Galway Advertiser 2000/2000_03_09/GA_09032000_E1_039.pdf 

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GALWAY'S MOST COMPREHENSIVE ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE - EDITED BY leff O'Connell

G Y T celebrate 10th anniversary with showcase festival
I t's hard to believe that Galway Youth Theatre has only been going since 1 9 It feels like it's been a integral part of 91 I Galway's art scene a lot longer than that.Yet the plain fact is that ifs all of 1 years since director, actress, and writer Rebecca 0 Bartlett and director and actor Paul Brennan came to the con clusion that there was a definite, indeed an urgent, need for a structured way of channelling all the creative energy and enthu siasm so evident in the Galway of a decade ago.
Although it was started initially as a pilot pro gramme in January 1991, by the end of the first year the early results were so impres sive, both from a perform ance and a training perspec tive, that GYT, as it was immediately nicknamed, quickly established itself as a comprehensive training course in all aspects of the atre, with regular public per formances throughout the course. Rebecca Bartlett, artistic director of GYT, was soon joined by another multi-tal ented theatre person, Molly Fogarty, and together the two of them tackled the j o b of teaching, coaching, some times cajoling, but above all imparting to the young peo ple participating in this inno vative course a love of the atre in all its details, and a proper appreciation of the discipline required to make theatre work. Employing their contacts in the theatre world, Rebecca and Molly were able to bring to Galway some of the best people working in contempo rary Irish theatre - writers like Gerry Stembridge, for instance, and professional stage designers, custume makers, lighting technicians. As well, a placement scheme was set up whereby students from GYT would spend a period of time working with The Abbey or Druid or one of the other theatre compa nies around Ireland like Red Kettle, in this way getting valuable practical experience of what it's like to actually work on a major production from the early days of cast ing and rehearsals, right up to the opening night. . Rebecca Bartlett left in 1995 after shepherding the initial batch of aspiring actors, actresses, directors and stage workers through the deep shoals of drama, to pursue her own writing proj ects. But she harbours a wish that she, Molly, and the actors who passed through GYT in the early years, could come to work on a production together "but only if there was plenty of money to pay everyone prop erly" she insists. Molly Fogarty also left in 1993 to write, but has many happy memories of her col laboration with the young actors and Rebecca. "Even though it was hard work devising a production with

I N S I D E T H I S WEEK

> Joy Burke, Philip Sweeney, Ailbhe Wheeler, Hilary Kavanagh and David Coyne. novice actors." What she is are drawing not only on the recycling of evil", heavy Cullen, Aoibhinn O'Connor very keen to point out was talents of the current crop of stuff, but Jason assures me and Si in-.ii I Moylan. Judging the competition how everyone pulled togeth young actors, but also on that it is also very much a surreal comedy. "I am not this year will be Molly er and worked as a team some of the past members. I spoke to Jason Ryan and attracted to straight plays, Fogarty as mentioned earlier. making the term ensemble universal for the was GYT Deirdre O'Donncll, who are but something more experi Mary Doyle, Paul lain and James C Han-old. They did worked. Molly is now work taking part in the festival. mental." Killing Reg is part ing on bringing her stage Jason had worked with GYT of Saturday's line up. try to get Ronan Keating, between 1996 and *98, since Deirdre is just completing since he is on the National play Porkbellies to the cine ma screen. She is also one of leaving the course he has her second year with GYT. Millennium Committee, but this year's judges for the one worked with Cornerstone She is building on the experi he was unavailable. Theatre company, the ence of last year's one act In some late breaking act drama festival. AH this reminiscing comes Taibhdhearc and takes part in festival and taking part in news Cuba* have come in two of the productions, both with sponsorship for the fes at a time when GYT are put- out reach programmes in on Friday. She is acting in tival joining the National ling on their Millennium Ballybanc and Tirellan. His The Raven an adaptation of Millennium Fund and one-act festival on Friday next step he hopes is acting the Edgar Allen Poc poem, Galway Corporation in help March 10 and Saturday school in Dublin. He's but Fairytales. Fairytales. with this event. ing March 11. This time artistic appearing in Fergus Moore's 1.2,3 is an original idea play Killing Reg. about three director Niamh Dillon and serial killers. "It's about the devised by Deirdre, John administrator Sonja Brodic