Kildare theatre company receives national award
The cast and crew of The Odd Theatre's Sunday in the Park with George
KILDARE'S Odd Theatre Company’s Irish premiere production of has been named Best Overall Show at the Irish musical theatre awards. The group, which has been producing musicals and plays in Kildare since 2017, received the award at the Association of Irish Musical Societies’ (AIMS) Awards Ceremony in Killarney on Saturday evening.
The AIMS Awards, which have been running since 1972, celebrate excellence in the more than 100 community musical theatre productions that take place in Ireland each year. This year's awards were hosted by broadcaster Fergal D'Arcy and held at the Gleneagle Arena.
The musical’s lead actors, Orla Williams and Peter Manning, also picked up the Best Actress and Best Male Singer awards, respectively, for their roles in the production.
Orla, from Naas, has previously performed as a soloist with Riverdance and has appeared at venues such as the National Concert Hall and the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, while Peter, from Kilcock, has performed as a soloist with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra.
The production’s director, Cian O’Dowd, was named a runner-up for the Best Director award, with the company also finishing as a runner-up in the Best Chorus and Best Technical categories.
Sunday in the Park with George was written by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, the creative team behind the musical hit . Sondheim’s other work as a composer includes and , while his work as a lyricist includes and .
Spanning a century, presents a fictionalised account of the life of neo-impressionist painter Georges Seurat, and his great-grandson, as they each struggle to forge their own artistic paths.
The show’s director, Cian O’Dowd, said: “Winning the Best Overall Show, Best Actress, and Best Male Singer awards underlines, not only the strength and quality of this production, but the ability of to resonate with audiences.
"This timeless piece of theatre is laced with humour, romance, and real insight into what it means to follow your dreams, and was performed in this production by a truly exemplary cast.”
