stags and hens Category

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July 28, 2009 • devious theatre, kilkenny, liverpool, stags and hens, watergate theatre, willie russell

Church On Time: Stags and Hens Closes

The Devious Theatre Company wrapped Stags and Hens on Saturday night with a heavy, Red Bull accelerated heart. It was without a doubt my favourite production to work on so far in the three years of Devious Theatre. From an actors perspective, I never had as much fun working on a text. Probably because it was the first time I hadn’t written, adapted, rewritten or polished something. The cringe factor was out the window on this one. And it was great to take a well written and finely tuned piece of writing and apply the acting process to it. And also to bring something as colourful, fun and relevant as Stags and Hens to a Kilkenny audience was a real joy.

The cast were extremely tight knit and close in a way that none of our casts had been before. I don’t mean physically close although with that final scene in the hallway there’s definitely a case to by made. But the chemistry was great and it really helped the final product.

Anyway, it’s all done and dusted now and put to bed. We got some great feedback, great audiences and wonderful support from a lot of people. Ken has documented all of this in a blog he’s just written over on the website, which can be viewed right here.

With all bases covered, I want to say a personal thanks to an amazing cast of actors, a fantastic committed crew and a very special thanks to a wonderfully supportive and talented director in Kevin Mooney.

So until the next Devious Theatre production, tarar. And hey, we’re not done for 2009. Not by a long shot. Oh no. It is my dream to play a judge…

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July 17, 2009 • devious theatre, devious+theatre, kilkenny, stags and hens, watergate theatre, willy russell

The Big Day Approaches…

I’ve just posted a new blog about our final preparations leading into our upcoming production of Stags and Hens. You can find it here over on DeviousTheatre.com

I’ll post something a little bit more detailed leading into next week. Right now, everything is busy, busy, busy and it’s very exciting. By the by, the play runs in The Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny from July 21st – 25th. But don’t read about it here, everything you’d need to know and more is over on the website.

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July 8, 2009 • devious theatre, mycrofilms, stags and hens, trailer, watergate theatre, willy russell

Stags and Hens Trailer

This is the trailer for our upcoming production of Stags and Hens by Willy Russell. Cut to the strains of David Bowie’s classic ‘Modern Love’ it depicts the titular stags and hens engaging with the bathroom mirrors of the same nightclub they inhabit. And as you’ll see they engage with them in completely different ways.

We shot this trailer on the 21st June and it was one of the most fun shoots I’ve ever been part of. We had a blast getting into our costumes and just letting fly in front of the camera. From concept to blocking, we at Devious Theatre developed the entire trailer along the way getting the assistance of Alan Slattery of Mycrofilms in Kilkenny, who shot and edited the trailer under the direction of Kevin Mooney, the man at the helm of the production. We’ve wanted to shoot a trailer for a Devious Theatre production for years and this was our first shot at it. Considering the buzz it’s after generating and the feedback we’ve all been receiving, it’s something we’ll definitely try out again.

Tickets for the show are on sale and available by calling in person to the Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny or by phoning 056-7761674. For group bookings (six and over), please contact ourselves at The Devious Theatre Company by clicking here.

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July 7, 2009 • devious theatre, kilkenny, liverpool, stags and hens, watergate theatre, willy russell

Stags and Hens: The Cast

The Blood Brothers Featuring Peter Taylor (Eddie Murphy)

The Roadie (Paul Young)
Bernie and Eddy (Ciara Donegan and Ken McGuire)
Robbie and Billy (Myself and Stephen Colfer)
Linda (Roisin O’Reilly)
Dave (John Doran)
Carol and Maureen (Lynsey Moran and Mairead Kiernan)
Kav and Frances (Geoff Warner Clayton and Maria Murray)


The character intros in full can be viewed on www.devioustheatre.com. All these lovely promo images were designed by Paddy Dunne. Stags and Hens starts next week in The Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny. It runs from July 21st -25th.

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July 5, 2009 • 70s night, devious theatre, fundraiser, stags and hens

70’s Nite – A Devious Theatre Fundraiser

We’re having a fun packed night of 70’stastic tunes, fancy dress and dancing down in Cleere’s, Kilkenny this coming Saturday night July 11th. And it’s all in aid of the Devious Theatre.

We usually throw a yearly fundraiser in order to keep a theatre above our heads but last year was the first time we missed out (probably because we were too damn busy) but this year it’s back.

And because of the upcoming Stags and Hens, we’ve gone for a slightly 70’s vibe on this one and eschewed the live acts to concentrate on tunes, tunes and more tunes. T-Rex, Queen, Bowie, The Undertones, Kool and The Gang, Jackson 5, Roxy Music and Kate Bush are amongst the acts we’ll be spinning. There’s prizes for fancy dress and plenty of grub and booze to keep going. Oh, and a discoball. It’s free on the door so come along if you’re in Kilkenny this Saturday night.

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June 22, 2009 • devious theatre, kilkenny, stags and hens, watergate theatre, willy russell

Stags and Hens Poster

The 70’s tastic main poster for our upcoming production of Willy Russell’s Stags and Hens has gone online over at DeviousTheatre.com

Expertly designed by Mr. Paddy Dunne, it features the titular stag and hen parties of the play in their own little toilet cubicle settings. Which aptly enough is where they spend most of the play anyway! It’s got a lovely, and slightly tacky, 1970’s disco feel which is exactly where the play is coming from. The promotion campaign is currently revving up for July 21st when the play will take to the stage of the Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny until July 25th.

Paddy has written a blog talking us through the poster and it can be read in all it’s glory over here.

The rehearsals are coming along great and there’s also some pretty nifty rehearsal photos over on the site as taken by Messrs McGuire and Galster.

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May 28, 2009 • 1978, devious theatre, liverpool, shakespeare in the house, stags and hens, willy russell

Stags and Hens

At the weekend we launched the 2009 programme for The Devious Theatre Company with a wee session and meet and greet in The Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny. Kevin Mooney made the announcement that our main production for this year would be a production of Willy Russell’s STAGS AND HENS, which he will be taking the directing reins on.

This is one that I’m really amped up about doing. The play is just an actor’s playground and Kev has put together a really diverse ensemble cast of which I am delighted to be part of.

The play is a very sharp comedy about the social mores of a bunch of working class Liverpudlians in 1978. It all takes place in the ladies and gents bathrooms of a dingy nightclub where both the stag and hen parties of the same wedding have ended up. And from there, things take some very funny, dark and emotional twists and turns along the way. It’s a fantastically well written play, definitely the best we’ve worked on so far. Over the years it has been marred a little by successions of dodgy student productions which tend to play up the booze and debauchery instead of the story and character but we’re intent on keeping the story to the fore. And it’s a damn good story.

Rehearsals started this week. Lots of acting rust to shake off. And the Liverpool accent is a bastard. I sound like one of the Chuckle Brothers at the moment.

All updates on Stags and Hens are going to be hitting the Devious Theatre website as we have ’em.

Also at the launch we announced our involvement in Shakespeare In The House and nicely asked people for funding by launching our ‘Friends Of’ program.

More of which can be found over on the website. I’ll write further about Shakespeare In The House as our programme comes together for it.

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