RTÉ ALL-IRELAND DRAMA FESTIVAL WINNERS ANNOUNCED DURING GALA AWARDS STREAMED LIVE ON RTE.IE/CULTURE

Ballyduff Drama Group from Co. Waterford Scoops Top Award in 2025 RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival 

Ballyduff Drama Group, directed by Ger Canning, were crowned RTÉ All-Ireland Drama champions for their performance of ‘The Blackwater Lightship’ by Colm Tóibín, adapted for stage by David Horan, at the Gala Awards ceremony in Athlone’s Radisson Blu Hotel on Saturday 17th May, hosted by Nuala Carey and Simon Delaney, as the curtains came down on the 2025 RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival. The festival is held under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland (ADCI).

Balally Players, directed by Declan Rudden, who performed ‘Ulster American’ by David Ireland, were placed second, and, Bridge Drama, directed by Susan Somers, who performed ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ based on the novel by Mark Haddon and adapted by Simon Stephens, were placed third.

Mark O’Brien, Executive Director of the Abbey Theatre said they were delighted to continue the partnership with the festival. He announced that after much deliberation the winner of the Abbey Award for 2025 are Balally Players who presented ‘Ulster American’ and that the Abbey looked forward to hosting the group in the Peacock in a number of weeks.

There was great excitement when the results were announced. No strangers to Athlone, Ballyduff Drama Group has been performing on the 3 Act circuit for over forty years. During that time, they won the All-Ireland in 2004, and more recently this is their third time to win in four years (2022, 2024). ‘The Blackwater Lightship’ is set in 1990s Ireland and HIV/AIDS is still a terminal diagnosis. A sister, a mother and a grandmother, along with two friends, have come together to tend to 29-year-old Declan, who has the disease. Can this makeshift family unit face up to the illness and each other?

Director Ger Canning also won the Best Director award. In addition, Mary Colbert, playing Dora Devereux won the award for best actress, and Ronan Bennett as Larry took home the award for best actor in a supporting role. Ballyduff also won the award for best stage setting.

Other award winners

Other award winners included, Cillian Tobin, Bridge Drama, who took home the best actor award for his role as Christopher Boone in ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’. Catherine Stafford, Ballycogley Players, received the award for the best actress in a supporting role for her portrayal of Maggie in ‘Lend Me A Tenor’. The award for best stage management award went to Mary O’Connor, Bridge Drama, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ and the award for best stage lighting went to Mark Redmond, Bridge Drama. Emma Walsh, Brideview Drama Group, won the Adjudicator’s prize for Valerie’s speech in ‘The Weir’. The Drama League of Ireland (DLI) Summer School Scholarship went to Sarah Smith, Newpoint Players for her role as the dummy in ‘Ghetto’.

New Festival Director

New festival Director, Michael McGlone, remarked that it was a privilege for him to take on the role which comes with a massive responsibility to ensure the high standards are maintained and that finalists coming to Athlone have a rewarding experience. He thanked his committee for their contribution: “This year’s festival is extra special because thanks to the team in RTÉ our awards ceremony was live streamed by RTÉ. This will no doubt open up a whole new audience to the ceremony and remind everyone that amateur drama is going from strength to strength.”

Adjudicator Walker Ewart ADA

Adjudicator Walker Ewart has a wealth of experience in all aspects of amateur drama since the age of 14. He was awarded an O.B.E. for ‘services to education’ in 2012 on his retirement. He is fully aware of the efforts made by the huge team of volunteers in any production. He says he has basked in, and suffered, adjudications as an actor and director and understands the sensitivities of groups who have been preparing their work for many months. He deems it an honour to adjudicate his peers in any festival. It is, however, “a particular honour, and an awesome responsibility, to adjudicate Athlone for the third time”. During the week he pronounced to the audience that it was ‘a great day to be alive’ after seeing many of the performances.

Adjudicators comments on winners

Commenting on the play, Walker noted that Ballyduff Drama Group “presented a well-nigh perfect production of the Blackwater Lightship. A wonderful lived-in house, inhabited by a totally believable set of characters. The audience was drawn into the bewilderment and the tensions as the characters faced the unexpected and shocking news of the illness of a loved one. The acting was of a consistently high standard, in the majority of cases excellent portrayals. The friends who rallied round to help Declan in his suffering cared deeply for him. The final goodbye was a very moving piece of theatre. In the end, those of us who were privileged to look into this world cared for these characters. An unforgettable production.”

The plays featured in this year’s final included several amateur premieres, several adaptations for stage, a premiere of an Irish adaptation of a play. While Athlone basked in the sun, the festival audiences experienced many emotions ranging from laughing till their jaws hurt to being deeply moved and even shocked during the festival. They reported that the festival was of a particularly high standard. Excitement built over the festival in anticipation of the RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival Gala Awards which for the first time ever, were streamed live on RTÉ Culture.

ENDS

For information:

Majella O’Dea, RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival | majellaodea@gmail.com

Neil O’Gorman, Corporate Communications Manager, RTÉ | neil.ogorman@rte.ie

Award Categories:

RTÉ Perpetual Trophy to the Overall Winner – Ballyduff Drama Group who presented ‘The Blackwater Lightship’ by Colm Tóibín, adapted for stage by David Horan.

Best Director – Ger Canning, Ballyduff Drama Group

Best Actor – Cillian Tobin as Christopher Boone in ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’, Bridge Drama

Best Actress – Mary Colbert, as Dora Devereux in ‘The Blackwater Lightship’, Ballyduff Drama Group

Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Ronan Bennett as Larry in ‘The Blackwater Lightship’, Ballyduff Drama Group

Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Catherine Stafford as Maggie in ‘Lend Me A Tenor’, Ballycogley Players

Best Stage Management – Mary O’Connor, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’, Bridge Drama

Best Stage Lighting – Mark Redmond, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’, Bridge Drama

Best Stage Setting – ‘The Blackwater Lightship’, Ballyduff Drama Group

Adjudicator Award – Emma Walsh for Valerie’s speech in ‘The Weir’, Brideview Drama Group

Drama League of Ireland (DLI) Summer School Scholarship – Sarah Smith as Dummy in ‘Ghetto’, Newpoint Players

The Abbey Theatre Award – Balally Players who presented ‘Ulster American’