Clonmel Theatre Guild’s 50th Anniversary production is the wonderful ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, which will be staged in the White Memorial Theatre, Clonmel on 15th – 18th May 2019.
Directed by Anne Williamson, who previously directed the guild’s highly successful production of John B Keane’s ‘The Field’ two years ago, this special play promises to be a must for everyone’s diary in May.
It is adapted for stage by Dale Wasserman from the book by Ken Kesey. ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ is narrated by Chief Bromden, a gigantic yet docile half-Native American patient at a psychiatric hospital. He tells the story of Randle P. McMurphy, a new patient who faked insanity to serve a shorter prison sentence in the hospital rather than at a prison work farm. Mc Murphy is determined to shake up the mental institution and challenge the sweet but manipulative Nurse Ratched. Nurse Ratched moves about silently yet is a massive personality with a smile that seems to be forever on her pretty face…
When asked what will surprise people about this play, Anne Williamson said “a lot of people will think it is very serious, but it is more of a dark comedy with a lesson running through it. You will laugh, you will cry, you will be drawn into this play and fall in love with the characters – the wonderful bigger than life Chief Bromden, the lovable rogue McMurphy and the inmates who are all so different in character yet lovable, the cunning and always smiling assassin Nurse Rached and her little army, each & every one of them will grip at your heartstrings. When mental health has never been so much spoken about, this play will take you on a trip back to the 1960’s to a time when understanding and acceptance of patients was let’s say not very sympathetic”.
With a cast of 15, this is one of the guilds largest productions for number of years, which is only fitting for the year that is in it and our 50th anniversary celebrations. The guild is delighted to see so many new faces taking to the stage to join our well-known and much-loved actors. To say that the cast are having fun would be an understatement, they are absolutely buzzing.
Cast
The Staff
Nurse Ratched – Jacqui Slater
Nurse Flynn – Adele Powell
Aide Turkel – John Leahy
Áide Warren – Pat Dunne
Dr. Spivey – Mick Hennessy
Patients
Mc Murphy – Pat Egan
Chief Bromdan – Dermot Mc Dermott
Dale Harding – Tom Callery
Billy Bibbitt – Barry Tobin
Cheswick – Edmond Ryan
Scanlon – Jim Malone
Ruckly – Gerry Dorney
Martini – Eugene O’Meara
Others
Candy Starr – Bláthnaid Moore
Sandra – Janet Mc Entee
To coincide with this production, an exhibition celebrating 50 years of Clonmel Theatre Guild bringing theatre to South Tipperary will be staged in Clonmel Library on 13th – 18th May. So come along and enjoy our memories of the past 50 years.
Tickets are on sale in Marian’s bookshop and on our website www.clonmeltheatreguild.org, price €15. As is customary with all our productions the guild supports a local charity with a donation from the raffle and on this occasion, we will be supporting Sanies Trust.
We look forward to seeing you in the White Memorial in May.
