Banteer Drama Group

The venue is home to Banteer Drama Group, who has performed many plays here over the past number of years including: ‘The field’, ‘Sharons Grave’ and ‘The Chastitute’ by John B Keane; ‘Juno and the Paycock’ by Sean O’Casey; Hugh Leonard’s ‘Da’ and many more.

The membership of the group currently stands at approximatly 40 and is growing annually. It comprises of all age groups from teenagers, who frequently join following their experience of amateur drama in school, right up to the senior citizens!

In 2000, the group extended its repertoire and introduced comedy, in order to cater for the varied tastes of the increasing audiences. For the past four years, the group has performed a 2/3 act comedy in the spring, followed by three one act plays each autumn that range from the tragic to the hilarious.

Each year the group competes in the Ballincollig Festival of One-Act Plays with ongoing success. October 2004, was no exception, when the group secured the Adjudicators Prize with the premier of local playwright Mary Gaffney’s ‘Any Other Business’ and also the ‘Best supporting Actress’ over the four day festival.

For many years the Group have traveled to various venues in England with their 2/3 act productions and have performed in the Bournemouth Centre for Community Arts in Boscombe for the past four years.

There has been an amazing increase in audience attendances each year.

“Last year the two act comedy ‘Ir Runs in the Family’ by Ray Cooney ran for a total of nineteen perfomances including two in England and one in at Listowel Writers Week”

The Group are also involved in Youth Drama with members giving of their time voluntarily to facilitate weekly drama classes for children between the ages of eight and fourteen years. The children in turn stage four sketches at the season. A Drama workshop was also held for children in July 2004.