Students in Kilkenny school to bring 'Billie in Wonderland' to the big stage

Our names are Abbigayle O Brien and Muireann Dorney and we are Transition Year students at Coláiste Mhuire, Johnstown.

Our TY drama production for this year is called ‘Billy in Wonderland’ - an adaptation of Billy Elliot.

Our preparation for the production started in September 2022.

We went through an interview and audition process which gave our drama teachers Ms McElwee and Ms Buggy a chance to explore our talents and assign roles.

In the production I (Muireann) play Billy’s granny who struggles with memory loss, constantly losing her glasses.

It is a fun role to take on because I get the chance to completely alter my appearance, donning glasses, grey hair and retro clothing.

I (Abbigayle) play a miner called Josie Warren, who must support her family after her father has a mining accident and cannot provide for them anymore.

I was delighted to play such a leading role, being the only female miner in the play is a privilege.

Preparation for our performance has taken months and we have spent hours learning dances along with our lines.

We have gained such an insight into how a drama comes together for the stage, from having to do so many re-takes of scenes to spending hours at home learning our lines.

A huge part of our preparation for ‘Billy in Wonderland’ was a 2-night trip we took in November to the North of England.

We travelled to Manchester via ferry and the highlight of the trip for everyone was the day trip to ‘England’s National Coal Mining Museum’, based in Wakefield.

With so many of us playing miners in the drama this was such a turning point for us in developing our characters and in bringing what we learned about the mining lifestyle to the stage.

The plot of ‘Billy in Wonderland’ is really one for all the family.

We are hoping many people will come to see our production on the evenings of Wednesday and Thursday, March 8 and 9 in Gortnahue Hall.

The drama will begin at 7.30pm sharp with doors opening at 7pm.

Tickets will be available both nights on the door with adult tickets costing 10 euro and children’s tickets 5 euro a head.

Raffle tickets and prizes will also be available on the night.

All support appreciated.