A Doll’s House

Playwright:  Henrik Ibsen.

Director:  Mary Linehan.

Details:  A Doll’s House was first staged 143 years ago in Norway in

1879. It is a play-text that is prescribed material for study by students

in the Irish secondary school system in the Leaving Certificate English

course (at both levels H and O) in June 2023 (Main Text).

Links:  Information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Doll%27s_House

Full Text: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2542/2542-h/2542-h.htm

Synopsis:  It centres on a few days during the life of Nora Helmer,

who seems to be a child-like, frivolous wife to the serious Torvald.

But we discover that this is a front, and Nora is caught in a very harsh

dilemma which she cannot reveal to anyone. The dilemma is imposed

due to the strict, sexist laws of the patriarchy. Nora makes a bold

decision at the end – and one that would have been shocking and

somewhat unthinkable at the time.

Rehearsals:  Tuesdays 6.30pm – 9.00pm. 

Fridays 6.30pm – 9.00pm 

Sundays 2.00pm to 5.00pm 

Starting on Tuesday, 13th September.

Auditions:  Sunday, September 11th, 2022 from 2.00pm – 4.00pm / Crooked House Studio.

Participants will be divided into groups and given a very short scene in the play to work on. They will then present a rough draft of the scene for each other. We will change readers and play around with the scene. Preparation for the audition will be to have read the full play beforehand.

Online auditions:  For those people abroad or not able to be here in person, auditions will be digital. You will be sent a short monologue

in English from one of the main characters. You will become familiar with the monologue, and then record yourself on your phone (or camera) performing it. Send the completed video file, along with your name and date of birth, to info@crookedhouse.ie before Saturday, 11th September 2022.

Performances: A Doll’s House is set in Norway during the Christmas holidays. We will perform it in January for local and schools’ audiences. You will need to take time out of school for two of the performances.

Dates:  Monday 16th January 10.00am – 5.00pm (get-in and set-up in Riverbank / only tech crew / whoever is available in cast can help)

Tuesday, 17th January 12.00pm and 7.00pm (performances)

Wednesday, 18th January 12.00pm and 7.00pm (performances)

Casting:  Some roles will be shared by 2 actors (1 actor performs in the first show, the other actor performs in the second show, etc)

This project will suit an older cast (aged approximately 16 to 30). Adults not already vetted should be willing to be Garda vetted (we will do this for you). International volunteers also may audition. This project would be useful to anyone studying English for Leaving Cert in 2023.

There are 3 roles for children (which will be cast from the Oberon workshop) and do not need to be auditioned. They appear very little in the play. We welcome anyone from outside Kildare Youth Theatre to audition. We welcome auditions from young people who are from ethnic minority groups, who are black or Asian, and who are gender fluid.

Apply to audition:   Fill in this form  before Sunday, 4th September. The earlier you apply the sooner you will be sent the audition material.

 

 

Philadelphia, Here I Come!

Playwright:  Brian Friel.

Director: Anna Galligan.

Details:  Philadelphia, Here I Come!  was first

staged 58 years ago in Dublin in 1964.

It is a play-text that is prescribed material for study

by students in the Irish secondary school system

in the Leaving Certificate English course (at

Ordinary level) in June 2023 and June 2024.

Synopsis:  Philadelphia, Here I Come! centres

around Gareth (Gar) O'Donnell's move to America,

specifically Philadelphia. The play takes place on

the night before Gar's departure to America. Gar

is portrayed by two characters, Gar Public ("the

Gar that people see, talk to, talk about") and Gar

Private ("the unseen man, the man within, the conscience"). Gareth lives with his father, S. B. O'Donnell ("a responsible, respectable citizen") with whom he has never connected, and the housekeeper, Madge

Links:  Information           Full Text           Notes and Analysis            Film version 

Characters:  See this list and character synopsis.

Rehearsals:  Saturdays, 3.00pm to 6.00pm [In Crooked House] from 1st October. There may be additional rehearsals on Tuesdays or Thursdays. This will be decided before the play is cast (so that you will have the information in advance)

Auditions:  Sunday, September 18th, 2022 / 2.00pm – 4.00pm / Crooked House. Participants will be divided into groups and given a very short scene in the play to work on. They will then present a rough draft of the scene for each other. We will change readers and play around with the scene. Preparation for the audition will be to have read the full play beforehand.

Online auditions:  For those people abroad or not able to be here in person, auditions will be digital. You will be sent a short monologue in English from one of the main characters. You will become familiar with the monologue, and then record yourself on your phone (or camera) performing it. Send the completed video file, along with your name and date of birth, to info@crookedhouse.ie before Saturday, 17th September 2022.

Performances:  We will perform it in February 2023 for local and schools’ audiences. You will need to take time out of school for two of the performances.

Dates:  All dates and times need to be confirmed. We are negotiating with Riverbank at present and looking at February / March 2023.

Casting:  Some roles will be shared by 2 actors (1 actor performs in the first show, the other actor performs in the second show, etc)

This project will suit an older cast aged approximately 16 to 35). Adults not already vetted should be willing to be Garda vetted (we will do this for you). This project would be useful to anyone studying English for Leaving Cert in 2023 and in 2024. We welcome anyone from outside Kildare Youth Theatre to audition. We welcome auditions from young people of any ethnicity or gender. We welcome international volunteers of Crooked House to audition.

Apply to audition:  Fill in this form online. The earlier you apply the sooner you will be sent the audition material.

 

 

Hamlet

Playwright: William Shakespeare

Director: Peter Hussey

Details: Hamlet was written around 1600 (422

years ago). It is a play-text that is prescribed

material for study by students in the Irish

secondary school system in the Leaving

Certificate English course (at Higher and Ordinary

level) in June 2024.

Links: Information

           Full Text and translation         

           Kildare Youth Theatre film version                                    

Synopsis:  The ghost of the King of Denmark

tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by

killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns

madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks

revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also

devises plots to kill Hamlet. The play is one of the

Western World’s highest achievements in art,

exploring fundamentalism, the clash between classical and Christian values, and what it means to be human.                  

Characters:  See this list and character synopsis.

Rehearsals:  Wednesdays from 6.00pm to 8.30pm and Sundays from 1.00pm to 4.00pm. A schedule will be drawn up beforehand so performers will not need to be there every rehearsal – only for the scenes being rehearsed.

Auditions:  Sunday, 2nd October 2022, 2.00pm – 4.00pm / Crooked House. Participants will be divided into groups and given a very short scene in the play to work on. They will then present a rough draft of the scene for each other. We will change readers and play around with the scene. Preparation for the audition will be to have read the full play beforehand.

Online auditions:   For those people abroad or not able to be here in person, auditions will be digital. You will choose a 2-minute monologue in English from one of the main characters. You will become familiar with the monologue, and then record yourself on your phone (or camera) performing it. Send the completed video file, along with your name and date of birth, to info@crookedhouse.ie before Saturday, 24th September 2022.

Performances:  We will perform it in May 2023 for local and schools’ audiences. You will need to take time out of school for two of the performances.

Dates:  Tuesday, 2nd May 7.00pm / Wednesday, 3rd May 11.00am and 7.00pm / Thursday, 4th May 12.00pm and 7.00pm

Casting: Some roles will be shared by 2 actors (1 actor performs in the first show, the other actor performs in the second show, etc).

This project would be useful to anyone studying English for Leaving Cert in 2024.

We welcome anyone from outside Kildare Youth Theatre to audition. We welcome auditions from young people of any ethnicity or gender.

We welcome international volunteers of Crooked House to audition. 

Apply to audition:  Fill in this form online

 

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National Thetare Connections 

Playwright:  To be selected in November 2022

Director:  Oğuzhan Şahin

Details:  Since 2002 Kildare Youth Theatre has taken

part in this festival of youth theatres run by the UK

National Theatre (NT) in London. Each year the NT

commissions ten new plays from established writers and

offers them to over 300 youth theatres and schools

around Britain and Ireland to perform. Kildare Youth

Theatre has performed over 30 of the new plays since

2002, including brand new work by Mark Ravenhill,

Enda Walsh, Lisa McGee, Denis Kelly, Jon Fosse, and

Nancy Harris. Every July, just ten of the 200+ youth

theatres are selected to perform their play in the South

Bank in London’s West End and four times, KYT has

been selected to stage their play in The National Theatre

(in 2003, 2008, 2015 and 2019).

Link:  Information            

Rehearsals:  Rehearsals for Connections will begin in October and will be on Sundays from 4.00pm to 7.00pm. The play is staged locally from 30th March to 1st April 2023 (in Riverbank) and feedback is given by a director from London’s NT. Then it travels to be staged in the Lyric Theatre in Belfast in April.

Auditions:  Sunday, September 25th, 2022 / 4.30pm – 6.00pm / Crooked House Studio. Participants will be divided into groups and given a very short scene in the play to work on. They will then present a rough draft of the scene for each other. We will change readers and play around with the scene. Preparation for the audition will be to have read the full play beforehand.

Online auditions:   For those people abroad or not able to be here in person, auditions will be digital. You will be sent a short 2-minute contemporary monologue in English from any play of your choice. You will become familiar with the monologue, and then record yourself on your phone (or camera) performing it. Choose your own monologue. Send the completed video file, along with your name and date of birth, to oguzhan@crookedhouse.ie before Saturday, 24th September 2022.

Backstage Roles:    There are roles for young people who would like to become musicians, stage managers, sound and lighting technicians, designers, props and costume managers, and a host of other technical roles, all of which you just sign up for.  Many of these roles will be filled by international volunteers. Some roles may be shared by 2 actors (1 actor performs in the first show, the other actor performs in the second show, etc)

Cast: Connections performance roles are available only for young people aged 13 to 19. We welcome applications from any young person of any ethnicity, gender and background. You do not need to be a member of Kildare Youth Theatre in order to audition. If successful you will be registered as a member of the youth theatre (which is free).

Apply to audition:  Fill in this form online:

 

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The Indigo Collective

Director:  Peter Hussey

Associated Artists:   Petro Rusanienko (theatre

and film), and Ola Al Mamlouk (film maker).

Details:  The Indigo Collective is a new film and

theatre-making project for LGBTQI+ young

people, people of all genders, and their allies and

friends. It is for young people aged 15 to 25.

We will meet once per week to develop a

performance ensemble. The ensemble will create

pieces of theatre and a short film that will be

staged and shown in June 2023. The theatre

pieces and the film will reflect the experiences,

concerns and opinions of LGBTQI+ people and

their allies/friends.

Dates: Meeting every Friday from 7.00pm to

9.00pm in Crooked House, starting 21st October.

Touring:  The play(s) will be staged in Newbridge

as part of Pride Month 2023 in Riverbank on

6th June, and for an international youth

exchange called ‘Prism’ to be held in Ireland.

The plan will be to then stage the play during the

summer 2023, in small theatres in Kilcullen, Prosperous, Athy, Ballitore, Kildare and Monasterevin.   

Ensemble / Age:  The project is for young people aged 15+ who identify as LGBTQI+ and for their allies/friends of any gender or orientation. You do not need to audition.

Apply:  Fill in this form before Friday 30th September. There will be a short interview / meeting online on Saturday 8th October (after school/college and at a time that suits you). The interview will be how you are selected to take part. All applicants will be informed on or before Thursday 13th October by email if they have been selected or not.

 

 

The Anemoia Project

Director:  Peter Hussey

Associated Artists:

   Sebastian Harcombe (Theatre-maker)

   Mustafa Kayabasi (theatre-maker)

Details:  The Anemoia Project will bring together 10 -16

participants. It will suit mostly young men although it is open

to young women too and people of all genders. We encourage

participants to apply who have migrant origins or be from

ethnically diverse backgrounds, and others will be interested

in physical performance. They will be joined by 4 young artists

from different cultures who are living in Ireland. They will

work together to devise a piece of theatre 60 minutes long.

This project is funded by the Young Ensembles Scheme of 

the Arts Council of Ireland.

 

The new work will explore the themes of:

(1) making masculinities (what is means to be male / a man)

(2) belonging to more than one culture.

It aims to explore the question “How do we merge our

non-Irish heritage with our lived Irish experience to broaden

the definition of Irishness?”

 

The young artists and ensemble will have masterclasses and

workshops throughout the project with established older artists.

They will act as mentors for the younger artists.

 

Touring:  The work will travel to the For / With / By Festival of

Youth Theatre in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, in the UK in

July 2023. It will also, hopefully, travel to other destinations

abroad. 

Style:  There will be an emphasis on, and training in, physicality and movement, as well as in devising scenes and moments. We will also explore verbatim technique through various methods taught by UK theatre maker and actor trainer Sebastian Harcombe.

Dates:  Meeting every Sunday from 4.30pm to 6.30pm in Crooked House, starting Sunday, 9th October.

There will also be some ‘block days’ when the visiting artists from abroad (Mustafa Kayabasi and Sebastian Harcombe) can work with the ensemble for two or three days. These will be negotiated with the ensemble.

Ensemble: The ensemble will consist of 10 – 16 (mostly) males who will work as theatre-makers. There will be an additional 4 young people (of any gender) who will take part as theatre-makers but who will have an extra role. These 4 will be trained as directors. They will be from our Acting for Inclusion programme.

Age:  The project is for 10 – 16 young people aged 16 to 30. People aged over 18 may have to be garda vetted before we start (this is not a problem and can be done relatively quickly). It is also for 4 young people of any gender aged 21 to 30 who wish to train as directors. Both groups will work together.

Apply: Fill in this form before Friday, 23rd September. There will be a short interview / meeting online on Wednesday 28th (after school/college and at a time that suits you). The interview will be how you are selected to take part. All applicants will be informed on Thursday 29th by email if they have been selected or not.

 

 

Dréimire

 

Director:  Peter Hussey

Associated Artists:

Jerry Iwu (Acting Coach),

Georgina Kakoudaki (Acting Coach),

Sebastian Harcombe (Acting Coach), and

Rob Salmon (Acting Coach).

 

Click to go to the Dréimire Website: 

 

Details:         

The Dréimire Project is a unique Crooked

House Theatre Company initiative open to

Kildare Youth Theatre members, and

others, which offers intensive support to

young actors who wish to study theatre

abroad. 

 

The process of auditioning for a place at a

recognised drama school is quite arduous.

Some schools can have between 3,500

and 6,000 young people aged 17 to 25

(approximately) audition for one of 16 (or 27) places on their BA in Acting. 

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The Dréimire programme consists of:

(1) a Young Actor’s School on Saturday mornings;

(2) Individual weekly monologue work with an Acting Coach online;

(3) Participation in 4 workshops with The Lir Academy in Dublin.

 

The Dréimire programme is intended for those from socioeconomically challenged or disadvantaged communities; young people living in rural communities; ethnic minorities; Eastern European; black, Asian or Philippine young people; anyone from the Global South living in Ireland; and any member of Kildare Youth Theatre.

 

​Successes

Crooked House and the Dréimire Project have successfully helped young people gain places in the world’s top university acting degrees in RADA (London), Central (London), The Lir Academy (Dublin), LAMDA (London), Guildhall (London), Bristol Old Vic (Bristol), Rose Bruford (London) and onto several PLC courses in Ireland.

 

Dates

The Young Actors’ School starts on Saturday, 17th September. If you miss the start date and deadline, you can still apply, and join in, any time up until the end of October.

 

Saturday School

Dréimire Project: Young Actors’ School

Every Saturday morning from 10.00am – 2.00pm

 

10.00 – 11.00am: Voice work (tutor to be confirmed)

11.00am – 11.15am: Break

11.15am – 12.30pm: Movement and group creativity work including improvisation (Peter Hussey and various tutors)

12.30pm – 12.45pm: Break.

12.45pm – 2.00pm: Audition and Monologue work (Peter Hussey and other tutors to be confirmed)

 

The Lir Workshops

These will be in groups and will be with staff and tutors from The Lir Academy in Dublin. Dates and times to be confirmed.

 

Apply

If you are interested in and serious about auditioning for acting training, then you need to be on this programme. Those still in school should consider it part of their Leaving Cert (in Acting) and give it the same time and importance. Fill out this Google Form

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Costs

This programme is free to all who are accepted onto it. There will also be help with audition costs for those who need it.

 

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Filmmaking Programme

Facilitators:              

Sancar Çalışkan, Mirna Alhelo, Ola Al Mamlouk, and 

Mohammad Farajalla.                                                                 

Dates:                        

Every Thursday from 5.00pm to 7.00pm

Ages: For 14 to 21-year olds

Details:  This programme is suitable for any young

person aged 14 to 20 who wants to learn about

filmmaking. (For younger members aged 11 to 14 

there will be special, occasional workshops in

mid-term breaks and holidays for which you can

sign up closer to the time). It will be participially

suitable for anyone who wants to go create a portfolio

or gain experience before going to a PLC or third level

college for film making or editing courses.

                            

The programme will introduce participants to filming

and editing, before moving on to assisting the group to create their own shots, scenes and eventually films.

                                   

The group will learn how to document workshops and shows, and how to record interviews and make short documentary films. Towards the end of the year they will collaborate to make a creative short movie.

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Apply:  Fill in this form before Friday, 14th October. The project aims to begin on 26th October.

 

 

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