First Year Drama

Thanks to the generosity of UCD Dramsoc, this year’s First Year Play - Ted Hughes’ The Tiger’s Bones - was staged in a black-box theatre with full lighting and sound facilities. And it is to the credit of both directors and of the superlative cast that the professionalism of the surroundings was easily matched by the play on show.
Hughes has created a memorable cast of characters: the Master (Alex O’Regan), so dazzled by the precision of his calculations that he seems to have missed the repercussions of the imminent collision of his forecast meteor with earth; the splendid double act of his assistants, Jitterwit (Patrick Kenny-Gibson) and von Gonktop ( Ciaran O’Brien) who are rendered respectively useless by fear and admiration; their lackey Dully (Matthew O’Dwyer) who, in the best Shakespearean tradition, acts as the voice of reason.
The voices of Ciaran Walsh, Michael Moore, Conor Tiernan and James Ensor melded beautifully as a chorus, speaking in isolation and in unison. Killian Carthy, Patrick Finley and Fergal Cook in the supporting cast were confident and effective in their respective roles. And the central quartet were truly superb, infusing their roles with humour and enthusiasm. Directors Alex Ryan and Stuart Pollock deserve full credit for showing such imagination and skill in working with this talented first year cast.