Carlow Little Theatre Society presents two plays by Barry McKinley

Carlow Little Theatre Society presents two new One-Act plays by acclaimed Carlow author and playwright, Barry McKinley, '3KINGS', and 'WATERMARK' at The Home Rule Club (Barnstorm theatre studio), Kilkenny, at 8pm, on Saturday 5th October 2024.

'3KINGS'

'3Kings' is Carlow Little Theatre Society's entry into this year's All-Ireland, One Act Festival circuit.

The play is set against the backdrop of a wintry Montana. Three convicts plan to break out of a penitentiary by scaling a Christmas tree and jumping the prison wall. Things don’t go according to plan during the breakout.

The men realise that everything has changed and their ‘heroic’ escape on Christmas Eve has turned into a murder ballad. Only two men will survive in this frozen backcountry. But which two?

3Kings keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, shifting seamlessly between laughter and heartfelt drama as the escaped convicts try to affect their escape and navigate the difficulties of life on the run.

The cast features:

Jamie Dockery as Mover.

Paul Dunne as J.I.

Paul McManus as Big Boy.

Paddy O'Byrne as the Guard

Directed by Deirdre Fleming

Running time: : Approximately 35 minutes.

WATERMARK

Also on the bill for the evening is Watermark, which follows the journey of Maura, an enigmatic Irishwoman who arrives in London during the 1950s. Confronted with a dire illness, Maura resolves to live each day as if it were her last. Her quest leads her into the shadowy corners of West London's demi-monde, where she encounters a peculiar celebrity known only as the Old Beast. This man, marked by his serpent-headed walking cane and his unsettling fondness for silk worms, offers to grant Maura's wish—but with a chilling condition.

"I want to hold something young and watch it die," he tells her. "I want to squeeze the spark until it becomes a cinder."

At the heart of the story is Maura's response to this dark request. And lest you think her words are those of an old woman dreaming, Maura has something to show you—something that still carries the aroma of a bygone era and proof that the devil can be beaten at his own game.

Featuring Deirdre Fleming as Maura.

Directed by Barry McKinley

Running time: : Approximately 15 minutes.

Barry McKinley | About

Barry McKinley has spent a large chunk of his life travelling and working in different parts of the globe London, Paris, Sydney and Los Angeles; he spent a dozen years in New York City before returning to Ireland with his wife and twin sons in 2006.

His plays have been performed in the US, UK, and Continental Europe.

He has written for the BBC and RTE and was nominated for Best New Play at the Irish Theatre Awards (Elysium Nevada) in 2010.

His stories were twice shortlisted for the Hennessy Literary Award and his novel, A Ton of Malice, was published in 2017 by Old Street Publishing (UK). A Ton of Malice is a chronicle of chaos from the late 1970's when McKinley, a young punk at the time, worked for British Nuclear Fuels Ltd.

He is currently working on two new novels: RAINY TOWN and MANHATTAN LOVERS.

For more about Barry's work see: www.barrymckinley.com