Wanna Join Mr Sands Youth Theatre?

Surfin’ A-OK

iven that Greystones has far more than its fair share of arty-farty kids, it’s good to see more and more options are popping for them to unleash their inner greatness upon the world.

With the recent formation of the Making Waves Youth Theatre in Greystones putting on their very first production last month, and Kilmac Drama Group making their Whale debut last week, it’s good to see another local outfit has also been acting as a creative haven for our spoilt brats.

Having formed in 2017, Mr Sands Youth Theatre hit the ground running when their debut production, Douglas Maxwell’s Too Fast, swept the board that year at the Bray One Act Festival.

Founder Emer Casey takes up the story from there…

Mr. Sands then went on to take part in Connections, an annual festival of youth drama run by the National Theatre in London which sees youth theatres throughout Britain and Ireland produce and perform a series of new plays written by established writers. The group performed The Changing Room by award-winning playwright, Chris Bush, to great acclaim in The Riverbank Theatre, Newbridge, The Mermaid, Bray and The Lyric in Belfast in the Spring of 2018.

On the filmmaking front, just last month, Mr. Sands launched their short film, Upon The Shore, at a screening in The Mermaid. Devised and scripted by the members, the film was funded by The Arts Council under their Young Ensembles Scheme and made in association with the award-winning film makers, Bear Print Media. Shot in Bray, the film also features the song Déja Vu, which was written especially for the short by Mr. Sands member, Johnny Morrison, and his sister, Aoife, who hail from Greystones. Plans are afoot to make a studio recording of the song for a youth mental health charity.

Mr. Sands members are currently in rehearsals for National Theatre Connections 2019 which will see them perform Flesh by renowned Scottish writer Rob Drummond in The Mermaid in March and in The Lyric in Belfast in April.

Our aim at Mr. Sands is to develop a strong, skilled ensemble of young people with a hunger to learn theatre skills and a passion for performing and producing plays & performance pieces of relevance to them for a wide audience. In everything we do, we strive to make Mr. Sands a safe, non-judgmental, fun space where friendships are forged and lasting memories are made. Respect and teamwork are at the core of all we do.

Mr. Sands YT operates an open-door policy and welcomes young people aged 12 – 18yrs. The group meets in St. Patrick’s National School, Vevay Road, Bray, Wednesdays, 6.30 – 9.00pm – where sessions are facilitated by Emer Casey and Emily Mathews. Annual membership is €30 and members pay €10 for the workshops they attend.

With a shout-out this month for new members aged between 12 and 14, you can find out more about Mr Sands Youth Theatre on their Facebook page here, or you can get in touch directly on email here or 0878308995.