on Monday 21 March, 2016.
Brighton celebrates friendship, hope and the resilience of the human spirit and centres on the characters of Lily, an elderly Irish woman and Fulham supporter who has spent all her working life in England working in the Civil Service, and former actor Jack Dunhill, just turned sixty, who has recently suffered an accident paralysing him from the waist down. The pair meet in the Sisters of Calvary Nursing Home in which Dave, a young care assistant, works.
Ballymoney Festival
As well as taking second place at Ballymoney we won the Lord Antrim Cup for Best Comedy and Dorothy Wiley lifted the Dalriada Cup for Best Actress. There were certificates for acting (Des Loughridge) and lighting.
City of Derry Festival
Congratulations to Dorothy Wiley on her Best Actress award.
Larne Festival
Dorothy Wiley and Des Loughridge were nominated for Best Actress and Best Actor awards.
Newtownabbey Festival
Congratulations to Alan Marshall on his Adjudicator’s Award for his set designs for four of the companies in the festival.
Dorothy Wiley, Des Loughridge and Carl Borrett were nominated for Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively. There was also a nomination for Best Moment of Theatre.
Bangor and Ards Festival
Congratulations to Dorothy Wiley on her third Best Actress Award. There were also nominations for Des Loughridge, Best Costume and Best Moment of Theatre.
One Act Festival Production 2015
Our 2015 one act festival production J H Davies’ In The Blinking Of An Eye (directed by Des Loughridge) featured at Newtownabbey and Bangor festivals on Friday 6 and Friday 13 November respectively.
Joyce and Madge share a picnic and reminisce about their younger years. Their lives are linked by their love for the same man.
Congratulations to Nicky Allister (Joyce) for winning the Adjudicator’s Award at Newtownabbey Festival and to Jackie Wilson (Madge) on her Best Actress nomination at Bangor Festival.
We tied with Theatre 3, Newtownabbey for the third play in the Northern Ireland One Act Finals.
The Clarence Players 