Category Archives: Other Productions

In a delightful collision of wit, tragedy, and unexpected connections, “Commencing” by Jane Shepard takes centre stage at Barnstorm’s Lunchtime Theatre series. This award-winning short play invites audiences to witness the magic of a blind date gone awry, where two people find themselves on a journey that defies expectations.

Kelli and her blind date, both quick-witted and unafraid to speak their minds, are deeply marked by their past experiences. Their hope for the future shines through, even as they grapple with unexpected twists.

“Commencing” invites us to reflect on life’s complexities, all while keeping the audience guessing. Prepare for a blend of humour and unexpected connections that will leave you pondering long after the curtain falls.

Performance Details:

• Venue: Barnstorm Studio, 3 John’s Quay, Kilkenny R95T382
• Dates: 24 to 28 June 2024 weekdays at 1pm sharp
• Tickets: Available online at Gr8 Events or on the door

Don’t miss this lunchtime treat—join us for “Commencing” and experience the magic of unexpected encounters.

For media inquiries, please contact: Philip Hardy 056 7751266

Barnstorm’s Lunchtime Theatre series is dedicated to bringing quality theatrical experiences to our community during the lunch hour. Our intimate venue provides a unique setting for short plays, allowing audiences to escape the daily grind and immerse themselves in captivating stories while eating lunch.

Barnstorm Bench Tales – The world premiere of three new exciting plays in a series of open-air performances on park benches as part of Kilkenny Arts Festival. Clandestine meetings and chance encounters – the socially-distant audience ‘spied’ on the drama from afar in a unique theatre experience.

Bench Tales – There is Always Tomorrow by Joe Bergin A chance meeting between a young woman and an older man on a park bench may not be all that it seems.  Why has she come here and what is she looking for?  As she attempts to uncover the truth, is she fully prepared for what she might find?

Bench Tales – Pink Makes the Boys Wink by Julie Sharkey A comic, full of heart story about getting old. How time can creep up on us and take us by surprise. A story about three women. One woman’s compassion. One woman’s fear and one woman’s joy in Hello magazine.

Bench Tales – The Last Trip to Tipp by Gemma Creagh It’s 1994. Lorraine, Emma and Mairead are three friends heading in very different directions. Well not literally. Right now, they are all on their way to Féile – and with a line up like Crowded House, Primal Scream, The Prodigy, The Cranberries, Björk, and Blur – the craic will be fierce. With one mouldy tent, ancient sleeping bags and a fine slab of Lindon Village cans, they wait on a lift from their flaky friend, Suzanne – who’s late as usual.

Event details

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.