Ballyduff is a bastion of amateur theatre in Co Waterford
Ger Canning of Ballyduff Drama Group.
Ballyduff is a small place with a big reputation in the world of amateur drama. The village, located on the river Blackwater, near the town of Lismore, is home to Ballyduff Drama Group, which also hosts the West Waterford Drama Festival. The village has had a tradition of amateur drama since 1945 when St Michael’s Hall opened as a community venue.
Last year, the group won the perpetual trophy at the prestigious All-Ireland Drama Festival in Athlone for its production of the Pulitzer-winning play Rabbit Hole by American playwright David Lindsay-Abaire. It was a moment to savour for long-time member Ger Canning, who also won best director at the event.
“I’m at it for a long time now, it wasn’t before my turn, believe me,” she laughs.
The opportunity to perform Rabbit Hole at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin last summer was a highlight for all involved. “That was the pinnacle, it was incredible. It was just so lovely to go up there and live in Dublin for four days and do what the professionals do, go in and out to the theatre every day….it was a great privilege.”
Canning, a Cork native, moved to the Ballyduff area after marrying the late Bill Canning, who was a driving force in the drama group. While she taught and Bill farmed, theatre was a rich seam running through their lives.
“You get a lot back from it. It’s enormous hard work but it becomes kind of your life — other people play golf, I’m into the theatre,” she says.
The group has covered all the greats of Irish drama from Yeats, O’Casey, Synge, and Lady Gregory to John B Keane, but also has a history of staging lesser known, more experimental work. Their latest production, The Welkin, is an Irish premiere. Described as a feminist twist on Twelve Angry Men, explores the misogyny and violence faced by women in the 18th century, with some time-shifting twists. Written by British playwright Lucy Kirkwood, author of the acclaimed Chimerica, it has been adapted for an Irish setting.
“Lucy Kirkwood questions how much has changed and are men still making decisions for us, have we progressed enough? The debate around that in rehearsals has been extraordinary,” says Canning.
She says putting on the production is a “mammoth task” and is very much a team effort. She is keen to give credit to all of those involved, listing everyone from the set builder to the stage manager, sound designer to the cast. The bonds of camaraderie and friendship are a huge element of what they do, she says.
“The leading actress of last year’s play, Gráinne Barry, is having a baby this year so she couldn’t take part but she is down beside me every night assisting. Then you have John Stack who was also in a lead role last year, and he is back doing the sound this year. I love that, that people get involved in other ways, you don’t always have to be the lead actor or actress.”
When Bill sadly died just over two decades ago, Ger stepped back from the group for a while. “Thankfully, I plucked up the courage to get into it again and it has been great.” The couple’s daughter Kate has carried on the family tradition professionally, as artistic director with the Mill Theatre in Dublin.
Ger moved from Ballyduff to Fermoy five years ago but the drama group keeps her very much rooted in the community. It draws from areas all around Ballyduff, from counties Cork to Tipperary.
“This year, we have people from all over. We have a lovely bunch of people who joined us from Mallow, and a big group from Lismore.”
Ger’s interest in the theatre and the arts extends beyond the personal to the professional. She recently retired from her job with the Cork Education and Training Board, where she developed an arts and education strategy. She also brings her ‘arts for all’ philosophy into her role as director — she never auditions actors.
“I take anyone that comes, provided there is a part there. I would never have four people auditioning for the same part. In my early days, a lot of my work was with kids, and I could never do it with a child, that they would come and not be taken. There is space for everyone. Not everyone is going to have the same ability, but once you have the commitment and the trust that is built up within the group, something will develop and everyone prospers.”
- The Welkin is on in St Michael’s Hall, Ballyduff, Co Waterford on Feb 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, and 26. Booking on 058-60456
