Dunboyne theatre company taking centre stage with groundbreaking Irish musical

Dunboyne-based TheatreworX Productions in conjunction with Bord Gáis Energy Theatre is gearing up for a first for musical theatre in Ireland as together they bring a full-scale in-house Irish production to the stage.

'Little Shop of Horrors', the beloved musical that has captivated audiences worldwide for over 40 years, opens this Friday, 25th July in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre and runs until 9th August with a full Irish creative team and an all-Irish cast.

TheatreworX is headed up by Dunboyne woman Claire Tighe, who as well as co-producing the show is also its director and spoke of what a landmark moment this was for Irish musical theatre and her excitement as they embark on final rehearsals this week ahead of Friday's opening show.

Talking about the significance of the production she said that the Bord Gais theatre was set up as a “receiving house” and takes in all the different tours and touring companies but up to this would never have done a full-scale in-house production.

“The first iteration of doing any kind of in-house production was during Covid, when I directed a West Side Story concert for them. That was during Covid when there was money to bring artists back to work. Since then, we have been hatching plans and hoping for something bigger and thankfully the theatre themselves have bought in and have fully understood that there is a wealth of talent here in Ireland and they should be given the opportunity to work at home in musical theatre in Ireland,” she said.

“Musical theatre in Ireland is notoriously difficult to mount because it is very expensive. It is not for the lack of talent, the talent is absolutely thriving. A lot of people have to go abroad for contracts to work within the industry, Our cast and creative team are all Irish, consistently working in the musical theatre industry. But this is a definite shift, being able to work at scale in musical theatre in Ireland and this is the first time Bord Gais has done any in-house production, in conjunction with TheatreworX productions. It is definitely a big step forward for the landscape of musical theatre in Ireland and a very exciting one.”

The casting process began back in December, with over 2,000 hopefuls applying from across the country. Following an intensive audition process, the list was whittled down to 150 talented finalists who auditioned in January.

Stephen Faloon, General Manager of Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, said they were “truly overwhelmed” by the extraordinary wealth of talent that came forward during the audition process. “What we witnessed throughout was every bit as strong as the calibre we’ve come to expect from the biggest West End productions that have graced our stage. It’s a proud and significant moment for us to announce this phenomenal cast, made up of both established and emerging Irish talent. We are confident that audiences are in for something really special — a bold, high-energy and unforgettable production of Little Shop of Horrors this summer.”

The cast includes Johnny Ward (Fair City, Love/Hate), Garry Mountaine (The Lobster, Game Of Thrones), Kenneth O’Regan, Michael Joseph, Rachel Gaughan, Amy Penston, Micheal Lovette, James Deegan, Zoe Talbot, Eimear Barr, and Cian O’Riain.

Bringing West End star power and comedic flair to the role is David O’Reilly (Book of Mormon, Brassic), who stars as the hapless florist Seymour Krelborn. Opposite him, Jacqueline Brunton, a rising star of musical theatre, takes on the role of the sweet and soulful Audrey. Together, they promise electric onstage chemistry.

The role of the Street Urchins, the soulful and sassy trio who guide us through the mayhem of Skid Row - will be brought to life by three phenomenal performers: Ghalia Conroy, Aoife Dunne, and Precious Abimbola.

The Irish creative team includes Claire Tighe (Director and Choreographer), David Hayes (Musical Director), Maree Kearns (Set Designer), Kevin Hynes (Costume Designer), John Gallagher (Lighting Designer), Jason Fallon (Sound Designer), and Chris Corroon (Puppeteer).

Rehearsals began on 30th June and are taking place in TheatreworX new premises in Dunboyne Business Park. Claire told how it was her dream to have a bespoke theatre facility and they secured the premises last December and have just finished refurbishments. Little House of Horrors is the first show they have produced and rehearsed at their new home.

“I'm very proud of it and the cast have been really enjoying being here. It’s definitely dreams coming true - what I have always wanted to achieve in having a bespoke facility for theatre and also having a fully Irish produced musical on the Bord Gais stage.

“We have been rehearsing for about three weeks, since 30th June. We have a cast of 16 and a puppeteer all rehearsing here in Dunboyne at TheatreworX headquarters. We have a fantastic cast - really talented cast. We have David O'Reilly as Seymore, Jacqueline Brunton as Audrey, and Johnny Ward is playing Orin the dentist.

Speaking on Thursday, Claire said: “We had a full run yesterday of the show and it is really shaping up to be something magical which I always knew would be the case but seeing it all coming together here is fantastic. We have another few days in Dunboyne rehearsals then we move to the theatre on Monday and then we open to previews on Friday.

“It is a short and sweet run in to it rehearsal-wise but we work really fast, myself and David Hayes the musical director, get things done fast with a cast as talented as we have, it has been a dream.”

Claire is originally from Leixlip but has been living in Dunboyne for the past 14 years. She is married to Dunboyne man Aidan Mannion who is also involved in theatre. A set builder, he is constructing the sets for Little House of Horrors, and is also an actor and comedian.

TheatreworX also produces the panto for the Helix every year and Claire said Aidan will be well known to many as 'Laurel', the village idiot in the annual panto.

Claire and Aidan knew each other as kids and went to the same drama school but got together years later. They have two sons Cian (11) and Daire (9) who attend Dunboyne Senior National School.

As well as running TheatreworX Claire also has a stage school with classes in Dunboyne, Kilcock, Leixlip and Drumcondra. She recalled her career began after she started helping her dance teacher as a teenager.

“When she was retiring she said why didn’t I keep teaching dance while I continue to train, so I did. I had Claire Tighe School of Dance and then I had Claire Tighe TheatreworX and grew it further to become TheatreworX itself, and then added TheatreworX Productions around 2007. I've been producing the Helix Panto since 2008 and then I look after all the live entertainment in Emerald Park and did a few things like that in the production side of things while still expanding the school.”

With final preparations now under way for Friday's opening, Claire is hoping people will get behind the musical theatre industry in Ireland by supporting the show.

“The Irish audiences are used to seeing tours and feeling like that is what professional is. It is trying to shift that perception that that is all that has been offered before. Now there is a professional level show that is as good as if not better than any of the touring productions because we are building it for this theatre.

“We want people to get behind the musical theatre industry in Ireland, to support an Irish grown production so that it can change the landscape going forward, so that there can be more Irish grown productions- that is the dream that is what we are hoping to achieve.”