Ballymoney Drama Festival returns after Covid-enforced postponement

The majority of the plays selected for inclusion this year are comedies - from slapstick and farce to verbal and tragi-comedy. As always the Festival provides excellent value for money and the opportunity to experience outstanding theatrical productions in the heart of the local community.

Across the province, six of the most locally respected amateur dramatics groups are putting the finishing touches to the plays which will form the week-long programme of the 82nd Ballymoney Drama Festival.

Ballymoney Literary and Debating Society will open the Festival with Dear Lupin by Michael Simkins, a hilarious, yet touching, adult comedy about joy, regret and the unbreakable bond between a father and son.

On Tuesday 7, Rosemary Drama Group will stage Nigel Slater’s Toast by Henry Filloux-Bennett, an adaptation of Slater’s memoir which retains the infectious charm and disarming frankness of the original. This will be followed on Wednesday 8 by Bart Players' production of One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean, a play which contains an incredibly funny mix of slapstick, farce and verbal comedy.

Thursday will bring Theatre 3, Newtownabbey with The Price by Arthur Miller, a powerful and deeply moving play about family dynamics, the price of furniture and the price of one's decisions. On Friday Newpoint Players return with Happy Days by Samuel Beckett, an extraordinary absurdist tragicomedy, full of deadpan wit and linguistic invention. The final production on Saturday 11 will be Clarence Player’s with Last Tango In Derriaghy by David Tristram, a one-act comedy about how far an amateur dramatic society will go to sell tickets.

This year Ballymoney Festival is delighted to welcome Chris Jaeger as our adjudicator. Chris is a writer, musician, actor and director, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He adjudicates drama festivals all over Britain and beyond and has adjudicated many national finals. Chris is a senior member of the Guild of

Drama Adjudicators (GODA) and is currently its Chair.

He is delighted to be returning to Ballymoney having had such a warm welcome when he was last here adjudicating in 2017. Chris will give a short verbal adjudication each evening after the performance – a great way for audiences to learn more about the play and about the details that make a production successful.

All performances will be in Ballymoney Town Hall and start at 8pm, except on the Final Night when the play begins at 7:30 pm. Season tickets cost £50 (Concessions £45) and can be purchased from Ballymoney Town Hall between 10am-4pm on Friday and Saturday, February 24 and 25. Nightly tickets, which cost £12 (Concessions £10), can also be bought at the Town Hall daily between 10am and 4pm from Tuesday, February 28 or nightly at the Box Office during the Festival.

There are further reductions for school students and for group bookings. A synopsis of each play can be found on the Festival publicity material and more detailed information about the productions is available on the Festival Website: www.ballymoneydramafestival.com