Lockdown has placed restrictions on most aspects of our lives, but Barnstorm Theatre Company and Barn Owl Players continue to prove that even the most ardent of lockdowns has not put a barrier on the arts.
Beginning with their successful monologue virtual production, Zoom BOP: Confinement, last September, the two companies set out to up the stakes by producing, Love in Lockdown, a series of newly written short plays. The plan was to produce five new works, but when the call went out for submissions, the calibre was high, and Love in Lockdown became a two-part event with five new short plays in each show.
Last month Love in Lockdown 1 premiered with almost two hundred virtual audience members, and this month, Love in Lockdown 2 hopes to emulate that success on April 29th.
Local writers were tasked with writing plays on the multifaceted theme of love in lockdown. The submissions then went through a selection process by a team of panellists, Philip Hardy, artistic director of Barnstorm Theatre Company, renowned playwright Maeve Ingoldsby, and professional critic and Barn Owl Player committee member Cara O’Doherty.
Rehearsed online but filmed live following COVID protocols, the five plays are diverse, exciting, and innovative, and the five writers are as diverse as their work.
The five plays and the cast and crew are:
Face Off by Carmel Furlong directed by Brendan Corcoran and featuring actors Delia Lowery Larkin and Eoin Nangle Ryan.
Power of Love by Seamus D Norris is directed by Trish Brennan with Carrie Doran and Paul McManus.
Panic Stations by Cathy Hogan, directed by Mags Whitely includes Robert Holmes and Nancy Rochford Flynn.
Back Together Again by Lizzie Kelly, directed by Don O’Connor with Rosey Hayes and Orla McGovern
Android Love by Tim Slight is directed by Naill O’Riordan with John Rice and Emer Peet.
Love in Lockdown 2 premieres on April 29th at 7.30pm, and the producers, writers, cast, and crew cannot wait for you to join us on the night. For updates and viewing details, check www.facebook.com/barnowlplayers and www.facebook.com/barnstormtheatrecompany. This is a non-ticketed event, but you can support us by donating on the following link: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barnowlplayers
Further information: Cara O’Doherty barnowlers@gmail.com 087 2020498
Philip Hardy philip@barnstorm.ie 087 2790956
