Runaway Drama Group to host open casting calls

Thomas Lyons

The Drama League of Ireland have six groups on their books from County Westmeath, and looking to increase that number are the Runaway Drama Group from Delvin.

The recently established group are working on their second foray into the limelight, and they have put out an open call for actors across the region to get involved in their latest production.

A Few White Lies by award-winning playwright and filmmaker Frank Shouldice is the directorial debut of Gráinne Johnston.

“The play arrived at my desk in March of this year, courtesy of Ronan Leonard,” Grainne told the Westmeath Examiner.

Paula Mullen, a founding member of Runaway Drama Group, was the route by which the play landed with the director.

“I was looking for a director because Frank Shouldice had this great play. I read it and I thought it was fabulous and funny. It just goes off in a different direction to the traditional rural Ireland plays.”

The director feels the same way about the piece: “When I read the play, it reminded me of the old fashioned Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex. You have your character, and at the centre of the story is their hubris. I find myself constantly going through this script to see who has the biggest flaw.

“It’s so well written. You’re totally engaged and enthralled by it. The scenes move really fast. So you can’t get bored.”

Grainne says the Runaway Drama Group production will endeavour to capture the strength of the piece: “Frank has written a play that is timeless. It was first performed 22 years ago, 2003. We were still in the Celtic Tiger, but it was starting to whimper and starting to die off.

“There are a lot of nuances within this play. There’s a lot of play on language within it. I loved it from start to finish.”

The first challenge the group have is casting the work: “I think it’s going quite well at this moment in time,” Grainne said.

“We have a lot of flyers out there and the feedback has been good. We have arranged two open casting days at the start of September in Delvin.”

Paula says the success of their previous show, The Good Sister, should offer a smooth path for this production: “It’s all about community involvement. We’re hoping the community will come in and get involved, and we will take it from there.”

Grainne is excited to get things under way: “One of the most important things when casting is getting the chemistry right. That’s one thing we will be looking for during the casting process, getting the chemistry right among the cast members. So we’ll see what happens.”

One incentive for prospective actors in A Few White Lies is that the group will have a performance coach to help people that have no experience with working on stage.

“You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain,” Paula said of the open casting call. “You will grow and begin to break down boundaries and limitations you thought you once had. It’s hugely important for personal development, I think.”

• The Runaway Drama Group open casting call takes place on Saturday September 6 and Sunday September 7 between 12pm and 5pm in St Patrick’s Hall, Delvin.