The Night Joe Dolan’s Car Broke Down

Thurs 16th - Sat 18th Sept, 8:30pm, €€18/€€16

“The Irish answer to Mamma Mia!!!”

Written and directed by Padraic McIntyre

Set in a rural pub in Co. Cavan on a stormy St. Stephen’s night locals gather for the 60th birthday party of local legend The Horse Munley. As the play unfolds so too does the mayhem and hilarity as the secrets of a host of local characters are revealed.

The storm worsens and as people head for home, a knock on the door brings the night’s entertainment to a new level.

With live music ranging from The Wren Boys to Joe Dolan, this is laugh-out-loud funny, as well as being a fitting and sensitive tribute to a man who was a music legend in this country.

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Little Gem

Fri 24th - Sat 25th Sept, 8:30pm, €€18/€€16

Kay’s got an itch that Gem can’t scratch (but maybe Kermit can)... Lorraine attacks a customer at work and her boss wants her to see a psychiatrist... Amber has fierce bad indigestion and the sambucas aren’t getting rid of it. Then there’s Paul, who’s just using Amber until he can get to Australia... and there’s the hairy man who fancies Lorraine but fails to rise to the occasion... and of course Gem, who doesn’t like the neighbours coming in to ‘mind’ him. And if all that wasn't bad enough, Little Gem makes his presence felt and, well... life is never the same again.

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Liam Lawton - The Hope Prayer Tour

Sun 26th Sept, 8:30pm, €€20

Following on from the huge success of his book ‘The Hope Prayer’, Liam presents a performance which explores the stories and songs behind his book.

Such themes as Love, Loss, Hope and Healing are presented with anecdotes and reflections from the book linked beautifully with some new and old songs.

Liam’s voice has a beauty of its own, gentle, ethereal and full of pathos as he sings of a world that is full of mystery reaching beyond the banality of every day life.

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Frank McNamara & Guests

Fri 1st Oct, 8:30pm, €€20/€€18

Well known to Irish audiences for his work on Irish television (The Late Late Show), Frank McNamara is embarking on his first Irish Tour ever. This is a family entertainment show with music and song ranging in style from light classical, Irish and contemporary. From Beethoven to Les Miserables, this show is guaranteed to appeal to a wide audience and age group.

His son J.J. (aged 11) recently performed on television on The Late Late Show with his dad and as a soloist on Star Search. Charlotte (aged 9) is a Gold Medal winner at the prestigious Sutton Park Music Festival for her vocal performance; she is also an accomplished violinist.

On a quirky note: during this evening’s show, Frank will make an attempt on The Guinness World’s Record for the fastest rendition of ‘Flight of the Bumble-bee’!

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John Waters & Johnny Duhan - The Prodigals

Sat 2nd Oct, 8:30pm, €€18/€€16

Writer John Waters and songwriter Johnny Duhan join forces for an evening of readings and music that explores their experiences growing up in an ever-changing Ireland and their return to the faith that they wrestled with and abandoned as young men.

Johnny Duhan’s songs, which include The Voyage and Just Another Town are sung all over the world in a variety of languages, thanks to the focus put on them by Christie Moore, The Dubliners, Mary Black and hosts of other Irish and international singers. His forthcoming album is entitled The Burning Word.

Well-known writer and journalist John Waters began his career with Hot Press and has been a feature writer with the Irish Times since 1990. His recent books include Lapsed Agnostic and Beyond Consolation.

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Philadelphia Here I Come

Thurs 7th - Sat 9th Oct, 8.30pm, €€18/€€16

In a newly-established theatre project, Backstage Theatre has brought together local actors and professional theatre practitioners for an exciting new production of Brian Friel’s well known play Philadelphia, Here I Come!. Directed by Noel Strange, this is the first production to be devised and developed out of the newly launched Canal Studio at Backstage.

Fed up with his dreary life in Ballybeg, an uncommunicative father, a dead end job in his father’s grocery shop, a frustrated love for Kathy Doogan, Gareth O’Donnell has accepted his aunt’s invitation to come to Philadelphia.

Now on the eve of his departure, the enormity of what he has chosen to do hits him.

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Two One Act Comedy Plays

Fri 15th & Sat 16th Oct, 8.30pm, €€12/€€10

The Extraordinary Revelations of Orca the Goldfish by David Tristram

For Henry Smith life was rarely dull. For Alice Smith life was rarely anything else. Enter Michel French waiter tall, dark, and available. Exactly what happened next, no-one’s quite sure ...

A Respectable Wedding by Rory Bremner

A drunken father. A furniture-making groom. A way-out poet. All combine to make a hilarious evening of farce.

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Aisling Festival

Mon 18th - Fri 22nd Oct, 7.30pm, €€5

The Man Who Planted Trees

A unique blend of comedy, puppetry and inspired storytelling. A captivating adaptation of Jean Giono’s environmental cult classic. A French shepherd sets out with his dog to plant a forest and transform a barren wasteland.

Hear the wind, feel the rain, smell the lavender in this multisensory story that shows us the difference one man (and his dog!) can make to the world.

For adults and children aged 7 and over. 60+ minutes

3-2-1 Project

The children of St. Joseph’s NS and Stonepark NS star in the play they wrote themselves! - Once again Chris Thompson and Doug Fox-Roberts unleash upon the world the awesome creative talent harnessed in two local schools!

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The Ballad of Pat McNab

Thursday 28th October, 8.30pm, €€18/€€16

A new play by Pat McCabe.

Pat McNab lives with his mother. Or does he? Maybe he’s killed her! Local people come calling and terrible things happen. Or do they? Is it all in his head?

But we still like Pat. Why is that?

A rollercoaster of a story with a rip-roaring sound track and two towering performances from Aaron Monaghan and Padraic McIntyre.

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Out of Time

Tuesday 2nd November, 8.30pm, €€15/€€12

by Colin Dunne

Perhaps best known for his performances and choreography for Riverdance, Colin Dunne returns to Ireland with his solo dance show following a critically acclaimed international tour.

Nominated for an Olivier Award and a UK Critics Circle Award Out of Time combines dance, sound design, film and spoken commentary and is a fascinating insight into Dunne's private world as a dancer rooted in the Irish step dance tradition.

Intimate, personal and provocative, Out of Time is both an unsentimental homage to Irish step-dance and a bold statement of Dunne’s personal and artistic relationship with a tradition that has shaped his life.

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One Act Festival Heats

Fri 5th - Sun 7th Nov, Fri & Sat 8.00pm, Sun 7:30pm, €€10/€8 Season Ticket €€25

Contenders from all over the country compete for honours in the Open and Confined sections of the Longford heats of the All Ireland One Act Drama Festival.

Nine amateur drama groups will be giving their all in the hopes of making it to the finals held in the Mill Theatre, Dundrum later this year.

The adjudicator for the week-end is Anne Mekitarian.

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Conal Gallen - "Ya Have to Laugh"

Friday 12th, 8.30pm, €€25

Yes! Ireland’s Comedy King is back! With his new show “Ya Have To Laugh”. It does exactly what it says on the tin!

This show is sure to have you in stitches from start to finish. With 29 Albums (Yes! 29!), numerous awards, including a double platinum disc for album sales in Ireland it is easy to see why Conal Gallen has become one of Ireland's most successful comedians.

These are just some of the things people have been saying about Conal Gallen.

Early booking is very strongly advised as they don't call him ‘Close The Doors’ Gallen for nothing!

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Neil Delamere - Implement of Divilment

Saturday 13th, 8.30pm, €€20/€€18

Neil returns with his usual mix of quick-fire banter and hilarious storytelling in this fantastic new show.

Catch the star of The Panel and the Republic of Telly as he wends his way through both his recent travel and travails detailing all the mistakes made along the way.

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You Can't Stop The Beat!

Mon15th - Fri 19th, 8.00pm, €€12/€€8

A wealth of local talent blaze across the stage in this year's all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza.

Directed by Brian Murray. Musical direction by Paul Gurney. Proceeds go to Longford Hospice.

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The Girl who Forgot to Sing Badly

Thursday 25th, 11:00am & 7:00pm, €€8

€Ages 7+
Sometimes it takes a girl sized human to solve an adult sized problem. Peggy O’Hegarty and her parents are packers. They squeeze fruit into tins, foxes into boxes, even bikes into brown paper bags. And all the while Peggy sings with the voice of an angel – a grossly unfortunate angel, who can’t sing at all.

But one day work stops working, and the jobs stop coming, and Peggy steps outside to find that winter has arrived… and everyone in her city gone!

Ingenious performer Louis Lovett leads the audience on an untamed adventure that crosses snowy lands and wild seas. As Peggy desperately tries to save the day, we learn about love, loss, the reassurance of goats, and the courage to sing gloriously on or off-key.

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John O’Conor

Friday 26th, 8.30pm, €€18/€€12

John O’Conor has deservedly earned a worldwide reputation as a masterful interpreter of the Classic and early-Romantic repertoires for piano. He has toured the world in recital and concerto appearances and makes regular visits to Europe, the USA, Japan, Korea and China. His many recordings have been critically and commercially acclaimed, including his recently released recordings of the complete Beethoven Piano Concertos with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andreas Delfs.

For his services to music he has been decorated with “l‘Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” by the French Government, the “Ehrenkreuz fur Wissenschaft und Kunst” by the Austrian Government and has received many other awards.

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Jon Kenny - Live

Saturday 27th, 8.30pm, €€20

“I have made a conscious decision to pare everything back and create a show that will allow us all to look at where we are now and how we got here. I have returned to what I was doing a long time ago and the reaction is fantastic. I am starting back at base and creating lots of situations and characters that people will relate to and we can all have a good long laugh at ourselves.” Jon Kenny

Jon Kenny Live heralds a return for Jon to the type of work that gave him the reputation as one of the most talented comedians in Ireland. Formally one half of the hugely successful duo d’Unbelievables, Jon Kenny is a multi talented actor, stand-up comedian, musician and singer.

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Slattery’s Sago Saga

Wed 1st, 8.30pm, €€18/€€16

The sell-out comic hit of the summer returns in the shape of Slattery’s Sago Saga! Flann O'Brien’s comic masterpiece is brought roaring to life by Arthur Riordan - writer of international hit Improbable Frequency.

In Slattery’s Sago Saga, Tim Hartigan’s quiet life at Poguemahone Hall is shattered by the arrival of a Scotch woman with a ridiculously evil plan and utter confusion awaits in the shape of a politically-correct Leprechaun, a beautiful typist and a tycoon T.D. bent on bankrupting the country.

One part carnival, one part surreal satire on modern Ireland, Slattery’s Sago Saga is another unforgettable theatrical adventure from The Performance Corporation - the people who brought you Irish Times Award winning Candide and The Nose as well as the Kilkenny and Edinburgh Fringe hit Dr. Ledbetter’s Experiment.

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Outsiders - David McWilliams

Thursday 2nd, 8.30pm, €€18/€€16

Leading economist and commentator David McWilliams takes to the stage in Outsiders - a vivid , humorous and uncompromising account of Ireland’s boom and bust … and our way out.

Ireland’s political and social divide is not so much about rich and poor, young and old, urban and rural, but about insiders and outsiders. The insiders - those with a stake in our country who believe that today’s status quo must be preserved at all costs; the outsiders - those who realise that the status quo is part of the problem.

In Ireland every time there is a crisis, the insiders get stronger, not weaker. In contrast, the outsiders are excluded and left to fend for themselves. This is what happened in the 1950s and the 1980s and it is happening again now. But there is an alternative.

Outsiders is about that alternative.

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We Need A Little Christmas

Sat 4th & Sun 5th, Sat. 7:30pm Sun 2:30pm & 7:30pm, €€15/€€12

(Under 12s only)

The students of Evolution Stage School Longford invite you to get into the Christmas spirit this December with their all-singing, all-dancing variety show which will showcase some of Longford’s brightest young talent. The show will include all your Christmas favourites plus music and dance from musical theatre, pop, swing and Irish.

Special guest will be tenor, Paul Hennessy.

Since opening in September 2009, Evolution Stage School has established itself as one of Ireland’s finest stage schools. Teachers, Tracey Carty and Paul Hennessy have years of performing and teaching experience both in Ireland and abroad.

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Eimear Quinn - O Holy Night

Sat 11th, 8.30pm, €€20/€€18

Listen ... you could hear a pin drop. Such was the reaction when Ryan Tubridy invited Eimear to sing ‘O Holy Night’ on his radio show in the run up to Christmas.

In this intimate a spiritual night, Eimear will bring her own special rendition of Christmas songs and carols to Backstage for a memorable musical experience.

Eimear’s ethereal voice will blend beautifully with string quartet, harp & guitar, so allow yourself to sit back and let the hustle and bustle fade away. The Christmas season begins right here, so let your spirit be moved!

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Longford Flower Club Charity Gala

Tue 14th, 8.00pm, €€25 inc supper

Longford Flower Club hosts their Annual Christmas Gala with more forays into the art of flower arrangement. This year’s demonstrator is Alan Beatty, a National Judge and Demonstrator and a Hampton Court Flower Show Gold Medal Winner.

All proceeds go to local charities

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