Inspector Drake and the Perfekt Crime – Clondalkin Drama Group

‘INSPECTOR Drake and the Perfekt Crime’ is a “comedic farce” by playwright David Tristram that follows the great Inspector Drake and the hapless Sergeant Plod in their attempt at solving a murder.

Through ridiculous twists and turns, they soon learn that this case is much more complicated than it first seemed, but Drake isn’t the kind to give up easily. He’ll never give up, even if it takes him the rest of his life—or at least the runtime of the play.

This play has a small cast of only five people, which was “ideal for us,” according to Clondalkin Drama Group PR Officer Michaela Courtney, as they are a small group with several members currently taking breaks, so their numbers are a bit depleted.

They did another ‘Inspector Drake’ play before in 2018 (there’s several of them), and we hugely enjoyed it, so we knew that we would have great fun with this one as well.

They started rehearsals in around mid-March, and we rehearse twice a week every week. “We have our usual struggle of preparing to perform a show without a proper theatre space.

“We rehearse and perform upstairs in Quinlan’s pub, which, while great that we can use it, is not really a suitable space.

“It’s quite small so we are dealing with a cramped stage and the pub has also been undergoing renovations, which has affected our rehearsals.

“We do everything ourselves and as we are currently operating with limited members, it can be quite challenging, especially when it comes to putting up the set or moving large props around (getting a sofa up those stairs is no joke!).”

It also means that some members have to double up on certain roles.

For example, Frances Tuffery (who is playing Sergeant Plod) and herself (Michaela Courtney, who is playing Inspector Drake) are both also co-directing the show.

It’s a lot of work, which is why it made sense to split the job, and Frances and her make a “great team.”

Additionally, the Inspector and the Sergeant are both played by women in male drag at the moment due to the lack of men in the group.

This is a little challenging, but mostly it’s great fun and all part of the “magic of theatre!” Clondalkin Drama Group will be taking a little break from shows until they start working on our annual pantomime in October, to be performed in January as usual.

They are thinking of having some fun workshops during the gap, so keep an eye on their social media accounts for more info on those if you’re interested in popping down!

They will also be continuing their push for a proper arts centre in Clondalkin Village, as they think it would really benefit the community.

They have been in touch with some local councillors who have been very good at keeping us in the loop and allowing us to voice our concerns.

We hope more people will join us in making a call for this.

Michaela concludes, “As always, we must thank Quinlan’s for allowing us to use their upstairs space; they really are so good to us.

“Big thanks to the cast and crew for spending so much time and effort putting this show together; I know it’ll be amazing.

“And finally, thank you to The Echo for featuring us and helping us get the word out!”

‘Inspector Drake and the Perfekt Crime’ will be performed in Quinlan’s from June 24 to 27; don’t miss out!