Transition Year Students at Gaelcholáiste an Chláir are taking to the stage this week to perform ‘Sive’, John B Keane’s famous play about a young girl forced into an arranged marriage.

The play is based on true events witnessed by the playwright in North Kerry in the 1950s. It was famously rejected by the Abbey Theatre before Listowel Drama Group staged it to critical and popular acclaim, winning the All Ireland Amateur Drama Final in Athlone. Later, the Abbey Theatre invited the Listowel players to perform the play at the National Theatre for a week.

Nowadays, ‘Sive’ forms part of the Leaving Certificate curriculum in English and, in an effort to bring the drama to life, the Transition Year students of Gaelcholáiste an Chláir decided to produce the play.

Led by their English teacher, Ms Fiona Christie, the project began in September when auditions were held and roles were cast. But as they have learned, there’s just as much work behind the scenes as on stage, and the group have worked tirelessly to prepare the set, props and costumes.

They’ve been helped by generous donations of materials from local businesses: James Brohan, The St Vincent de Paul Shop and The Somalia Shop, and also from parents and staff at the school.

The curtain goes up this week with a matinee performance for Leaving Cert students in the school, and the audience will also include groups from other schools in the county who are treating it as an opportunity to revise the text in advance of the Leaving Certificate exams next month.

There will be one further performance of the play at Gaelcholáiste an Chláir on Friday 17 May at 7:30pm. Tickets for individuals will be available on the door; large groups are asked to book in advance by calling the office at Gaelcholáiste an Chláir on (065) 6829432.