Cooraclare/Cree Drama Group Presents 'Wake In The West'

0:00Drama has a long tradition in the Westclar communities of Kurokler and Kri, and Kurokler Tom McNamara produced an annual play for many years. Meanwhile, Kri had a very active drama group led by Michael Meskel, the grandfather of the now well-known actor Paul Meskel, you may have heard him. After a brief revival in the early 2010s, the group performed again in 2024 and has been bringing comedy productions back to local stages. This year, they're performing a wake in the West to play the captures the familiar humor and chaos of a traditional Irish wake. And joining me now to tell us more is a performer, Jared Careley. Jared, thanks for being with us on morning focus. Thanks for having us on, you appreciate it, yeah? Yeah, look, there's a clearly a long tradition of drama in Kurokler and Kri, times when it has been active, times when it's been less so. It must be delighted, given the long history that's there to see the revival in recent years, what is prompted the latest revival? It's hard to know really. We tried to get going again in around 2012, 2014, around that time, and we had to play already the year call with Struck,

1:06and we were actually putting up the stage and then we were told, sorry, what's happening tonight? And then we kind of fell by the way, so I woke up the years with them, we came back again two or three years ago, and we seemed to have gone from strength to strength then. We mainly, we concentrate on comedy's lighthearted hilarious type plays, because there's enough of sadness in the world, enough problems, and we like to have people leaving the show with a smile on their face, which I think they have achieved so far if we can believe what we're being told. And I'm sure, I'm sure you're being told the truth, and particularly when you focus on comedies, putting a smile in people's faces, and to that end, you perform the likes of the Maiden Ant and anyone can rob a bank, and when you hear the title awake in the West, you think, oh god, awake, that's not going to be funny, but as I've touched on, it really gets at the humor of Irish wakes. Can you tell us a little bit more about this particular production?

2:07Well, the hero of the play is the heart on stage, who has to remain motionless for an hour and a half, and it was very difficult during practice, because it is a funny play, and he couldn't stop laughing, well, we were rehearsing, but it does very well on stage, and we have a very difficult woman there who feels she needs a new set of false teeth, and what better place than from the dead man? seemingly it happened a lot in the old days, that false teeth were shared around, and they're rarely buried, they were usually passed on from one to another, so. That doesn't even bear thinking about you, does it, particularly this close to lunchtime as well? Absolutely disgusting, it's very funny the way it works out. I tell you, that sounds like even just hearing that brief synopsis would encourage people to

3:08head along, and I suppose the key to this is your producer as well, Sean Dunlavy, who has a long association with the Calrush players, and we've spoken to before. What is this experience brought to the production, and Andy, tell us about the level of experience amongst the nine involved in this year's cast? Well, Sean is fantastic, I mean, Sean has been producing plays for the last 40 years, as well as, and has, has won many of lords in Oliver, in festivals, in Dunlavy, in Scala, for whatever. He's a tremendous man to spot something on stage, and say, look, maybe if he did, there's a little bit different, and it would be funnier, and that happens almost every night, that there's something new, and we have the greatest of respect for him, and he really brings the best thousand people. We're looking to have quite an experienced group at this stage, even though we haven't done that many plays. We have the famous Rob Hopkins, whom everybody knows from Kilke,

4:08the area at my ester, and his friend Adrian McCluskey, who also from Kilke, so that's for that reason we're performing in Kilke and when Sam Tostey up next week. We have Mick Daly from Colombo, who used to play with the Dolores players, and he is at the cops, who, as I say, remains absolutely still for butter, nor on the half, which is very, very difficult. We have Antwervazie, Margaret Gary, who, both featured in Tom X, time, time McNamara's time, way back. We have a new player on the stage, Tiju Malai, who was delighted to be performing. We have Orla Morphe, who performed, actually, with Muller players, and is with us for the last few years. Then we have Helen, my wife, and myself for our sins, for bringing up the rear. So we've been performing with the players for quite a while. Very good. And speaking of performing, we did chat about the West Clara drama festival last week on the show, and you were one of the Clara contingent. You performed a wake in the West there on Tuesday gone, presumably went down well.

5:15Well, it went on exceptionally well. You see, people enter a competition now to win prizes most of the time. And to get to the very top, you need to feature plays, which are, in many cases, heavy and disturbing, featuring problems from life in the world. So I was with the only comedy in the big. And we have no interest in prizes. We just wanted to give the people a laugh. And as I say, I haven't been coming home with a smile on their face. And for that reason, I'll play one down very, very well on Tuesday, and getting a lot of, a lot of, um, plot of sins saying that it was really enjoyable. Well, that's great to hear. So look, where else can people check out performing awake in the West? Yeah, well, our last night in at home in Clara Clara is next Monday night, and we are hoping for a good crowd. Lots of people didn't get in to done big because of us booked

6:15out. So we're hoping those people will come to see us in Clara Clara. What time do doors open? It's Monday night, doors open at seven and the place starts at eight on Monday. There's no need to book for Clara Clara because we have a big hall with lots of room. Whereas the three new memorial library in Kilke is our venue Wednesday and Thursday. And you need to book for that at the website is clear out dot i e clear out dot i e. Well, okay. It sounds promising. It sounds like, and particularly as you say, the way the world is at the moment and the weather, we could all do with a good laugh. So make sure you head along to check out the group doing awake in the West. Jared, pleasure having you on and I hope your performances are and the rest of the gang are as rapturously received as it sounds like you were at the West Clare drama festival. Thanks for joining us on the show. Thanks very much for your time.