Sneem DramSoc is an amateur dramatic society based in Sneem, County Kerry, Ireland.
Click on a production title to see the programme, or HERE to see earlier productions.
2014 - The Festivities
(Storytelling Festival)
For this year's Sneem International Storytelling Festival, DramSoc presented a short comedy: THE FESTIVITIES, an adaptation of Anton Chekhov's comedy The Anniversary, itself adapted from his own short story A Most Unfortunate Woman. Chekhov first made his reputation in the theatre with a series of vaudevilles, offered not as art but as entertainment. These he designated as “jokes”, which he constantly disparaged despite the fact that they enabled him to study medicine and become a G.P.. Tolstoy, who was unimpressed by Chekhov's later dramas, laughed at these short comedies until he could laugh no more.
THE FESTIVITIES is one such vaudeville, set in a bank on the 15th. anniversary of its founding. The aged, misogynist bank clerk, Kiernan, is obliged to compile a less-than-accurate report of the bank's finances for the corrupt bank chairman, Noble, to fool the directors at the AGM. One obstacle after another contributes to the disastrous denouement as things fall apart. The characters are driven by a sense of anger and frustration at the failure of others to recognise their need of attention for whatever cause. In their anger, they lose the ability to appreciate their own best interests with disastrous consequences. Along the way, there is great fun and mimicry and gusto here, and much apparently inconsequential dialogue.
The play is set in the Chairman's private office of the Provincial Bank.
2014 - The Bear and The Proposal
For the 2014 season we presented two comedies by Anton Chekhov with which he first made his reputation in the theatre, offered not as art but as entertainment. These he designated as "jokes" which he consistently disparaged. THE BEAR was "a piffling little Frenchified vaudeville" and THE PROPOSAL was "a mangy little vaudeville". THE BEAR, the first of the plays, is an account of a man who comes to make a demand for payment of a bill, but instead finds himself making a proposal of marriage. In the second play, THE PROPOSAL, a man comes to make a proposal of marriage, but instead finds himself making an argument. In both plays, the characters are driven by a sense of outrage, of anger at the failure of others to recognise their claims to money / land. In their anger, they lose the ability to recognize their own best interests. There is great fun, mimicry and gusto here, and much apparently inconsequential dialogue and business. Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans!
2013 - The Proposal
(Storytelling Festival)
The Proposal is a one-act farce by Anton Chekhov, written in 1888-1889 and first performed in 1890. It is a fast-paced play of dialogue-based action and situational humour.
The play is set in a drawing-room of the Chubb country house.