MOUNTMELLICK
DRAMA GROUP
Mountmellick Drama Group started life as Mountmellick Pioneers way back in 1979. Founded on the instigation of the then spiritual director of the P.T.A.A. Fr Flemming, it was even then unique in that it was formed to bring drama enthusiasts both from within the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association into collaboration with non-pioneers to develop and nurture socializing through the medium of amateur theatre.
It proved a hugely successful venture with the first production, The Rain at the End of the Summer, by J.B. Keane taking to the boards in the concert hall in St Mary’s College in the spring of 1980. The group presented full length plays right throughout the eighties and nineties presenting a huge variety of Irish and internationally authored productions. Our ambition knew no bounds with everything from Irish stalwarts by Friel, Leonard and Louis D’Alton, to English farce by Ayckbourn to US classics like Miller’s All My sons. The involvement with the then fledgling Laois Drama Association helped to build a solid following and a knowledgeable audience in Mountmellick for all things dramatic.
Over the years the Drama Group has had in excess of 150 members who have worked both on and off stage in productions and festivals. We have had productions from ten different directors and continue to provide an outlet for anyone in the community with a bent for performance or stage craft.