Hearing the audiences laugh and join in made us feel like superstars

“OUR panto ‘Aladdin’ went brilliantly,” smiles Clondalkin Drama Group’s Michaela Courtney.

‘Aladdin’ was performed in Colaiste Chillain from January 10 to 18.

According to Michaela, their panto had some “slightly smaller” audiences this year, but they think that the flu that is currently going around contributed to that. Despite some smaller crowds, people seemed to really enjoy it, and they had plenty of people of all ages tell them after the show that they loved it.

“Hearing the audience laugh and join in throughout the show really encouraged us and made us feel like superstars,” Michaela beams.

Since this was the group’s second year in Coláiste Chilliain, they were able to improve their setup from last year; they had more lights and a better speaker system.

They still had some issues with volume, as the room is “so big and echoey”, so the group would love to invest in some microphones so that their cast can be heard perfectly at all times.

They “nearly had a disaster” when one of their cast members, Mary, ended up too sick to perform.

They scrambled to find somebody to stand in, and thankfully the “wonderful” Sarah Murphy Massey stepped in, script in hand, to play the role of the baddie sidekick Iago.

“We are so grateful to her, especially since she’s not even a member of the group,” continues Michaela. “We’re hoping she might officially join our ranks, though!”

Clondalkin Drama Group would like to give a huge “thank you” to Coláiste Chilliain, to Quinlan’s Black Lion pub for serving as their rehearsal space, and to Clondalkin Village Hardware, who sold their tickets.

They are also very grateful to the Echo, who “kindly featured us several times.” They would also like to thank everyone who came and supported them. It was “lovely” talking to audience members after the shows who told them that they come to see everything they put on.

Michaela concludes, “The support we receive from the community is beautiful and helps us to grow and put on better shows.”

She thanks everyone who came and says to “keep an eye on our socials to see what we get up to next!”

Congratulations to all involved on a successful production.