An unforgettable outdoor theatre experience is promised in Sligo this weekend. Those attending are advised to bring "warm clothes, good sturdy shoes with grips, and a cushion preferably wrapped in a plastic bag".
The performance will be on Saturday or Sunday afternoon at a secret location, a natural amphitheatre on the north Sligo coastline which will "re-create the ancient city of Thebes and its explosive past".
Jocasta, written by Leland Bardwell, is a co-production by Sligo-based dha ean and the Belltable Arts Centre in Limerick. dha ean has been given an Arts Council award for innovative staging. The outdoor staging, it says, is primarily for patrons and sponsors and will include a special performance by Dervish singer Cathy Jordan.
The play will move to the Belltable for the Unfringed 2001 Festival from February 1st to 3rd, and will return to Sligo and other venues later. dha ean says the production "will be every bit as riveting as it was in Sophocles's ancient Greece but make no mistake, this is a modern story". Information from 071-40549.
Meanwhile, Co Sligo Youth Theatre is this week staging Iph, a reinterpretation of Euripides's Iphigeneia in Aulis, nightly at the Factory Performance Space. Written by Colin Teevan, it is directed by David Grant.
This is the third year of the youth theatre, a pilot project initiated by the arts officer at Sligo County Council, and 20 teenagers are involved in the production. The project has had a significant impact already - of the 20 people involved last year, seven went on to theatre-related courses after their Leaving Certs. Performances take place at 8 p.m. and information from 071-70431.