Introduction and History of the Group

Gorey Little Theatre Group, based in Gorey, Co Wexford, celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2001, with a production of "The Whiteheaded Boy" by Lennox Robinson on October 17th, 18th and 19th.

For any theatre company, this is a remarkable achievement and Gorey Little Theatre Group is one of the most successful, consistent and longest running groups in the country.

In 1951 a group of people met in Redmond's Hotel, now "The Loch Garman Arms", with the idea of forming a drama society and by the end of the meeting, Gorey Little Theatre Group had been created.  Their first production was "The Whiteheaded Boy" by Lennox Robinson, directed by the late Gretta Doran.  Her brother Michael featured in that cast and has appeared on stage many times since, most recently in the Summer 2003 production of  "See How They Run" and the most recent pantomime "Robinson Crusoe" (2004).

At the time Gorey had no hall or suitable building to house The Group and they found themselves performing in various locations around the town including the Upper School and the Franciscan Hall. Once a show was staged at the Show Grounds where the noise of the rain on the galvanised roof competed with dialogue on stage and won!  Audiences, to their great credit followed the group from venue to venue and a large part of the success of the group is this local support and interest.

In 1957 a site was purchased and although this temporarily exhausted funds, Gorey Little Theatre opened its doors with John B Keane's "The Field" in 1971.  With thanks to the commitment of the committees over the years and the support of the local community, many improvements have been made.  Indeed, without the assistance of hundreds of enthusiastic individuals down through the years, Gorey Little Theatre Group would not have survived or grown to its current strength.  Very important also is the financial support received from Wexford County Council.  More recently the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms. Sile deValera, TD, granted The Group £290,000 to help with their plans to renovate the theatre.  This will include a new foyer and dressing rooms as well as new, more comfortable seating.  All this work was completed by early 2003.

The Group aims to put on two productions a year and probably the most famous of these is the Summer Show.  It has run continuously every summer since it was first performed in 1967.  Each year a production is put on twice a week for the months of July and August, this serves to entertain not only the local community but also the holidaymakers in the area.  The second play is produced with Drama Festivals in mind, and over the years The Group has enjoyed considerable distinction.  It has won a place in the Athlone finals on twelve occasions and twice to the Belfast Opera House when it took the premier award in 1983 for Hugh Leonard's "A Life" and second place the following year with "Translations" by Brian Friel.  It also won the P.J. O'Connor play competition run by RTE and in 1980 The Group won the All Ireland One Act Competition with a production of Terence Rattigan's "The Browning Version".

However competition is not the main focus of the group, drama along with entertainment is.  A Pantomime has become a regular feature in Gorey and the theatre has become more and more a cultural centre for the South East and features activities that range from visiting opera companies and musicals to recitals and workshops.  The theatre has also been the home of the South Leinster Drama Festival since 1954.

"The Whiteheaded Boy" is a special play for The Group as it is was the first production after it's conception in 1951.  The Group continues to be very fortunate in that significant numbers want to be involved and that the people of North Wexford and beyond give the Group so much encouragement. This anniversary is a celebration of that strength.

Our recently refurbished Theatre was officially opened by one of the oldest members of the Group, Michael Doran, on Saturday 23 March 2003. The official opening was followed by a number of musical and dance acts. Sadly, Michael Doran passed away in May of 2006, may he rest in peace. The line up also included a one-act play called "St. Patrick's Day" performed by the Group and directed by David Warren.

The entire night was a great success with our patrons complimenting the Group on the splendid work done to the Theatre.