It is hard to find a better way to spend a spare hour around college than to catch a short but satisfying afternoon show at Players Theatre. Generally, these shows kick off at 1pm and tend to be less than an hour long, presenting the perfect opportunity for students to engage in some lunchtime entertainment. And if an hour is all you have free, the short running times mean you can both grab something to eat and sit in on a bit of live theatre during your break.
One of the best aspects of these shows is their subject matter, which can be anything and everything. Indeed, this diversity promises to hold something for everyone. Speaking to The University Times, Players member Roisín Dennis talks of how some of the afternoon plays are “devised from classic plays and pieces of writing while some are profound original pieces varying from stories of loss to history to melodramatic love stories”. That said, considering that both plot and theme have only an hour to be developed and explored in these plays, the shows tend to have a slightly more relaxed atmosphere. After the success of the Players Fringe Festival last week, this week’s afternoon shows provide the perfect opportunity to check out the burgeoning young talent in Players. Dennis enthusiastically sees these plays as paramount to the promotion of developing artistry not only in Players but throughout Trinity.
It is evident that a great deal of time, effort and passion goes into these afternoon shows. Tim Leech-Cleary, who wrote and directed a live-streamed play called “TAC” during the Players Fringe Festival this year, describes these plays as “the by-product of weeks of work”, he talks of how “in order to get a play put on, you have to organise a team, a script, and then send it off to the committee, if they like your idea you come in with your team for a meeting, to see if it’s feasible” and all this is before rehearsals even begin! These short performances require about three weeks of rehearsal before they are ready. This makes attending the shows an equally rewarding experience for both those involved in the production and audience members alike.
Final-year English student Finlay Glen directed what was considered to be one of the best of the afternoon shows put on last term. It was a well-achieved farcical comedy called “The Bear”, originally written by Anton Chekhov and then adapted by Brian Friel. The production’s genius lay in its minimal cast, featuring Rob Farrelly, Jade Silke-Featheton and Oisín Walsh and it’s self-contained action. Comedies often work well in the short lunch time slot, as exemplified by “The Bear”, which was noted by several members of Players as a shining example of their afternoon shows.
The audiences at the afternoon shows at Players could use some expansion beyond the society itself. Finlay Glen noted that “the people who generally go are friends of the cast and crew and people who are within Players”. Part of the reason for this somewhat unvaried attendance could be attributed to advertising or perhaps a lack thereof beyond the somewhat insular society. Glen felt a restructuring of the advertising of these shows could help in reaching a wider audience. But it would be excellent if all the work that went into putting on these shows went beyond the social circle of those involved. Glen said he felt “university theatre should be something people outside of a drama society are more aware of and invested in”.
They are definitely worth spending your spare hour at, and who knows, maybe they will awaken a deep love of theatre that you never knew you had.
