Navan Historical Society - List of Productions 1941

List of Productions 1941 - 2006

Repertoire of Navan Pioneer Players in the 1940s and 1950s

Year                         Play                                  Playwright Producer
1941                      The Camel’s Back Lionel A. Cranfield Arnold Helsby
1942                  Cupboard Love Lionel A. Cranfield Bernard Duffy
1943 The New Gossoon
(Performed in association with O’Growney GAA group outside Navan) George Shiels

1944 One act comedy sketch for the Pioneer concert in Navan

1945/46 No specific record noted

1947 The Money Doesn’t Matter Louis D’Alton

1948 They Got What They Wanted Louis D’Alton

1948 After Hours

1949 They Got What They Wanted Louis D’Alton

The plays noted below were referred to by Stapleton but it was not possible to ascertain the year of production, although it was thought they were produced in the 1940s or early 1950s.

Drama at Inish Lennox Robinson
The Tempting of Dermot O’Hurley
On the Race Course Lady Gregory
Bishop’s Candlestick Norman Mc Kinnel

Year	Play	Playwright
1950	The Rising of the Moon	Lady Gregory
1950/51	Bugle in the Blood	Bryan McMahon
1952	City of Kings	Rev. Urban Nangle
1952	The Able Dealer	J. B. McCarthy
1952	Cassidy’s Chair	Seamus Burke
1952/53	The Far Off Hills	Lennox Robinson
1954	Home is the Hero	Walter Macken
1954	Fledged and Flown	Longfellow (adapted)
1955	Blood Is Thicker than Water	John McCann
1955/56	Is the Priest at Home	Joseph Tomelty
1955/56	The Shadow of the Glen	Sean O’Casey
1955/56	The Will and the Way	M. J. Molloy
1957	Crabbed Youth and Age	Lennox Robinson
1957	All Souls Night	Joseph Tomelty
1957/58	A Leap in the Dark[1]	Hugh Leonard
1959/60	Sive	John B. Keane
1959/60	The Country Boy	John Murphy

[1] An interesting note in the advert for A Leap in The Dark (Meath Chronicle, April 13^th 1957) stated that this was a three act play by Hugh Leonard based on recent events in Northern Ireland. The advert outlined that this was the first amateur production after a long run in the Abbey Theatre Dublin.

Repertoire of Navan Pioneer Players in the 1960s

Year Play Playwright

1959-1963 Sive John B. Keane
1959-1963 The Country Boy John Murphy
1961/62 Many Young Men of Twenty John B. Keane
1962 The Dark is Light Enough Christopher Fry.

1963 The Honey Spike BryanMcMahon
1963 In Wild Earth James O’Donnell and Joseph Cassidy.
1963 The Rising of the Moon LadyGregory
1963/64 The Man From Clare John B.Keane
1964 A Priest in the Family John Synge and Kieran Tunney
1964 The Plough and the Stars Sean O’Casey
1965 Some consideration given to producing The Colleen Bawn but this was not pursued.

Group also planned the amateur premier of: The Wooing of Duvesa Dion Boucicault, but this did not take place.

1966 A Light in the Sky Donal Giltinan
1966 The Irish Woman of the Year John Power
1967 Big Maggie John B. Keane
1967 The Wood of the Whispering; The Paddy Pedlar M. J. Molloy
1968 The Year of the Hiker John B. Keane
1969 The Poker Session Hugh Leonard

Repertoire of Navan Pioneer Players in the 1970s

Year	Play	Playwright
1970	The Visit (Considered but not produced )	Frederick Durranmatte
1970	Tarry Flynn	P. J. O’Connor’s stage adaptation of Patrick Kavanagh’s novel
1972	Double Door	Elizabeth McFadden
1973	Juno and the Paycock	Sean O’Casey
1975	The Field	John B. Keane
1975	Miss Julie	August Strindberg
1975/76	A Man for All Seasons	Robert Bolt

Repertoire of Navan Players in the 1970s

Year Play Playwright

1970 Love From a Stranger / Producer: Bobby Byrne Frank Vosper
1975 The Whiteheaded Boy / Producer: Bobby Byrne Lennox Robinson
1975 Lovers / Producer: John Murphy Brian Friel
1975 Bedtime Story / Producer: John Murphy Sean O’Casey
1975 The Bear Anton Chekhov
1976/77/78 Us and Them David Crampton
1977 The Cheviot, The Stag & The Black Black Oil John McGrath
1978 The Death of Cuchulainn W. B. Yeats
1978 Liam Liar Hugh Leonard
1978/79 Lovers - Losers Brian Friel
1979 A Scent of Flowers James Saunders
1980 Equus Peter Shaeffer

[ The plays from 1975 were produced by Padraig Walshe.]

Repertoire of Navan Theatre Group from 1991 to 2006

Year Play Playwright Director

1991 Juno and the Paycock Sean O’Casey Billy Goonan
1992 Mick and Mick Hugh Leonard Billy Goonan
1993 The Communication Cord Brian Friel Billy Goonan
1994 I Do Not Like Thee Doctor Fell Bernard Farrell Billy Goonan
1995 A Doll’s House Henrik Ibsen Billy Goonan
1996 See How They Run Philip King Billy Goonan
1997 The Plough and the Stars Sean O’Casey Billy Goonan
1998 Big Maggie John B. Keane Billy Goonan
1999 All In Favour Said No Bernard Farrell Billy Goonan
2000 The Field John B. Keane Billy Goonan
2001 Bernadette (cancelled)

2002 Don’t Dress for Dinner Marc Camoletti Padraig Browne
2003 A Tomb with a View Norman Robbins Padraig Browne
2004 Play On Rick Abbott Padraig Browne
2005 Juno and the Paycock Sean O’Casey John Grant
2006 An evening of One Act Plays

A Talk in the Park Alan Ayckbourn Caitríona Heslin

Mother Figure Alan Ayckbourn Catriona Heslin

Distracted Globe Nick Warburton John Grant

SOLSTICE ARTS CENTRE, Navan

2006 Sive John B. Keane John Grant

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Go to navantheatregroup.com for more information for 1991 to date.