Yet again, DU Players has made running a virtual festival during a pandemic appear effortless. From March 17th to 20th, the Millennium Festival radiated the glorious energy of a society that has not allowed restrictions to repress it. Speaking to The University Times, Chairperson Ultan Pringle reinforces the vitality of the society: “Players has always been known as a bastion of creativity and life on campus and with Millennium, we’ve truly showcased how we have that same spirit both online and off.” Designed as a celebration of “Us”, each day of the festival was given a theme: birth, life, death and afterlife, in honour of the cycle of existence.
Millennium Festival’s Tumblr page
As part of the festival, members of the society were invited to create sensory installations inspired by their preferred theme from the cycle of life. These contributions were then showcased on a Tumblr page full of beautiful audiovisual work from poetry readings to photography. The society’s brilliant use of publicity and communications meant that these installations were widely publicised and made easily accessible to all DU Players members and to the wider public. A personal favourite was Leigha Plunkett’s stunning installation “Choose Myself”, which featured emotive video clips discussing the greater meaning of life.
The Tumblr link can be accessed via the DU Players official Instagram @duplayers.
Stuck Somewhere New
Morghan Whelt and Faith Hand-Jones’ joint directing venture “Stuck Somewhere New” was an interactive online show that invited the audience on a beautifully-crafted theatrical treasure hunt. Through an elegant website, the audience could take multiple paths to short clips of theatre that told different, engaging stories.
In conversation with The University Times, Whelt explains that “with everyone being trapped at home and inside their rooms, we wanted to explore the question of how subjective a place and location can be”. Whelt also emphasises the piece’s pioneering nature: “We tried to create a new art form, and I think pushing boundaries is part of the festival.”
This show can be accessed via the DU Players official Youtube account @duplayers.
Do as I tweet not as I do
Gabrielle Fullam’s stunning collage-style show followed a sensitive portrayal of a young woman attempting to navigate the increasingly overwhelming pressures of modern life. The show dealt perceptively with a range of themes from Twitter influencers to issues of race. The show’s innovative use of voice-overs paired with Fullam’s insightful writing made it an extremely compelling piece of theatre and a definite must-watch.
This show can be accessed via the DU Players official YouTube account @duplayers.
ECHO
Cillian O’Donnell and Aofie Cronin’s devised show ECHO headlined the Millenium festival. Revolving around the disappearance of a woman, the show was hauntingly ethereal in its use of audio and visuals. In conversation with The University Times, O’Donnell and Cronin explain that they “wanted to tell a story in the second person, without ever really finding out the truth”. “The story is presented through snippets and comments and whispers”, they explain – “each of which we felt fit the themes of the Millennium Festival”.
This show can be accessed via the DU Players official YouTube account @duplayers.
Players Paradise Found Ball
The festival concluded on Saturday night with the virtual DU Players Ball 2021. As the first ever Players Ball held over Zoom, the event was an immense success with numbers reaching close to 100 participants. Based on the theme “Paradise Found”, the event featured three main stages and multiple breakout rooms, which included everything from art installations and poetry performances to tarot card readings. The ball was a superb way to conclude a magnificently executed festival week.
