All The Way to Mars and Back by Eddie Naughton Directed by Anna Nugent

ALL THE WAY TO MARS AND BACK is about day in the life of a community where the endemic drug problem has become a way of life. It begins with the funeral of a drug addict and ends with yet more deaths.

In between, the play points up the sinister elements that has the community in a vice like grip; the unscrupulous drug baron, the uncaring, aspiring dealers, and the dangerous, pathetic addicts who do what they must to outlive each day.

Then there are the broken parents in the community whose way of life has been altered utterly by the fact that their drug dependent sons and daughters now look on them merely as a resource to get what they want to maintain their habit.

The play offers no answers but does ask questions.

CAST:

Amy Herbert as Laura

Stephen Kelly as Franner and Tommy

Laurence Lowry as Liam and Voice

Michael Mullen as Peter and Henchman

Paul Nugent as Bobo, Priest, Newscaster, Server and Det. Treahy

Fiana Toibin as Bernie, Marion and Teasie

This series was made with the support of the Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision scheme through the Television License Fee.

Still We Sing by Martina Collender Directed by Anna Nugent

Ghent, 1956, autumn. The play opens to find a small group of actors in rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet. We discover these play-actors are being led Nickolas Locke and they are rehearsing the play in brutal conditions, against all odds.

We discover this group of people have been torn from their homes, their lives, the livelihood, the identity, there dignity has been torn from them. Everything they have ever known has been ripped from them. The reason for this is the colour of the skin, there accents, where they come from, who they are, crimes they are accused of committing, none of the reasons make sense. None of these reasons are good enough. They are deeply distressed and confused by the way they are treated by the soldiers, who have come and are forcing them to live in a segregated area. The area they are living is very small, there is three building with no toilet facilities and is expected to be the home for over 1,000 people. If they were to leave they would shot. If they were to escape there is nowhere to go. There is limited food and is rationed out. Every morning they must attend a meeting led by the Commander, a man who has been chosen by the soldiers to deliver news, at these meetings they are told of news about rations, of new people arriving, of certain people expected to leave. This a source of constant worry as they never know what they will be told or not.

The soldiers who man the area, carry guns, and have fists as strong as steel, they aren’t afraid to use.

They characters in the play range from a few weeks old to 50 years old, each passing moment is ticking clock on their lives, each breath they take is bated with fear, each day is a new treat and still, they insist on rehearsing the play, still, the battle on against all odds.

CAST:

Paul Nugent as NICKOLAS LOCKE

Fiana Toibin as KATHERINE LOCKE and NEWSREADER

Iva Kevra as GRACE LOCK and NEWSREADER

Mark Anthony O’Rielly as SAMUEL LOCKE

Tim Casey as JONATHAN ILIC and GENERAL JODI

Ryan Roy as STEPHEN PETROVIC and TOMMY LOCKE

Emmanuel Okoye as ANDREW PETROVIC

John J. O’Hagan as JACK VENEZIA

Made with the support of the Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision scheme through the Television License Fee.

To The Bone by David Donavan Directed by Anna Nugent

To The Bone is a rural drama exploring the relationship between generations and changing attitudes. Jack is helping his father Bob on the family farm but longs for something more. He faces a crossroad as decisions need to be made and friendships are tested in his journey of self-discovery.

Laurence Lowry as Bob

Paul Nugent as Jack

Aoife Commons as Jess

Patrick de Monfort as Tom

Fiana Toibin as Mary

Made with the support of the Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision scheme through the Television License Fee.

Class of 2025 by Diandra Xavier Directed by Anna Nugent

Anisa Kapoor is on the brink of adulthood, juggling school pressure, family expectations, and the endless chatter of her virtual assistant. When she’s asked to give a graduation speech, she must choose between perfection and honesty.

Vivian Birungi as Anisa

Brigid Leahy as Alexa

Brian Robinson as Barista

Rebecca Rose Flynn as Eimear

Shruti Shandilya as Mum

Fiana Toibin as Redwood Principal

Made with the support of the Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision scheme through the Television License Fee.

Tenterhooks by John Morton Directed by Sarah Baxter

Tenterhooks is a darkly comic drama about two strangers, adrift in their lives who keep meeting in various suicide black spots over the course of a summer. Brid is a self-styled damsel in distress looking for a knight in shining armour to rescue her. She lives alone in a big house in the country and is searching for someone to take an interest in her life and connect with. Jimmy is a recently unemployed taxi driver who stakes out suicide spots looking for souls to rescue. He lives at home with his uncaring mother and abusive stepfather and is struggling to get a foothold on his life.

Both consistently bump into each other by chance but due to miscommunication, they struggle to create a bond. Eventually both of their lives take drastic turns for the worse as they both court death and their plights become more dire. With no help in sight, they are forced to cling to each other. But how long can either of them hang on for?

Pattie Maguire as Brid Darragh Feehely as Jimmy

Made with the support of the Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision scheme through the Television License Fee.

Home by Carol RooneyDirected by Anna Nugent

‘Home’ is a monologue play following three generations of a Dublin family during the first half of 2020.

Eileen a Clontarf native is enjoying every moment of retirement and all the social activity she can, her niece Niamh is heading into her 50’s and feels overwhelmed with her familial and work commitments and is concerned with her son Adam’s disinterest in the impending leaving certificate.

Eileen falls and is admitted to hospital, due to her injuries she is sent to convalesce in a nursing home and lockdown then ensues, her positive outlook dwindles over the months as she unable to leave. Niamhis still mourning the loss of her own parents from recent years and is unable to realise the reality of the struggles facing her aunt and son. Adam has recovered from childhood cancer and the loss of freedom and opportunity through lockdown impact heavily on his mental health.

Adam and Eileen share a bond not defined by age and in a time of intolerable anguish he assists her to make her own decision about her care.

Cast

Eileen - Helen Roache

Niamh - Fiona Browne

Adam - Adam Gallagher

Made with the support of the Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision scheme through the Television License Fee.

Young men, think twice before whipping out your spray paints after dark, hoping to have some fun at the expense of the defenseless dead in that old local cemetery near you.

Dead Platoon a new radio drama, written and produced by Berni Dwan, directed by Bairbre Ní Chaoimh, with sound tech by Declan McGlade, will convince you that this anti-social behaviour is not a good idea, so go kick a football instead. Let’s just say that nobody is ever as dead as they seem, and you don’t want to be disturbing their beauty sleep, do you?

Dead Platoon cast and crew – Front Row Left to Right: Ashleigh Dorrell (Becky), Hannah Brady (Felicity), Julie Crowe (Queenie). Middle Row Left to Right: Noni Stapleton (Norah), Bairbre Ní Chaoimh (Director). Back Row Left to Right: Declan McGlade (Sound Management), Hilda Fay (Tracey), Ben Waddell (Adam), Mark O’Regan (Angel Gabriel), Daniel Monaghan (Eamon, Michael James Ford (Major Rightpain)

Made with the support of Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision scheme through the Television License Fee, Dead Platoon can be heard on Friday, July 18th at 7pm.

Written and produced by Berni Dwan and directed by Cian O’Náraigh, The Moth Hour is a dramatic case of female personality, resilience, strength of character and adaptability kicking in when the safety of daylight is replaced by something darker than dark. All told by one character at three key stages of her life – before, during and after the horror, The Moth Hour will make you think twice about visiting your local park at that half dark, half-light, time of evening.

Recording and sound design by Declan McGlade.

Made with the support of Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision scheme through the Television License Fee, The Moth Hour first TX was on Friday, May 9th at 7pm.