'Shorts' – Eight plays in one night!

The Barn, Barnstorm Theatre Company's studio theatre will see the Adult Drama Club present 'Shorts' - an evening's entertainment spanning the serious to the sensational, the funny to the funnier and the hedonistic to the heartfelt!

Audiences will be brought on a theatrical journey through themes and genres and a period of time spanning Shakespeare's Scotland to modern day Ireland at this intimate venue.

Barnstorm recently staged Kilkenny Youth Theatre's 'Burying Your Brother in the Pavement' and more recently The Barn Owl Players' 'Cabaret Nights' to delighted audiences. And now, after a gestation period of nine months of workshops, training and rehearsals, Barnstorm's Adult Drama Club is getting ready to tread the boards for the very first time!

'Shorts' - a collection of one-act plays and short pieces -  will be performed by the 15 members of adult club who have been in training with the professional theatre company since September.

With all sorts of life and theatre experience between them, the members, who hail from all over Kilkenny and further afield, have been honing their skills in acting, improvising, stage management, lighting, writing and design ahead of their first production.

This second group of local Kilkenny actors, was established following the success of Barnstorm's first Adult Drama Club (now the Barn Owl Players) which was created in 2007 to meet an increasing demand for amateur theatre for adults in Kilkenny.

"We established the club in response to a growing need in the region to provide training to local adults in all aspects of theatre and theatre making," said Philip Hardy, founder and Artistic Director of Barnstorm Theatre Company.

"The two groups have proved so popular with amateur thespians and theatre audiences alike, that both have a full quota of actors and an extensive waiting list."

Local actors performing will be Claire Sheehan, Clare Kavanagh, Eilís Brophy, Hughie Glynn, John Whitley, Kevin Hendrick, Laura Keys, Mairéad Forristal, Niamh Richardson, Nicola Harding, Paul Young, Sinead Goggin, Michael Somers, Eithne O'Reilly and Patricia Hogan.

'Shorts' will consist of eight one-act plays directed by Banstorm's artistic team - Philip Hardy, Ronan MacRaois and Keith Raven. The group will perform '10,000 Cigarettes' by Alex Broun, 'Victoria Station' by Harold Pinter, an excerpt from Shakespeare's 'Macbeth', 'Naomi in the Living Room' by Christopher Durang, Pinter's 'Trouble in the Works', 'Can Can' by Rimmulus Linney, 'Watermelon Boats' by Wendy MacLaughlin and 'Sure Thing' by David Ives.

The show will run nightly from June 11 to 13 at 8pm at Barnstorm's premises in Church Lane, Kilkenny. Tickets are available from Barnstorm and cost €10 and €8 (concession). To book tickets or for further information call (056) 7751266 or email info@barnstorm.ie. Booking is essential as seating is limited.