May is a busy month in the Theatre Royal with lots to offer for all the family including the World Premiere of The Invader!
THE INVADER
Thursday 22 to Saturday 24 May
The Invader Opera will be the first opera to premiere in the Theatre Royal, Waterford since 1793. It is being produced by Theatre Royal Productions and presented as a major civic event to celebrate the 1100th anniversary of the founding of the city of Waterford in 2014.
Waterford artists Composer Eric Sweeney & Poet Mark Roper created the Opera and took their inspiration from the parable of The Bacchae by the great Greek playwright, Euripides, bringing this story of human folly and divine anger to life. The opera carries us on a fascinating journey of transformation blurring the lines between laughter and anguish, repression and uninhibited sexuality, reason and illusion, kindness and cruelty.
Director Ben Barnes and his celebrated creative team will bring this strikingly beautiful composition to the stage in May 2014 creating a contemporary world familiar to us all which gives the illusion of control until we look up one night and see emerging from the darkness beyond the gleaming glass walls a figure, at once gentle and terrible, a charismatic invader, looking to be admitted, and after whom nothing can ever be the same.
Public Dress rehearsal Thursday 22nd – 8pm – €15.
Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th – 8pm – €45/ €37.50 (Conc.)
Box office 051 874402 / www.theatreroyal.ie
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Sunday 25th to Monday 26th May – 8pm
Waterford Ballet Academy presents an exciting new ballet based on this popular children’s fairy tale. You are invited to come and enjoy this colourful interpretation of Hansel & Gretel’s dramatic adventure. A treat for all the family! Choreographed by Margaret Hunter.
Tickets €24
Box office 051 874402 / www.theatreroyal.ie
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MAGMELL
Wednesday 28th to Thursday 29th May 8pm
An absolutely unique Irish experience
What happens when Jon Kenny- actor and comedian, Des Dillon – artist and puppeteer, Benny McCarthy and Conal O Grada – both virtuoso musicians and composers are in the same room? What happens when music, song, theatre, humour, puppetry & dance are married with ancient Irish folktales that have a modern relevance?
MAG MELL happens!!!
Welcome to the mythical island of Mag Mell off the west coast of Ireland. An isle fabled for eternal peace and happiness is about to be rocked as the greed and materialism of the 21st Century collides with the ancient wisdom and beauty of Mother Earth, unleashing all her creative energies, her fury, her pain, her darkness, her vision and her compassion.
A show for all ages, Mag Mell is a story about authenticity and truth in a world that is experiencing constant threat to both……‘Music’ is being hijacked by the ego driven culture of celebrity….. ‘Development’ is becoming another word for self-enrichment.
Wild, magnificent dance, music, theatre and puppetry give expression to these whirling forces and a stunning dream sequence at the heart of the show brings a moment of vulnerability which becomes also a moment of transformation and ultimately redemption.
Theatrically captivating from the start, the show is stunning both aurally and visually with glorious music, thrilling stage effects and superb puppetry. The masks and puppets create a carnival atmosphere – dark, dangerous and anarchic at times, light, happy and delightful too. Actor Jon Kenny strides the stage throughout. Humor abounds! No time to think- you just get hauled into the inspiring story, the music, the singing, the rhythms and the wild dancing.
The show is presented by Whobeganit Theatre Co. Ltd., founded by Jon Kenny (actor & comedian), Des Dillon (artist & puppeteer), Benny McCarthy (accordeon player & composer) and Conal Ó Gráda (flute player & composer). They are joined by Colm Murphy (renowned bodhrán player), Ciaran Ó Maonaigh (fiddle player & TG 4 Young Musician of the year 2003), Caitlín Nic Gabhann (concertina player & award winning dancer with Riverdance) and Katie Holly (actor & singer/songwriter).
Mag Mell prices – €20/ €18 conc/ €15 child/ €55 family ticket (2+2)
Box office 051 874402 / www.theatreroyal.ie