Author Archives: Anja Terpstra

Noah Barleywater Runs Away was the world premiere of a truly exciting theatre piece which has been adapted by internationally renowned playwright Mike Kenny from John Boyne’s novel of the same name.

The play explores the world of childhood and the adventures that we can all have there. Noah is running away from his problems, or at least that’s what he thinks, the day he takes the untrodden path through the forest. When he comes across a very unusual toyshop and meets the even more unusual toymaker, he’s not sure what to expect. But the toymaker has a story to tell, a story full of adventure, and wonder and broken promises. And Noah travels with him on a journey that will change his life for ever. This is a thought-provoking fable for our modern world from the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. School performances for this magical play ran in October 2023.

This is what the children had to say Barnstorm’s Theatre for Young Audiences responses

Following the amazing success of its inaugural lunchtime theatre presentation last summer, Barnstorm has another treat for Kilkenny audiences who will be spellbound by Tennessee William’s classic short play ‘Something Unspoken’ this June

“Williams’ masterpiece, which delves into the depth of forbidden love, is an emotional rollercoaster, and this Kilkenny production has been an absolute pleasure to develop” says Joanne Hennessy who directs. “We chose this piece in response to Pride Month in Kilkenny and we are looking forward to sharing the work with everyone.”

Two stalwarts of local theatre, Mags Whitely and Natasha Murray are set to present the new show in Barnstorm’s studio theatre in a lunchtime offering that should entertain and intrigue audiences. Both actors have a long history in the Kilkenny theatre community, having been part of the Barn Owl Players for many years. This lunchtime performance of ‘Something Unspoken’ will be no exception. Whitely and Murray have already earned the praises of their peers for their professional and committed approach to their craft.

Something Unspoken by Tennessee Williams, is set in Meridian, Louisiana in 1958. In the opening scene we find Cornelia Scott, a southern aristocrat, and her widowed secretary, Grace Lancaster. A new age is approaching the Southern aristocracy, and as a result, Cornelia is struggling to keep up with the changes and how to navigate them.

Grace has been Cornelia’s secretary and companion for 15 years, but lately their relationship has become ambiguous.

Cornelia wants to discuss the truth of their hidden emotions, but tensions build as Grace finds it difficult to express her feelings. She has been holding it all in for far too long, and now she is struggling to face the truth. Cornelia is determined to have an honest conversation with Grace, and to finally address the feelings that have been so carefully hidden away for over a decade.

This one-act play is the perfect way to take a break from the office and enjoy a light lunch while being entertained. The performance lasts only 45 minutes, so our office workers can easily fit it into their lunch break and be back in plenty of time.

Tickets are €17 and includes lunch which is presented by the Home Rule Club.; and can be booked HERE

Dates: Limited run from Mon 19^th to Sat 24^th June  at 1pm daily

Following last year’s successful run of XIV, Barnstorm’s Kilkenny Youth Theatre return to Ionad Dara, Goresbridge with their annual production. This year they bring their version of William Shakespeare’s classic Macbeth to the stage.

Macbeth tells the story of the tragic downfall of the warrior Macbeth, whose ambition causes him to abandon his morals and bring about the near destruction of the kingdom he seeks to rule.

The cast of Macbeth includes Matthew Hickey, Chris Power, Liam O’Neill, Anna Eustace, Diarmuid Maher, Eoin Cleary, Medha Trehan, Nell Snyder, Anna Purcell Duff, Ruby Woods, Matthew Downey, Lara Strauss, Jack Hoyne, Helen Doran, Katie Lawlor, Aoibhne Murphy, Aislin Konings Ferrari, Rionach Brady and Charlotte Lockwood Hutchinson.

Macbeth is running on Friday April 28th and Saturday April 29th at 8pm, with a matinee on Saturday at 3pm, in Ionad Dara, Goresbridge, R95 D654.

Tickets are €12.50 /€10 (Under 18’s) and can be booked online HERE

Barnstorms’ Adult Theatre Club is starting in 2023 with a one-year part-time programme, Theatre Production Skills.

The ATC, originally a 2-year course, was first introduced in 2007 in answer to many requests from adults in the region who wanted to know more about theatre and how to make a performance. With a maximum of 14 members each year the alumni from successive groups (2007-2015) formed the Barn Owl Players which has remains a vibrant local amateur theatre company that still creates its own unique blend of theatre and theatrical happenings from Tennessee Williams, to John B Keane and from One-Act Festivals to full length plays.

The 2023 Adult Theatre Club will act as an introduction to local adults who wish to explore, investigate and create theatre as a hobby.

With the support of Kilkenny’s professional theatre company behind the club, this really is an exciting opportunity to join a vibrant and dynamic programme of both training and performances. In the past, club members have experienced training in everything from improvisation, basic acting and stagecraft to theatre directing and scriptwriting.

“The Adult Theatre Club is an ideal way of introducing anyone new to acting and theatre in a fun environment; as well as offering local actors a means of honing their skills.” says new Participation and Education Officer Jo Hennessy. “No experience is necessary just a keen interest, an open mind and a willingness to try new things” she says.

If you are interested fill in an online Registration Form by Friday 27 January. You can also contact Jo, 056 7751266 or jo@barnstorm.ie, to get a Registration Form

The first session is on the 2 February and every Thursday evening thereafter from 7.00 to 9.00pm at 3 Johns Quay, Kilkenny R95 T382. Booking is essential, as places are limited.

After two years of working online, Barnstorm’s Kilkenny Youth Theatre were back in person and delighted to bring their production of XIV (Fourteen) to a live audience.

Originally devised by Sharon Cromwell and Droichead Youth Theatre, XIV is set in ancient Rome and takes place on the day of Liberius’ 14th birthday; the same day the Roman army arrive home from their victory in Britannia. However, the celebrations are short-lived as blood and secrets are spilled, erupting in a catastrophic climax for all involved. Alea Iacta Est.

Director: Rosey Hayes 

A captivating production in the enchanted surroundings of the boot factory Padmore and Barnes of Kilkenny from the 30th November to 16th December.

This is a short and caring story about a Christmas gift and based on one of the very few traditional fairy tales with a Christmas theme. The poor shoemakers receive some unexpected help just when they need it most. Based on the Grimms’ fairytale, “The Elves and the Shoemakers” by Mike Kenny is for children aged 4-9 years and tells the tale of two kind elves who help two penniless shoemakers out of their troubles and back on their feet. Presented to small audiences in the intimate surroundings of the Shoemakers’ Shop, this is a delightful introduction to theatre for very young audiences.

Teachers’ Resources

A resource pack is available to teachers linked to the SPHE syllabus, for exploration and discussion of themes in the play.

Download Teachers resource pack here

Curriculum Play Live 2022

This is the fifth annual productions in our series of the classic plays on the English Syllabus produced by Barnstorm Theatre Company performed in the Watergate Theatre to serve both schools in the region and general audiences.

Previous plays were Translations by Brian Friel in 2016, The Plough and the Stars by Sean O’Casey in 2017, the American classic ALL MY SONS in 2018 and The Playboy of the Western World by JM Synge in 2019 which all proved to be over-whelming successes with schools (some travelling from Dublin and Limerick) and with the general public. The 2022 production Philadelphia, Here I Come! will have a local cast of actors, designed by Harry Harris and directed by Philip Hardy.

Gar O’Donnell, frustrated with the small-town life of Ballybeg, is about to set off for America, not in search of fortune so much as a change of scene. He doesn’t long for an American Dream but escape: from a dysfunctional relationship with his father, from a lost love, from a hundred petty frustrations.

Dates & Times:

Booking at Watergate Theatre:

www.watergatetheatre.com or Tel. 056 7761674

The Quiet Land by Malachy McKenna – Lunchtime Theatre at 3 John’s Quay

Two elderly farmers, Eamon and Nashee, meet at a gate on a remote hillside. These men are old friends, old rivals, old neighbours. They are men of heart, of humour, of hardness. Their conversation is a throwback to a gentler time, when silence was as telling as declaration, and meaning was more often found between the lines than on them. But there’s nothing gentle about today’s conversation. In facing the bitter reality of their remote defiance, they have grown fearful and desperate. Now they are forced to confront each other with some heart-breaking truths that test their friendship to its limit.

The Quiet Land is a celebration of the humour, resilience and endearing innocence of an exiled generation as it struggles to survive in the isolated rural Ireland of today. It is Malachy McKenna’s heartfelt tribute to a rare breed of forgotten men who live a long way in off the road. Winner of the PJ O’Connor Award 2014.

Featuring local actors Ger Cody & Brendan Corcoran, the play was directed by Philip Hardy with design team Harry Harris, Joan Brennan, and Vincent Dempsey. As part of the AKA Fringe Festival 2022, Barnstorm launched its Lunchtime Theatre in collaboration with the Home Rule Club.

By Tom Swift

– “captures the zeitgeist of the young person’s world in this play for children aged 9+ years”

Alice spends virtually all her time in Wolf Wood. You know, the world’s deepest, darkest online game. Why not? Her dad isn’t around, her mother’s gone to Canada to meet a lumberjack and her best friend’s dumped her for a YouTube star. But what happens when the people you meet online come looking for you in real life? Who can you trust, and who is the Big Bad Wolf? This re-telling of the Little Red Riding Hood story is a digital fairy tale that’s deliciously funny and full of dangerously dark twists.

Alice & The Wolf Trailer

Download Teachers resource pack here