One of Donegal’s most famous ballroom of romance will be brought back to life this week when the acclaimed ‘Dreamers and Dancers – The Story of the Butt Hall’ makes a long-overdue return to the Balor Arts Centre, Ballybofey.
Penned by Susan Doherty, the play (with music) was first performed to packed houses at the Balor ten years ago to mark what was the 50th anniversary of the award-winning Butt Drama Circle.
Rewind to June 2006 – Ms Doherty stood, along with a hundred or more onlookers, on the pavement outside the old Isaac Butt Memorial Hall.
Seated inside at a table were the members of the Butt Hall Committee and various dignitaries. The final contract was signed. The old Butt Hall would be demolished before the end of the week to make way for the new Butt Hall Centre, which would also house a purpose-built Balor Theatre.
It struck Susan at the time that, in a few days, the much-loved Butt Hall would be gone forever. So, she set about writing the original script for Dreamers and Dancers.
To say the show was well received when it was first staged in 2009 would be an understatement – it played to packed houses for two full weeks.
Recently adapted and directed by Monica Doherty, audiences from all over Donegal and beyond will next week be given an opportunity to take another trip down memory lane to when it all began over 100 years ago. From drama productions to silent films, court cases to card games, an educational facility to a library, we celebrate the many ways in which the history of The Butt Hall is woven into the fabric of this community.
Above all there’s the music. For all its myriad activities and uses down through the years, it’s as a Dance Hall that the Butt Hall is most famously and fondly remembered – one of the true Ballrooms of Romance.
Starring, amongst others, ‘Mad Marcus (Mark McIntyre), Fergus Cleary, Mary Laverty, Darieen McMeniman, Brian Duffy and Frankie Quinn, Dreamers and Dancers will return to the Balor this week for four nights only from tonight Tuesday, October 15th to Friday 18th.
But, be warned, tickets are selling fast.
For bookings, contact the Balor Box Office on 0749131840 or log on to www.balorartscentre.com
Additional information
The Butt Drama Circle celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2019 having started out in the Butt Hall, Ballybofey in 1959. Over the years, the group has evolved and is now much more than just an amateur drama club, winning multiple prizes across the amateur drama scene in Ireland and cultivating local talent. With multiple productions throughout the year, the Butt Drama Circle contributes to the arts scene both locally and in the wider area.
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