A Bit About the Author

Hello Everyone!

Here at Parkside, we're well on our way into our tech rehearsals. The designers, actors, and crew members had a long weekend of incorporating the technical elements into the show. At this very moment, they are running (and rocking!) their first full dress rehearsal. 

As we draw nearer to opening day, I thought it would be nice to share some information about the playwright with all of you! 

Brian Friel was born in January of 1929 in County Tyrone. Living in Northern Ireland for all of his upbringing, he was raised with both Catholic and Nationalists beliefs. While his family believed in the progress that Ireland and Great Britain could achieve together, Friel (being a separatist) had higher hopes for the people and tradition of Ireland while standing on its own. 

He became a schoolteacher at the age of 21, filling his free time with the writing of short stories and radio dramas. Ten short years later, he quit his profession and pursued the art of playwriting full-time. He rose to the top quickly and completed several successful works, one right after the other. His plays, in only the first decade of his theatrical career, were performed at prestigious theatres and festivals, given delightful reviews, and awarded Friel with a Tony Award nomination. Soon after, his plays started to be produced internationally. Although a strong Irish nationalism prevails in all of his works, the characters and plots make his stories globally resonant. 

But that isn't all. Friel is a co-founder of the Field Day Theatre (Derry, Ireland), a winner of Laurence Olivier, Tony, and NY Drama Critics Circle awards, an elected member of the Irish Academy of Letters, and more. 

His immeasurable work and never-ending dedication makes him a true legacy of the theatre. 

Speaking of painting the set...

Here are some sneak peaks at our AMAZING scenic design by faculty member and professional designer, Jody Sekas!

The walls of our play will each bear a tree. This plan for one of the trees involves a backdrop of clouds behind a collection of picture frames that hold the image of a tree. 

The lines and patterns in the floor elevation are made to represent a traditional Celtic Knot.

We're inching closer and closer to opening day. As we move forward, keep checking in for more updates and previews before seeing the show! 

Dancing in the past, present, and future.

Hello followers! Did you know that the film version of Dancing at Lughnasa was released 14 years ago today? This screenplay, written by Frank McGuinness and directed by Pat O'Connor, premiered on November 13, 1998. The movie starred Meryl Streep (Kate), Kathy Burke (Maggie), and Michael Gambon (Jack), amongst others. Roger Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun Times (and a screenwriter himself), noted that while the film's performance had strong efforts, seeing the story on the stage was more moving for him. The review in full can be found at: Roger Ebert - Sun Times - Dancing at Lughnasa Film Review.

Here at Parkside, we're busy pulling costumes, painting the set, and rehearsing scenes and dances. We absolutely cannot wait to share our performance with you! 

Lighting Design Inspiration

Our next addition to our blog and our production development includes beautiful research for our lighting design, compiled by designer Chris Payne!

One of the design aspects that Chris is focusing on is the juxtaposition between past and present/future. You can see in his research that he is pulling a lot of ideas from nature and organic lighting/shadowing for the "past" or memory moments, whereas the present/future is defined by stark and angular lights and shadows.

Past: The MEMORY

Present/Future: The NEW AGE

Versatility in the Black Box Theatre

Our Black Box Studio Theatre, which had its grand opening in February of this past year with the production of Great Expectations, allocates endless creativity to the entire production team. The seating can be rearranged for each individual production, which provides us with many possibilities in planning for our shows. For Dancing at Lughnasa, we are incorporating a new seating arrangement that we've never used before! This setting is a "traverse" style, which almost looks similar to a tennis court. It allows for fresh perspectives while blocking and developing scenes within the play. Additionally, it provides exciting challenges for working on scenic, lighting, and sound design! Below is a copy of the Ground Plan, designed and created by our Scenic Designer, Jody Sekas. We are so thrilled to see how this new arrangement works in our Black Box Theatre, and we hope you are, too!

Inspiration for Make-Up and Hair

Good evening! The research and design work for our production is really starting to take off. The following images are pieces of research and inspiration that our hair and make-up designer, Mikayla Durkee, is utilizing for her work!