 Now, around the north-west for this Friday afternoon ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend, of course, and let's fast forward to next weekend because the Latter-Kinney One Act Drama Festival is running from next Friday, Friday to Sunday, in fact, in Anguiland Theatre. And since it started back in 2013, it's brought drama groups from around the country, from the four provinces to compete in what is an all-Ireland competition. And this is one festival of many that's held around the country during November, but to tell us a wee bit more about what's entailed and joined by the chairperson and the director of the Latter-Kinney One Act Drama Festival committee, Gene Kern and John O'Donnell, Gene, chairperson, John, director. You're both welcome to the studio. Now, you're no stranger, Gene, obviously to the studio. It's a bit more daunting, the side of the desk. To that side of the desk. No hard questions. Guaranteed. Anyhow, I'll start with you then, Gene. Tell us a wee bit about the festival, about what's entailed, you know? Well, we started, as you said, back in 2013 and Patricia McBride from the Greenham Theatre and a number of drama enthusiasts in the town got together and we had our first one. And it's been going ever since. We had the all-Ireland competition in 2017 and the only year that we didn't have a festival was the year that COVID had. So we've had a festival every single year. So the 2017 one, that was the finals, was it? The finals, yeah, that was the creme de la creme of... There's 17 festivals throughout the country. OK. And then there are nine plays, usually. One act plays... At each festival. At each festival. And they're adjudicated and then there's a league table. So the best nine throughout the country then go to the all-Ireland and we were lucky enough to have that in 2017. And fingers crossed, we'll have it again in the not-tooth foreseeable future. OK, you're not going to tell us when, but... No, well, we've got to apply for it, Johns. Oh, is that how it works? Yeah. Oh, I thought it was all in the bag. Well, hopefully we will get it again. It was a great success when we did have it here and obviously we've a fantastic facility in Angreenon and we certainly have the capability of hosting it. All right. Where's the finals this year? The finals are in Castle Blaney this year. OK. And how does the competition work? Is it all open? Is it everybody on the one sort of playing field or are there different categories? No, there are different categories. You have an open section and a confined section. So you have groups competing in the open and competing in the confined. It's a split. I think this year we have maybe four in the confined and five in the open. And the difference being that the open is for more established. Yeah, the open is for the more established group and the confined is for people who are starting out. And if you won the confined competition, you have to enter in the open section the following year. You can't win the confined twice. OK, OK. Which is understandable. So, John, there's groups from all around the country. There's groups from all over the country and we're really lucky in Latter-Canary in the majority of the groups who have been coming to us over the years. When they came for the first couple of years, they kept coming back again. They love the facilities here. They love coming to the town. And I think... So if you're interested in the All Ireland drama finals, can you pick your competition wherever it is in the country? Is that how it works? It does, actually, yeah. There's a great, as I discovered, new to the role of festival director this year. There's a great flurry of activity on the 1st of September. And all the groups are basically flooding all the competitions that are hosting with applications to go to the whichever festival suits them to go to. And luckily, actually, this year, we were inundated with groups looking to come to Latter-Canary to participate in the festival. Including a couple of groups from Cork. You must have done something right if they want to come all the way from Cork. Yeah, Gunpowder Productions actually have been with us since year one and they're actually a fantastic group as well. They're competing in the open and everything that they have brought to the festival that I've seen to date has been absolutely really, really, really good and they have actually won it, they won the All Ireland on more than one occasion. And not just from Cork because I see there's a group there from a Wexford and another from Karlo. So, you know, groups are travelling distances. It's not just sort of in the immediate circle around Donegal, they're choosing to come. And we're the only festival in Donegal that have a one-act festival. Okay, okay. So it's productions over the three days of the festival, was it? Three on Friday night, three on Saturday night and three on Sunday afternoon. And it was one thing just to make clear is that the performances on the Friday and the Saturday night started at 7.30 because some people think, you know, the theatre starts at eight o'clock and they come in late. So at 7.30 start and then it's four o'clock start in the afternoon for the Sunday just to allow the groups to go home and not have to travel too far. They have to travel and that they're not home very late. And sometimes when people hear others three plays on they think, oh, we'll be there all night. But at the plays can't be more than 55 minutes and they can't be less than 25 minutes. So that's the rule. And the unique thing about it is the adjudicator then is out on stage and gives his sort of appraisal. Tells the audience as well as the actors, you know, how they were judged and why they were given certain marks. Yeah, that's actually what first drew me to the One Act Festival. And it's a great thing for people, you know, a lot of people think drama and theatre, it's not really for me like, you know, the great thing about the One Act Festival is you come along of an evening, you get to see three shows. Two of them may not be what you're liking. You might love all three. You might like one. There's loads of variety there, number one. But also you get, as you say, the adjudicator stands up at the end and he tells everybody, including the audience, the players, what he liked about the shows, what he thought he did well, the production values that he liked, how it was lit, if music was used, that type of thing. So it gives you a real insight as well into how theatre actually works. So anybody, you know, maybe young people are that, that are involved or interested in drama. It's a great event for them as well to come along to get that insight that the adjudicator gives at the end of every evening. Yeah, the sort of, the mask comes away at the end, if you like, or it takes you behind the scenes and it drills down into the nitty gritty of what he's looking for and how you get marks and what's actually involved and the mechanics are putting on a play. And the adjudicator as well, he would never criticise negatively in public and he meets with the groups then in the dressing rooms afterwards and then if there's anything negative to said, it's said in private, so, which is very good. You were awful, you need to go, the evening plays you, you're sure it's not that bad. No, we're very fortunate to have a great adjudicator, Patrick McIntyre, with us, he's been here a few times and he's a great, great man and very, very fair. I remember being at this a few years ago and the adjudicating part was fascinating and we got to hear, you know, the opinions of an adjudicator who obviously knew what he was talking about. So that's all part of it. And it's great value to John because it's 12 euros per night or you can go for the whole three nights for 25 euros, which is really good. And then on the Saturday night afterwards, we have music in the foyer for people who want to stay and have a drink on a Saturday night. And then coffee and tea and a glass of wine while the adjudicators make it up their mind on the Sunday. Usually takes about 20 minutes. So that's all in the price of the ticket. And are the winners announced, that all the winners are announced on the Sunday? Yes, yes. You've got best, I don't believe anything out, you've got the best play in the open, you've got the best play in the confined, the best director for the open, best director confined, best actor in the open, best actor confined, best actress open, best actress confined, best technical and then the adjudicator's award. So they're all given out on the Sunday evening. And are these all original plays? They are, no, they're not actually all original plays. Some of them would be The Quiet Land, which is with us there on the Friday evening, for example, would have been done. You know, that actually won in Lettercanny when we hosted the All Ireland Festival itself. You've got Hylgenstadt, which would be a relatively well-worn play on the Thurkup. But then on the character of our group that are coming to us from Cork, the writer and director will actually be there on the evening, so that's a new work. Okay, Brian. So it's a mixture. And you can read this in opposite if you like, but you don't know what you're going to get really until you're there on the night, but you do get three plays. You do get three plays, yeah, yeah. It's nice. Right, or there's the festival pass. Yes, yes. Okay, gets on the way, not tonight, but next Friday night, the Lettercanny One Act Drama Festival and the tickets from Mongrino. Yes. Okay, well, you'll both be in for a busy weekend. Hopefully, yeah, yeah, looking forward to it. It's good for the town as well because it brings these groups into the town. So there's, you know, they're staying here. Yeah, absolutely. And as I said earlier, they all love coming to Lettercanny for the weekend and it's great to see such a diversity from all over the country coming to the town for the weekend. Absolutely. All right, thank you both. Thank you, John. Thanks for being.