Aisling Ní Fhoghlú as Viola, Maria Diamond Bruce as Olivia, Liam Borgstrom as Orsino, and Morgan David as Sebastian
Photo by Declan Rudden
Balally Players bring you Shakespeare in the Park this summer
“A PLAY is like an iceberg – with most of the work unseen!” explains Balally Players PRO Joanne Keane.
Balally Players Theatre Company is delighted once more to bring you Shakespeare in the Park this summer, co-directed by Gerard Bourke and Karen Carleton.
This will be hosted in The Walled Garden at St Enda’s Park, Rathfarnham, from June 25-29, and then from July 3 to 4 in Killruddery House and Gardens in Greystones.
Enter the enchanting world of ‘Twelfth Night’, where love knows no bounds and identity is both a mask and a revelation.
A web of love triangles, it sets the stage for the delightful confusion at the heart of ‘Twelfth Night’, one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies.
The play is a dazzling tapestry of comedy and longing, where the boundaries between reality and illusion blur, leaving audiences spellbound and hearts aflutter.
Seating will be provided at each venue, but audiences are welcome to bring a rug and a picnic.
Please dress appropriately for the weather. It is always advisable to bring warm layers for outdoor shows, as even on a sunny day the evenings can be cooler.
“Balally Players is one of the largest amateur drama groups in the country and has been putting on plays since 1983!” continues Joanne.
“We have a current membership of over 80 – so we are in the fortunate position that we can put on about six productions a year.”
Most years, the group produces one or two full-length productions, a Christmas Variety show, competitive one-act and longer plays for the festival circuit and a summer Shakespeare.
The company has presented high-standard theatrical productions in a wide range of genres over the years, winning the prestigious Abbey Theatre award this year.
This year, they also had the honour of presenting ‘Ulster American’ in the Peacock Theatre, as well as coming runner-up in the RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival in Athlone.
Twenty-five years ago, the idea of trying an outdoor Shakespeare play was proposed.
They put on a production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in the magical wooded gardens of Airfield House and Gardens.
The production was met with such a positive reception that they have continued to present a Shakespeare play each summer to this day.
To their “surprise and delight”, the weather is usually fine, and hopefully that tradition will hold for this year.
Following a short break after the summer, the Shakespeare Balally Players will start up again with two or three one-act plays, which they will put on in the dlr Mill Theatre.
One of these will tour the country in the ADCI/DLI One Act Drama Circuit competition.
2025 will end with a Christmas Variety Show.
Joanne would like to thank all who have helped to “get the shows on the road” throughout the year and to the families of all involved.
The group “wouldn’t have a show without the audiences”, and they are “so grateful” to all who support the group, not least the dlr Mill Theatre, Killruddery House and Garden and dlr Co. Co.
‘Twelfth Night’ performs in St. Enda’s park in Rathfarnham outside the Pearse Museum from June 25-29 (not including June 28) at 7:30 p.m.
Booking is through the dlr Mill Theatre.
Then at 8pm in early July, they will be performing at the stunning Sylvan Theatre, Kilruddery House and Gardens, with booking through Killruddery.
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