General, Workshop

Workshop – 21/01/2020

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We are pleased to announce that this week’s workshop facilitator is Siobhan ‘Shivvy’ Hickey.

Through various exercises, both improv and script based, Siobhan will guide workshop participants on how to give/get the best to/from your acting partner.

Siobhan Hickey is a writer and actor who has been involved with No Drama Theatre for over 10 years.

Throughout her time with the group, she has performed in various No Drama main productions in a variety of different roles and taken part numerous times in the now well established No Drama Monologue Nights (now known as the No Drama Bring your Own Nights).

Siobhan also developed and performed a one-woman stand-up show, ‘Dear Diary… and other notions of a romantic nature’, based on her childhood diaries and romantic endeavours which was well received by its Dublin audiences.

As well as performing onstage, Siobhan has also directed (‘Closer’ by Patrick Marber), produced and performed all marketing duties for 3 sell out runs of No Drama Theatre productions (‘Harvey’, ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’, ‘Gaslight’).

Some of Siobhan’s poetry can be seen on both the ‘Whispered Words After Midnight’ Facebook and Instagram pages and next month will see the debut performance of Siobhan’s spoken word piece ‘Voices’ as part of the Smock Alley Theatre Scene + Heard Festival (February 12th & 13th).

Doors 6:45 | Workshop 7 pm | CBS Synge Street

€10 per workshop | €25 for the month | Free if it’s your first No Drama workshop

General, Workshop

Workshop – 07/01/2019

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It’s a hideous Monday out there but here’s a little something to cheer you up… Workshop info!

Tomorrow’s workshop will be facilitated by the immensely talented Shane Robinson.

“The workshop shall cover the importance of being available to your scene partner and how to make them look good and in return it’ll do the same for you.

Creating an environment of play and discovery is vital to keep the work interesting so we’ll be working on exercises to take your out of your head and into whats truly happening in the moment with your scene partner. The present is a present to yourself so allow yourself to fail spectacularly and you’ll discover there is no such thing when you’re free from judgement. Sounds very biblical doesn’t it? I promise it’s not and it’ll heaps of fun so dive right in.”

Shane Robinson has been a professional actor for nearly over a decade. He teaches improv in Bow St., where he graduated from the full time programme for screen acting back in 2015. He’s been a member of No Drama since it’s very inception back in 2008 and has had the privilege of being cast in eight main productions.

His recent credits include ‘This Nan’s life’ starring Catherine Tate, Boyz on Top (a web series about a failed boy band produced by failsafe films), ‘Vikings’ Season 6 and ‘Jack Taylor’.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5696868/

Doors 6:45 | Workshop 7 pm | CBS Synge Street

€10 per workshop | €25 for the month | Free if it’s your first No Drama workshop

General, Workshop

Workshop – 10/12/2019

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Tomorrow’s workshop (10th December 2019) is going to be facilitated by Megan Carter.

“Body Listening”

Megan will lead participants through several exercises designed to get actors out of their heads and into their bodies. Participants will explore auditory learning and abstract movement techniques to help them fully access and embody emotional resonance and rich imagery in text.

Megan Carter is an actor and writer originally from Kansas City in the United States. She holds a BA in Theatre from Loyola University Chicago and an MA in Classical Acting from LAMDA, and has also studied at the London Dramatic Academy. Megan recently played Kate in Kate Crackernuts with No Drama, appeared as Emer in He Said / She Said as part of the inaugural Short + Sweet Dublin Festival, and starred as Patty in the short film Going Steady. She has previously taught workshops with Asterisk Arts Collective in Chicago.

Doors 6:45 | Workshop 7 pm | CBS Synge Street

€10 per workshop | €25 for the month | Free if it’s your first No Drama workshop

General, Production

‘Gaslight’ – Review

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By Ciaran Milton

No Drama’s Gaslight at Smock Alley is highly recommended.

In one sense the staging of this play could not be more timely, given that its title has now become a byword for gender-skewed manipulation and bullying. In another sense it is a treat to watch a straight up stage-thriller from the forties performed so adroitly and, in a wise choice, without any ironic winks to the modern audience.

The cast are so game and committed that Patrick Hamilton’s plot mechanics are allowed to ratchet to their inevitable conclusion.

Elizabeth Ann Doyle is excellent as Bella Manningham, vulnerable to the exploitations of her husband – a schemer of mysterious intent who from the outset undermines her sense of worth and sanity – but maybe not as vulnerable as we think.

Philip Arneill as her gimlet eyed husband (and our evening’s antagonist) eyes his surroundings and anyone in his orbit with the right balance of entitlement, greed and, inevitably, fear.

Declan Ryan brings levity and charm to the occasionally oleaginous role of Detective Rough, the spanner in Mr. Manningham’s works.

The production is a huge success, and a wonderful thriller to be engrossed in for the evening.

And No Drama stalwarts Helen McGrath and Siobhan Hickey make sure-footed work of the roles of the maids caught in the proxy snares of the house – Elizabeth meaning only to work for both their benefit, but Nancy clearly eyeing the sides for her advantage.

Tickets: €15 | €12 student/OAP/unwaged concession

Tickets available from https://smockalley.com/gaslight/

General, Workshop

Workshop – 26/11/2019

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Tomorrow’s workshop will be facilitated by none other than No Drama Theatre Chairperson, Louise Dunne!

Louise’s workshop will be centred around putting into practise our storytelling techniques for theatre.

Doors 6:45 | Workshop 7 pm | CBS Synge Street

€10 per workshop | €25 for the month | Free if it’s your first No Drama workshop

General, Workshop

Workshop – 19/11/2019

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This Tuesday (19th November) we are proud to present a storytelling workshop with Aron Hegarty of Candlelit Tales.

“The world is a story, we just need to know how to tell it best. Beginning with warm ups to loosen the artist within, we will set off on a journey through narration and find your own unique style of telling your tale. We are all storytellers after all, we are brought up on stories, we create stories and we frame the world through stories, so join us to find the storyteller within you and who knows what stories you might tell.”

Doors 6:45 | Workshop 7 pm | CBS Synge Street

€10 per workshop | €25 for the month | Free if it’s your first No Drama workshop

General, Workshop

Workshop – 12/11/2019

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Many thanks to Renee van de Schoor for running last week’s workshop at short notice so we take a rewind this week and present to you:

A (re)Introduction to Introductions with Johnny Shortall.

Like all great opening gambits this week’s workshop is a little late in getting to the point but has finally arrived!

“From establishing the setting, the characters and plot we will look at how to craft a compelling beginning, both through scripted work and improvisation, that keeps the audience on the very edge of their seat from the start.”

Postponed from last week we’re know that this one will be worth the wait.

Johnny Shortall is a No Drama theatre veteran, having directed, written and acted in numerous productions. He is currently operating as the production manager for Gaslight, our winter production.

Doors 6:45 | Workshop 7 pm | CBS Synge Street

€10 per workshop | €25 for the month | Free if it’s your first No Drama workshop

General, Workshop

Workshop – 05/11/2019

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The theme for the No Drama November Workshops storytelling and engaging your audience.

Our first facilitator of the month is none other than No Drama’s Johnny Shortall.

“An Introductions to Introductions. This week’s workshop will focus on where all good stories start, the beginning! From establishing the setting, the characters and plot we will look at how to craft a compelling beginning, both through scripted work and improvisation, that keeps the audience on the very edge of their seat from the start.”

Johnny Shortall is a No Drama theatre veteran, having directed, written and acted in numerous productions. He is currently operating as the production manager for ‘Gaslight’, our winter production.

Doors 6:45 | Workshop 7 pm | CBS Synge Street

€10 per workshop | €25 for the month | Free if it’s your first No Drama workshop

General, Workshop

Workshop – 29/10/2019

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Our final workshop of October takes place tomorrow at 7pm and, holy heck, do we have a doozie for you!

Renée van de Schoor will be leading us through devising and creating theatre through physicality.

“In this workshop we will explore elements of devising theatre: a method of theatre making in which the performance/piece originates from a collaborative working process.

Using physicality as the main tool, we will explore expression through physicality, creating collaborative work and mixing it together to create a devised piece.”

Renée van de Schoor graduated from the University of the Arts Utrecht, with a degree in Theatre and Education.

Throughout her studies, she directed several productions with a heavily physical component, and graduated with a completely devised production.

Renée has been extensively involved with No Drama Theatre, she gained experience both on stage and behind the scenes as director, actor and producer and in her current role as secretary in the group’s committee.

After directing a sell-out production of ‘And Then There Were None’, she produced ‘Closer’. Furthermore, she appeared as Woman in ‘The Virtuous Burglar’, Lilly and Lilith in ‘She Kills Monsters’ and in performance piece ‘Heed, to the Mound’ as part of Fringe Festival Dublin (photo). Renée was production manager of ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ and directed ‘Haven’ as part of Scene + Heard Festival 2019.

Most recently, she directed ‘Mistaken’ as part of Short + Sweet Festival Dublin, which was on in the Sean O’Casey Theatre last week.

Doors 6:45 | Workshop 7 pm | CBS Synge Street

€10 per workshop | €25 for the month | Free if it’s your first No Drama workshop