THE NAME / THE FOUNDERS The group was founded in 1969, by a group of young people, coming mainly from the Punches Cross area of the city, with a keen interest in plays and theatre. They were fortunate that living in their midst, was Mr. John Gibbons, a Mayo man, with a long experience and avid interest in drama. He was called upon to guide these young hopefuls. John is still an active member and trustee of the group. The next task, was to set about getting a name. They eventually settled on the “Quarry Players Limerick”, the name simply coming from a landmark in the area, Gough’s Limestone Quarry, which was about half way between the houses of the young founders. Over the years, a few style gurus have recommended a more upbeat name, rather than be named after a hole in the ground, that has been filled in for years. Any attempt to change the name was firmly scuttled in a public address by the playwright and author, Dr. Brian McMahon, when he attended the world premier of his play ‘The Master‘, which the group staged as the first local group in the newly opened Belltable Arts Centre, in 1981. The distinguished man remarked that, “the name of the group is apposite, in each boulder of a quarry, statuary already exists, and by using intuition and dedication, the sculpture reveals these are works of art. Much the same process obtains in theatre, where the play puts flesh, bone and blood on the dream figures of the playwright.” Also addressing the Quarry Players the night he attended “The Honeyspike” in November 1990, Dr. McMahon stated, “Derry have The Field Day, Galway have the Druid, Sligo have The Hawks Well, Dublin have The Abbey, Cork have The Everyman, but Limerick have the Quarry Players.” It is interesting to note that the stone from Gough’s Quarry was used to build the Coliseum, now The Belltable, which continues to be the key stone of theatrical activity in the city. REPERTOIRE OF PLAYS The Quarry Players have grown through so many experiences, that it would be difficult to typecast or describe the personality of the group, but basically, it is a simple ability to make friends, infect them with the enduring zeal of the ‘old-timers’, and create magic for audiences. At least five former Quarry Players are now fulltime professionals in Dublin and abroad. Although the group has an impressive repertoire of plays, it is fair to state that they have concentrated on contemporary Irish historical theatre, especially in the last twenty years. Favourite audience reactions have been from the pens of Brian Friel, Tom Murphy, Brian McMahon, Eugene McCabe, John B. Keane, Lee Dunne, Bernard Farrell, Mary O’Malley, Sean O’Casey and Martin McDonagh. The vast majority of plays staged by the group, have been premieres to the city, and some have been Irish premieres, notably ‘The Heretic’ by Morris West, in 1981; ‘Rashomon’, by Fay and Michael Kanin, in 1975 and ‘The Master’, by Brian McMahon, in 1981. Lee Dunne's explicit and realistic ‘Goodbye to the Hill’, was never outside Dublin, and had never been produced by amateurs, until he relented to the group in 1988. Brian Friel honoured the group in 1983 by granting the first amateur performing rights to the Quarry Players for his modern classic ‘Translations’, even though its professional period was far from over. ‘In Holy Matrimony’, by Joseph Hennessy, and ‘A Time Under Heaven’ by Terry Murray, were both performed in 1996. Both writers are Limerick based, and the latter was a special commission from The Society of St. Vincent De Paul, to celebrate their 150th anniversary in Limerick. Marina Carr specifically authorised the performing rights to her play, ‘Portia Coughlan’ in 1999, and the group were the first amateur group in Ireland to perform ‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane’, by Martin McDonagh in 2001. The group established good relationships with some playwrights. Several playwrights, including Brian McMahon, Lee Dunne and Bernard Farrell attended performances of our plays, and the group also visited Listowel to perform for John B. Keane. VENUES When the first play, ’They Got What They Wanted’, by Louis Dalton was performed in 1970, the venue was the old Confraternity Theatre in O’Connell Street, Limerick. The group was also the last to perform in this venue, just before it closed, in 1980, with their production ’Confusions’ by Alan Ayckbourn. This historic building, which was once a cinema, closed for renovations, and reopened as the cities first arts centre, called The Belltable. The President of Ireland, Dr. Patrick Hillary, performed the official opening ceremony, on the 21st April, 1981, for The Abbey production of ‘Faith Healer’, by Brian Friel. The final performance of The Abbey was on Saturday the 25th April, and the Quarry Players, were the next in to perform, opening on April 29th, with the world premiere of ‘The Master’, by Brian McMahon, who as mentioned already, attended the opening night. Two or more plays were produced at this venue each year for many years afterwards, and while the main commitment of the group was to produce plays in the city, we have also travelled to more than fifteen other venues in the mid west region. We have also travelled to Cork, and performed in the Everyman theatre for a six night run in 1986. The group has participated in eleven theatre festivals. Our lunchtime theatre was the first of its kind in the city, and in the Glentworth Hotel during civic week in 1979, there was a new and worthwhile experience for the members of the group who participated , as well as a boost in public relations between the group and the city. It was repeated the following year. In 2001, following some problems with the costs and availability of The Belltable, the group took a huge risk, and decided to move venue to the University Concert Hall, for the second run of ‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane’. This venue is a one thousand seat auditorium, and because of its size, is more suited to musical and concert performance. The group felt that the play would appeal to a wide audience, and this was borne out in the attendances for the show, which averaged almost 800 people a night for the three nights. We were the first local theatre company to perform there, and subsequently, Island Theatre company, who observed our production, saw the benefits of the venue, and have performed there a number of times since. The group developed a great working relationship with the UCH management, who also manage the LIT Millennium theatre. Since 2001, we have performed another production in UCH, and in 2003, we were again the first amateur group to perform in the newly constructed LIT Millennium theatre, which opened in the summer of that year, performing there again in 2006, in collaboration with the Belltable. AUDIENCES When the committee get together to select a play for performance, one of the primary considerations, is the potential audience for the piece. The group is generally forced to select plays that will appeal to a broad spectrum, as we need to maximise the number of people that will attend the show. The group does not fundraise, and its only source of income is box office receipts, and programme advertising and sales. After many years of performing in the city, we feel that we have our finger on the pulse of what people like to go and see. We have learned that audiences are drawn to certain types of plays. These plays normally include a balance of an entertainment value, with an Irish cultural theme. Examples include the plays of John B. Keane and more recently, Martin McDonagh, who bring in audiences in their hundreds, by mixing meaningful dramatic messages with an injection of entertainment. Over the last number of years, on several occasions, the group has attempted to introduce Limerick audiences to a wider variety of production. These include ‘Portia Coughlan’, by Marina Carr, and ‘Richards Cork Leg’, by Brendan Behan. Even though the production values of these plays were very high, they did not appeal to local audiences, and resulted in the group incurring heavy losses. In general, the group has a very loyal following in the city, with many people coming to all our shows. This is both very helpful and important, and shows the strength and depth of theatre goers in the city. DIRECTORS Over the years, the group has been fortunate to have had an array of directors within the group, that were capable of achieving the high standards required. These include John Gibbons, Nick Browne, Kitty Bredin, Claude and Dairine Byrne and Michael Kearney. The group has also sought external directors, that we thought would achieve the same standards. These include John Butler as well as John Anthony Murphy, an actor and director with Island Theatre company, who was nominated for an Irish Times / ESB National Theatre award for a performance, and has also appeared in several films, including Angela’s Ashes and Gangs of New York. MEMBERS Recently we reviewed the member records, and have identified that the group has had over 500 members, from all walks of life, over the past 35 years. Some founder members are still actively involved in the group, with some having over 25 years of experience. Many more have more than ten years, and of course, there are new members all the time, which come to the group with new ideas, and add to the vibrancy of the organisation. MAYORAL RECEPTION Another historical milestone for the group, that in its 21st year, it was honoured with a reception by the mayor of Limerick, Gus O’Driscoll, for its contribution to the cultural life and vitality of Limerick. On subsequent occasions, local TD, and frequent mayor of Limerick, Jim Kemmy RIP honoured the group with various other receptions in city hall. For each play that the group performs, the mayor of the time usually comes to the press launch, which recognises the cities acknowledgement of the cultural importance of the groups activities. TRAINING In the early years, some members attended courses in Gormanstown, to develop their skills. Each year since 1997, group members have attended the Drama League of Ireland (DLI) Summer School which was held in Maynooth University, and which now held at UL, to enhance their theatrical knowledge. The group has had members that have been on the national executive of the DLI, whose number one aim is to increase the standards of drama throughout the country. The group has organised numerous workshops in the Limerick area, for local drama groups, including the Quarry Players. Tutors have included Paul Hadfield, John P. Kelly, Gavin Kostic and Jim Culleton. These have been extremely successful for the group members, and these workshops will continue in the future. PRODUCTION VALUES The group has always prided itself that its production values are extremely high. Money is never spared in order to achieve this level of quality. Continuous improvement is always sought in every aspect of our productions. This is a commitment that is expected of every member of the group, and is enshrined on our constitution. SOCIAL ACTIVITIES There is one thing that has never changed over the years, and that is the endless efforts to enjoy ourselves. We have travelled to various venues around the country to see plays, including the All-Ireland One Act and Full Length festivals and finals, The Abbey, The Gate and many more. We have taken part in the St. Patricks Day parade to promote our productions, and we try to organise regular events to keep in touch with the members. Extracts taken from various historical accounts over the last 35 years, with thanks to all. |
