All the world’s a stage as ISDA returns to Galway

The Director of the Irish Student Drama Awards (ISDA) Festival Adam O’Connor is excited. And with good reason because the festival – a competition between drama societies from Ireland’s third-level institutions –  will be hosted by NUIG’s Dramsoc from March 28th to April 8. Best of all, it will be live in Galway.

It’s two years since the event has been held live and Adam and his fellow organisers are currently preparing to welcome theatre groups from four universities who will be staging their shows in Galway, as well as taking part in workshops and social events over 11 days.

Queen’s University Players in Belfast hosted ISDA in 2019 and Dramsoc was due to host the 2020 festival in Galway, in person, as Adam explains. But Covid meant delays and then, five days before it was scheduled to take place, the event was moved online.

Now it’s back with a bang, with 11 full scale theatrical productions being presented by NUIG Dramsoc UCC Dramat, UCD Dramsoc and DU Players from Trinity College.

“It’s the best of college theatre that has happened in the past year,” Adam explains. “I might be coming from a slightly biased perspective but the productions and performances are first-class.”

Shows will take place in the Bank of Ireland Theatre and the O’Donoghue Theatre both located on the NUIG campus.

The productions being staged are: Macbeth, Mauer ’61, The Apocalypse Comes at 6pm, Mothman: The Musical, The Last Wolf in Ireland, Metamorphosis, Chatroom, We Dance, Snow White, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, and The Wonderful World of Dissocia.

NUIG’s Dramsoc will be staging Macbeth and The Apocalypse comes at 6pm.

All are invited to attend. Tickets are €5 per show and can be purchased at isdafest.com.