Every year Athlone comes alive during the RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival!
If you squint, you can see me.
It’s all or nothing in Athlone
Athlone is normally a quiet town. According to the Central Statistics Office and figures from the 2022 Census, Athlone has a population of more than 22,000 people. If we compare this to the population of London (8.9 million in 2022), where I lived, and Trieste (204,000 in 2022), where I also lived, it’s obvious that Athlone is indeed a small town. Almost 30% of Athlone’s population is from outside Ireland, like myself.
Between the end of April and the beginning of May each year, Athlone truly comes alive during the RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival. Yes, I am biased because I am part of the organising committee, but this festival does have a strong pull bringing in people from all corners of Ireland to cheer at the theatre groups competing for a prestigious trophy.
So, while the rest of the year, especially winter, is pretty uneventful, with the exception of St. Patrick’s Day, the theatre festival comes with a special buzz that makes you look at Athlone in a different light.
9 plays but only 1 winner
There are 9 finalists each year competing for the award and over the years groups have presented some classics from Neil Simon, Arthur Miller, Alan Bennett, Henrik Ibsen and more.
These theatre groups are made of amateur actors but their professionalism is undisputed. The top performing groups, after scoring high marks in regional competitions, get to the stage at the Dean Crowe Theatre in Athlone.
The awards ceremony takes place once all the finalists have performed and the adjudicator has pronounced the victory. The gala dinner itself is a glamorous affair which is also televised by national broadcaster RTÉ.
Volunteers make a difference
There are so many people who give their time to the success of the Drama Festival, from the actors to the ushers at the theatre and more. It is incredible to see how much goes on behind the scenes to put together a festival and it is truly a collective effort.
Using the Drama Festival in Athlone as an example, the work is divided into groups, with jobs ranging from ensuring all performers are taken care of on the night of their play, to promoting the festival with the local and national press, to selecting a winning play written by a young person under 18, to liasing with sponsors and local businesses. Then there’s the gala dinner at the end of the festival when all the awards are given to the most deserving play, actor, director and so on.
On top of everything else, there are the Festival Fringe events, again run by volunteers, with additional plays, music, poetry and film.
Being a member of the Festival committee
I joined the committee at the tail end of 2022 and the 2023 edition of the festival was my first one as a committee member. It turned out that this particular festival was historic as it marked its 70th anniversary.
In 2023 I concentrated mostly on creating video content and updating the Festival’s website. During two intense weeks between the end of April and the beginning of May I shot and edited 30 short videos for TikTok and Instagram Reels. I tried to capture the atmosphere during the festival and what it takes to make things go smoothly.
In 2024 I wanted to try something new and I have joined the team responsible for dealing with the sponsors, while also updating the Festival’s website.
Personally I don’t have a background in the theatre but most of my colleagues in the committee have and some regularly performed in plays.
What I have found to be truly fascinating is that a festival that only lasts about two weeks takes months to organise, with so many elements coming together at different times.
Have you ever volunteered in a festival?
I’d love to hear about your experiences if you have ever volunteered as a festival or if you’d like to do so in the future.
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Interesting. My ancestors had a large estate in Athlone a few hundred years ago.