Curtain comes down after another great year for Strabane festival

The curtain fell on another successful Strabane Drama Festival on Saturday as the 39th annual celebration of amateur drama drew to a close at the Alley Theatre.

Over nine nights, theatre enthusiasts were treated to a diverse selection of exciting and largely new productions.

Groups including Bradan Players, Rosemary Drama Group, Bart Players, Theatre 3 Newtownabbey, and Slemish Players took to the stage, presenting works such as Lennox Robinson’s ‘The White Headed Boy,’ Ivan Menchell’s ‘The Cemetery Club,’ David Ireland’s ‘Ulster American,’ and two plays by Conor McPherson – ‘The Weir’ and ‘The Night Alive.’

Adjudicator Aodh McCay ADA announced the festival’s winners following Saturday’s final performance. Dublin-based Bradan Players emerged as the standout winners in the Open section, securing the Premier Award for Best Open Play with their production of ‘Little Gem.’

The play, which explores life’s tribulations through the eyes of three generations of Dublin
women, also earned awards for Best Director, Best Actress, and the Strabane Chronicle Audience Award.

Runners-up in the Open category were Balally Players with their
production of ‘Ulster American,’ which also won Best Actor and
Best Staging. Slemish Players
took third place with ‘The Night Alive.’

In the Confined section, County Mayo’s Upstage Players triumphed with their production of ‘The Weir,’ securing their place in the All-Ireland Confined Finals. Castleblayney Players were runners-up with ‘The Woodsman,’ also winning Best Lighting and Best Supporting Actor for Andy Spiers.

Additional awards included Best Supporting Actress for Stephanie Leeman of Rosemary Drama Group, Best Character Actor for Iryna Kennedy, and the ‘Best Moment in Theatre’ award for Pomeroy Players’ ‘The Dry House.’

Festival Director Ciara McCay praised this year’s productions, highlighting the “extremely high and, most importantly, very entertaining” standard of performances at the festival, which remains the longest-running arts event in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area.