Opera Theatre Company Opera Theatre Company, whose last visit to the Town Hall Theatre was with The Marriage of Figaro, return this Summer with a sparkling production of Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore as The Love Potion. The Love Potion stars young Irish soprano Elizabeth Woods as the fickle Adina and Scottish Opera regular Iain Paton as the lovestruck Nemorino who purchases the potion of the title from the wily Doctor Dulcamara (played by Irish bass Gerard O'Connor). Martin Higgins follows recent success in the UK and Ireland as Sergeant Belcore and the cast is completed by the troublemaking Michelle Sheridan as Gianetta leading the lovely Mary O'Sullivan and Fiona Murphy. The Love Potion is directed by James Conway. Sat 5 and Sun 6 August 8pm
Máirtín O'Connor
Maighréad Ní Dhomhnaill
Mary Staunton, Mary Custy, Kathleen Loughnane, Moya Cannon and Martina Goggin
Celine Hession Dancers and Seosamh Ó Neachtain
An evening to remember with Máirtín O'Connor, master accordionist and composer, playing great traditional music from his new album as well as special pieces of music from as far away as Argentina. He will be joined by Cathal Hayden, a beautiful and sensitive fiddle player from Tyrone, Tommy Hayes, one of Ireland's foremost percussionists and multi-instrumentalist, Gary Ó Briain. The show will also feature a stunning all female ensemble cast of Mayo accordion player, Mary Staunton, the ace Clare fiddle player, Mary Custy (ex- Sharon Shannon Band), harpist Kathleen Loughnane, percussionist Martina Goggin and poet Moya Cannon. Solo and accompanied singing is provide by Maighréad Ní Dhomhnaill, one of Ireland's greatest exponents of traditional singing. Lively dance action is provided by the high energy dancers of the Celine Hession Troupe. Contrasting this is the soul of all traditional dancing, the sean-nós steps of young Seosamh Ó Neachtain from Spiddal.
Tues 8 - Sun 13 August 8pm
Red Kettle Theatre Company In the mid 1970's a group of young men left their homes in the West of Ireland, took the boat out of Dublin bay and sailed across the sea to England in the hope of making their fortunes and returning home. Twenty five years later the only one of them who has managed to make it home does so in a coffin. The play which takes place on the day the winners and losers of the group meet up to drink in Jackie Flavin's memory and looks at their lives, lost dreams and their place in the new Ireland.
Tues 15 - Sat 19 August 8pm
Images of Ireland: The 1950's A series of films made in the 1950's which offer different perspectives on and images of Ireland. The highlight of the programme will be the classic and distinctively Irish-American feature film, The Quiet Man (starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara). Also portraying a view of Ireland from abroad is A Terrible Beauty, starring Robert Mitchum & Richard Harris, which is set in the North of Ireland and centres on the role of the IRA, No Resting Place, which offers a contrast to The Quiet Man in both style and content, was made by acclaimed British film-maker Paul Rotha and is shot as a docudrama. It follows the fortunes of travellers in 1950's Ireland and their brushes with the law. Indigenous Irish film-making of the time will be represented by Broth of a Boy, starring Jimmy O'Dea which is based on a play by Hugh Leonard. The feature films will be accompanied by the screening of archival footage from the time and by special guest speakers. The Quiet Man
 Sun 20 August
A Terrible Beauty
No Resting Place
Broth of a Boy
All screenings at 8.15pm
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Keegan Theatre Co. (Washington DC) In a stark, low-rent motel room on the edge of the Mojave Desert, Eddie and May love and hate their way through life. Unable to hold on or let go, they battle to keep from drowning together. This Pulitzer Prize winning playwright's masterpiece shows the heights and depths that love can take us to and make fools of us all. Sam Shepherd is America's most important contemporary playwright. His intuitive feel for the American West is captured in all his dramas and film scripts, most famously Paris, Texas. Directed by Eric Lucas, the production features Mark A. Rhea and Amy McWilliams in the lead roles. Galway audiences may remember Rhea and McWilliams from last summer's production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, where they played Stanley and Blanche in a 3-day sold out engagement.
Thurs 24 - Sat 26 August 8pm
Dubbeljoint Productions Father Des tells the story of Father Des Wilson: sent to a West Belfast parish in 1966 at the age of 41. It was seen as punishment for his interest in ecumenism and as a way of stopping his radical ideas. Until 1966, Father Des had led a sheltered life in Maynooth and Catholic schools. The poverty and social problems he faced immediately were a revelation. The next ten years were ones of fierce battles with the Church, rapidly changing ideas about the social world in which he found himself and his emergence as one of the major figures who contributed greatly to Belfast during its most troubled years.
Sunday 27 August 8pm
Alone It Stands Winner of the Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Director Alone It Stands returns to the Town Hall Theatre after an incredible reaction on its visit in March. Do you remember when Munster beat the All Blacks? 1978. Thomond Park. A day never to be forgotten, an invincible team - until 1978. The match was not televised at the time, but we offer you the opportunity to relive this experience live & in the comfort of a theatre or rugby venue near you. Alone It Stands is performed by six actors, playing a myriad of roles - Tony Ward and the Munster Team, the All Blacks and their coach, the fanatical Limerick rugby fans desperate for tickets, the "quality" up from Cork, a dog and of course the Bunratty singers!
Mon 28 August - Sat 2 September 8pm
 Last Laughs International theatre company Quiconque presents Last Laughs, a devised show about growing old. This funny and fast paced show explodes the clichés and myths surrounding old age. By combining exquisite movement and mask work with the absurd, you'll find yourself laughing one minute, crying the next. Appropriately enough, Last Laughs will appeal to all ages from 10 - 110.
Weds 30 Aug - Fri 1 September 8.30pm
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