***Project Announcement*** - The Crow's Old Gold by Carina McNally

We are feeling grateful in the spring sun today! Delighted to be able to announce that we have a new project about to premiere…

The Crow’s Old Gold by Carina McNally will premiere in Lehanmore Theatre, Beara Peninsula, Co. Cork on May 31st. 

Supported by Cork County Council Arts Office & Creative Places: Islands Scheme.


We were delighted to receive the 4th draft of this script as a submission early in the year having been developed with mentorship from Eadaíon O’Donoghue. Having supported this development process for the past number of months, we are delighted now to be heading to Allihies to produce  the 5th draft of this exciting new work by Carina McNally.

***
The Crow’s Old Gold 

A windswept rock, Crow Island, near Dursey, holds a legend of gold left behind by a magical blacksmith The Gaibleann Gabha and his Cow of Plenty. Is it myth? Or is this rock home to some immortal force, floating there in eternal restlessness? Only Gavin knows the answer, but when he shares it with Gráinne, the practical and sharp-tongued local shop assistant, her skepticism of old superstitions leaves him questioning his own truth. On the other hand, Maree, a woman from Cavan, has journeyed to the Beara Peninsula with a deep sense of purpose—to make an offering to the legendary forge before facing a life-altering surgery. Immersing herself in the ancient lore of the Dé Danann, seeking meaning and strength, she awaits a sign from the old gods. Gavin, caught between both of their worlds, is perplexed. Can the legend of the Gaibleann Gabha ever be revived again?

The Crow’s Old Gold is a story where past and present collide in a myth, superstition, and personal reckoning while delving into the folklore of the Gaibhleann Gabha, the Hag of Beara, and the ancient spirits that inhabit the rugged coast of Dursey, and rocks Bull, Cow and Calf. Through humour, wit and moments of haunting beauty, The Crow’s Old Gold explores the enduring power of myth and the ways in which the past continues to shape the present.

***


Keep an eye out for creative team announcements coming soon…

The Crow’s Old Gold by Carina McNally

dir. Ciarán MacArtain

Lehanmore Theatre, Lehanmore, Beara, Co. Cork - Sat. May 31st @ 8.00pm

Links to follow…

Strive Theatre are hiring for a Production Stage Manager

Strive Theatre are seeking an experienced Stage Manager for the premiere of The Crow’s Old Gold by Carina McNally, supported by Cork County Council Arts Office and The Creative Places: Islands Scheme.

Key dates.

Reading.

Late March.

Rehearsal.

May 12th to 30th - Lehanmore Theatre, Allihies.

Premiere May 31st - Lehanmore Theatre, Allihies.

Tour dates (provisional) - Each weekend in September, 4 West Cork Islands.

Fees.

Rehearsal period.

€650 per week (5 x 5.5hr calls) x 3 weeks.

Production meetings x 4 at €25 p/ h.

Performance.

€200 per performance.

Travel, accommodation and expenses covered by company.

***

We require someone with good experience as a stage manager, who is organised and diligent but also personable and supportive. The team is small and will be working hard over a short, intense rehearsal period. In this regard the PSM will be a key factor in linking the different production departments and supporting the actors and creatives. It is expected the PSM will be present for all rehearsals and production meetings.

Key duties.

Rehearsal room. Line notes for actors, taking notes for designers and communicating with them. Keeping track of decisions as they are made and any changes that may occur over the process. Support the actors.

Production team. Support the designers and director in the achievement of the production concept. Be an outlet to all team members. The company adhere to Safe to Create guidance. The PSM should be available as an outlet to any team member that may be treated in a way that contradicts that guidance should it occur.

Marketing and PR. Take rehearsal shots and short video clips to support the marketing campaign. Be a support to the company’s marketing campaign, inputting into the devising and implementing of the marketing strategy.

Performance. Manage the get in and get out. Call the show (as necessary). Liaise with co-producers re. tour and production schedule.

***

We are really excited by this new project and are delighted by the team of creatives that we’ve assembled to work on it. We are keen to find a PSM that will shall our enthusiasm for the project and will be a positive influence on the team dynamic. If you would like to get involved please send us a short cover note (300 words approx.) introducing yourself and your CV to strivetheatre12@gmail.com. Please put The Crow’s Old Gold - PSM in the subject line of the email.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Mile buíochas go leir.

The Strive Theatre Team

Audition Notice - Crow's Old Gold - Carina McNally

 
***Audition Notice***
(PAID)


Crow’s Old Gold by Carina McNally

dir. Ciarán MacArtain

Rehearsal period. May 5th to 25th 2025

Premiere May 31st 2025.

Tour dates pending.

***

The Crow’s Old Gold

Carina McNally.


A Play.


A rock near Dursey Island called The Crow.
In collaboration with playwright Éadaoin O’ Donoghue.

The Crow’s Old Gold explores the mythology of the magical blacksmith, the Gaibhleann Gabha, on Crow Island at the end of the Beara Peninsula, the Hag of Beara on Dursey Island and the rocks Bull, Cow and Calf. Centering on Goibhniú, the Dé Danann blacksmithing God, the play is set on a rock near Dursey Island called The Crow where he is reputed to have had his magical forge. 

***

Roles.

Grainne / Maree - A versatille actor aged between 35 and 45 who can take on the roles of both Grainne and Maree. 

Grainne is a village women working in the local supermarket with an ear for juicy gossip and no nonsense approach to sparing peoples’ blushes…

Maree is a Cavan women, whose come to West Cork to make an offering to An Gabhleann Gabha before she is due to undergo a significant operation. Passionate about Irish lore, she is on a mission of discovery to deepen her connection to the old Gods.

Gavin - An island character whose famous/ infamous around the village… Down-at-heel and nostalgic for his former glory, Gavin is on a mission to rediscover his vigour and hear his name held in the respect it once was. An understanding of the Irish language an advantage but not a pre-requisite. 

Auditions to be held in Civic Trust House on Tuesday February 11th and Wednesday February 12th. Slots available on Tuesday between 1pm - 4pm and on Wednesday between 5pm and 9pm. To book an audition please email strivetheatre12@gmail.com with “Audition Booking” in the subject line of the email, your preferred time and day and a CV and headshot attached. We ask auditionees to prepare a 1 - 2 min. monologue of their choice. Sides provided also. For any further information please email strivetheatre12@gmail.com. If the above times and days do not suit please get in contact to see if an alternative can be found.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Mile Buíochas

- The Strive Theatre Team

Goll Development Residency - The Everyman - Day 1

What a joy to be back in the room with this crew. A productive day, moving forward…

Special thanks to The Everyman, The Arts Council and Obheal.

Exciting times at HQ - Goll / Everyman Residency / Winter Warmer W-I-P

Sitting in our wee office space on the top floor of Civic Trust House, Goll co-producers Brendan & Ciarán are getting very excited about what is in store for Strive Theatre this November. We are delighted to announce that we received funding from The Arts Council to undertake a residency in the beautiful Everyman Theatre from Nov. 11th to 15th to further develop the project. The following week we will be holding three workshops in Civic Trust House before sharing our work as part of the Sunday programme of the wonderful Winter Warmer Festival in Nano Nagle Place. It is a real honour to be a part of such a rich and diverse festival programme. It is really exciting to have the whole team together again and we can’t wait to see what the week in The Everyman has in store for us. Goll is a challenging and experimental work that has been cooking for 18 months or so now, and the momentum generated this month will propel us towards the shows eventual premiere in 2025…

We would like to acknowledge The Arts Council’s support in making this work possible and give a special thanks to The Everyman Theatre, Paul Casey and all at Óbheal and The Theatre Team at The Arts Council.

#Artscouncilfunded #TheEveryman #WinterWarmer #obheal #StriveTheatre

Samhain Shona daoibh agus Breithlá Shona dúinn

Samhain Shona daoibh agud Breithlá Shona dúinn…

This time 12 years ago Strive Theatre was born! On the last week of October 2012, Ciarán and Andy met for a coffee in The Green Kiwi on College Rd. to start scheming about how to produce The Rooftops of Paris in an interesting way, that would get folk who don’t go to the theatre into theatre… We weren’t all that taken with where theatre in Cork was at at the time and we were aiming to find new ways to produce work and new audiences to engage with it…

We didn’t have a notion! But in the days that followed we spun around in Andy’s car on a mission for a venue/ materials/ partners/ support… We went up to Graffiti, who were super helpful! The then artistic director, the wonderful Emelie Fitzgibbon offered to help in whatever way she could, making tech equipment and costume stores available to us. As the idea wasn’t within Graffiti’s remit as an educational theatre company, she sent us to other potential venues. Having sussed out the Kino to no avail, we set our sights on Barrack St.

The play was set on Barrack St. and we were keen to present the show there, as a community theatre piece that had come directly from that community. We marched up and down the street. The late, great Tom Barry was the owner of Mr. Bradley’s at the time and had started using the bar to present small scale theatre. The space wasn’t really suitable for what we wanted to do, so despite Tom’s generous offer of the space, we had to keep looking…

We wandered into Nancy Spain’s and fell in love with the place. Andy and I were 19, so we would have missed out on the days when Nancy’s was an iconic Cork venue. It was barely keeping itself open at this stage and was under the stewardship of Tom Lynch, who had his own Celtic Pub busy next store… We were well taken by the decor and charm of Nancy’s and the space out the back had key features of our set already in place: a bar, a stage, seating… So we popped in next store to suss Tom out about doing the show there. Tom was an absolute gent. He showed us through the space and told us what the story was with it. We told him what we were about, what type of show the play was and why we wanted to do it there. The play was a social critique of the late days of The Celtic Tiger and it was set in a new-build apartment over looking the beer garden of Nancy Spains! Couldn’t have asked for a better venue really…

This meeting marked the start of the production process, and established a lot of the ideals of the company. We wanted ticket prices to be low as to not price anyone out from coming, and we wanted local people to come and see it. All of the businesses on Barrack St. were offered comps for them and their staff. We didn’t have a red cent and weren’t set to make many either, but we set about on a beg, borrow and steal method of attaining what we needed from a production and design point of view. As students we were able to use space in UCC for rehearsal and as we were in Drama & Theatre Studies and Dramat, there was no shortage of able theatre heads who were interested in being involved… We set a date for auditions, assembled the creative team and off we went…

Now, 12 years later, we still aim to produce theatre that stays true to the principles set out during that production. We are delighted to be working with a great team of people on our current project, Goll. The project has been cooking for 18 months and has great momentum behind it as we approach the end of the year. It is always exciting, and slightly sentimental, to be working for Strive Theatre in the autumn, as it brings back memories of those early days. It is a great honour to still be an active part of the Cork Theatre community and it really excites us to see what the coming months and years will bring…