(formerly Donal O’Kelly Productions)

“A provocative elegantly structured work .. excellent performances .. Raymond Keane’s direction imbues the work with a wonderful rhythm, brilliantly utilising the stage, and the actors’ physiques” THE IRISH EXAMINER

Written by Donal O’Kelly, directed by Raymond Keane with Sorcha Fox and Donal O’Kelly. Set and costume design by Miriam Duffy. Last 4 performances at The Project Arts Centre, Temple Bar, Dublin. Book now! 01 8819613/ www.projectartscentre.ie

“This is about imagination and the ambitious delivery of such astonishing language and thoroughly convincing characters, courtesy of a playwright who may very well be up there with the best of them. If it’s brave, stimulating and meticulously crafted theatre you’re after, you’d be well advised to climb aboard The Cambria for a journey like no other” EVENING HERALD 31/01/11

Come and catch it at The Cambria at The Project until Feb 5th - only 6 performances left incl Sat matinee! Book now! 01 8819613 or www.projectartscentre.ie

Having just returned from an exciting week at the APAP conference in New York, Benbo have embarked on a 2 week run in The Project Arts Centre in Temple Bar in Dublin of The Cambria. This epic two hander tells the story of escaped slave, Frederick Douglass’ journey to Ireland in 1845 aboard the paddlesteamer The Cambria. Set against the present day deportation of a young Nigerian asylum seeker in Ireland, The Cambria magicks back in time to the moment in August 1845 when Frederick Douglass boarded The Cambria in Boston under an assumed name. It tells the incredible story of what happened to Douglass en route and the surprising reception he got when he landed in Ireland.

Written by Donal O’Kelly, directed by Raymond Keane and performed by Donal O’Kelly and Sorcha Fox, The Cambria has received rave reviews in New York and Dublin;

“Run, do not walk, do not mosey to the final performances of Donal O’Kelly’s The Cambria. This two-person show is a superb evening at the theatre. Don’t be left on shore when The Cambria weighs anchor.” NYTHEATRE.COM

“Entertaining, thought provoking and beautifully crafted.” THE IRISH TIMES

“A delightful exercise in the possibilities of theatre” SUNDAY TIMES

“A Gripping play…without a single superfluous sentence in the script… a highly commendable production”. SUNDAY BUSINESS POST

“The Cambria provides one of those concentrated, magical experiences one hopes for every time one takes one’s seat in the theatre” BLOGCRITICS.ORG

“With his new play “The Cambria”.. playwright and actor Donal O’Kelly steps to the frontline of contemporary Irish playwrights ..you’ll be swept up by the storyline from start to finish” IRISHCENTRAL.COM

The Cambria runs until 5th Feb in The Space Upstairs at The Project, tickets are €16/€12 conc.

Book now! at www.projectartscentre.ie / 01 8819613

image by Susan Helbock at The Irish Arts Center, New York

THE ADVENTURES OF THE WET SEÑOR - ONLY SIX DATES REMAINING! ADELANTE!

Praise for The Adventures Of The Wet Señor from The View, RTE, 2nd Nov:

“Beautiful…superb…music and choreography is absolutely brilliant…fantastic…wonderful surreal moments…highly dramatic..great precision…great performances”

Town Hall Theatre, Galway - Wed 10th & Thu 11th Nov

Mermaid Arts centre, Bray - Sat 13th Nov

Roscommon Arts Centre - Thu 18th Nov

Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge - Fri 19th Nov

Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire - Sat 20th Nov

Tour Dates – Wet Señor

The Glens Centre, Manorhamilton
Fri 8th & Sat 9th Oct 8.30pm
Tickets:
071 9855 833
www.theglenscentre.com

Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar
Mon 11th Oct 8pm
Tickets: €15 / €12
094 9023733
www.thelinenhall.com

Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet
Sat 16th Oct 8pm
Tickets:
www.arasinisgluaire.ie
097 81079

Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo
Tues 19th & Wed 20th Oct 8pm
Tickets €18/€15
071 916 1518 or www.hawkswell.com

Market Place Theatre, Armagh
Fri 22nd Oct 8pm
Tickets £12 & £10
www.marketplacearmagh.com
028 3752 1821

Axis, Ballymun
Sat 23rd Oct 8pm
Tickets:
www.axis-ballymun.ie
01 883 2100

An Táin Theatre Dundalk
Thurs 28th Oct 8pm
Tickets:
www.antaintheatre.com
042 9392919

Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny
Friday 29th Oct 8pm
Tickets:
www.watergatetheatre.com
056-7761674

Glór, Ennis
Thur 4th Nov 8pm
Tickets €20 / €18
www.glor.ie / 028 3752 1821

Ramor Theatre, Virginia
Sat 6th Nov 8.30pm
Tickets €18 & €16
www.ramortheatre.com
049 8547074

Town Hall Theatre, Galway
Wed 10th and Thur 11th Nov 8pm
Tickets €18 / €15
091 - 569 777 / www.tht.ie

Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray
Sat 13th Nov 8pm
Tickets:
www.mermaidartscentre.ie
01 2724030

Roscommon Arts Centre
Thur 18th Nov 8pm
Tickets: €18 / €16
www.roscommonartscentre.ie
(090) 6625 824.

Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge
Fri 19th Nov 8pm
Tickets: €18 / €16
www.riverbank.ie
(045) 448327

Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire
Sat 20th Nov 8pm
Tickets:
www.paviliontheatre.ie
01 231 2929

Photos of The Adventures of The Wet Señor courtesy of Marcelo Biglia

The Amazing Kíla

The Adventures of the Wet Señor - Jaimie Carswell and Kíla

Thanks to imagination and an Arts Council Theatre Project Grant The Adventures of the Wet Señor advances to the next stage! Written by Donal O’Kelly with music composed and played live by Kíla this is going to be an extraordinary musical and theatrical event. Based on the true story of Captain Francisco De Cuellar’s incredible adventures in Ireland after his ship was wrecked in a storm that threw the Spanish Armada onto Streedagh beach in Sligo in 1588, ‘The Adventures…’ follows the epic journey of a hunted man. With Cirque de Légume’s Jaimie Carswell, Carrie Crowley (Running Mate and The Dead School) and Sorcha Fox (The Cambria and Vive La!) this show is not to be missed. Watch this space for Irish tour dates in Oct/Nov 2010!

Presented by Benbo Productions with Kíla and The Glens Centre.

Supported by The Arts Council and Leitrim County Council.

Dee Armstrong of Kíla

Jaimie Carswell as The Wet Señor

The Adventures of Wet Señor from benboproductions on Vimeo.

The Cambria, about Frederick Douglass’s journey to Ireland in 1845, performed by Sorcha Fox and Donal O’Kelly, directed by Raymond Keane, will be presented at the Irish Arts Centre New York for six weeks from 16th September 2008, running in rotating rep with Roger Guenveur-Smith’s Frederick Douglass Now!

The official opening night for The Cambria in this New York run is 22nd September. We are delighted to be running in rep with the Classical Theatre of Harlem’s production of Roger Guenveur-Smith’s Frederick Douglass Now! Donal and Roger were both nominated as honorees of “The Black and The Green” by the Irish Echo and the Amsterdam News at a function in New York on 10th September.

For tickets, visit www.irishartscenter.org. There are special offer tickets for both shows on Saturdays and Sundays. Here are the weekly schedule of performances:-

Wednesday September 16th-Sunday September 20th:
Wednesday, 8 pm THE CAMBRIA
Thursday, 8 pm FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Friday, 8 pm THE CAMBRIA
Saturday, 2 pm FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Saturday, 8 pm THE CAMBRIA
Sunday, 3 pm THE CAMBRIA
Sunday, 7 pm FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW

Tuesday September 22nd-Sunday September 27th:
Tuesday, 8 pm THE CAMBRIA
Wednesday, 8 pm FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Thursday, 8 pm THE CAMBRIA
Friday, 8 pm FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Saturday, 2 pm THE CAMBRIA
Saturday, 8 pm FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Sunday, 3 pm FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Sunday, 7 pm THE CAMBRIA

Tuesday September 29th-Sunday October 4th:
Tuesday, 8 pm FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Wednesday, 8 pm FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Thursday, 8 pm THE CAMBRIA
Friday, 8 pm THE CAMBRIA
Saturday, 2 pm FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Saturday, 8 pm THE CAMBRIA
Sunday, 3 pm THE CAMBRIA
Sunday, 7 pm FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW

Tuesday October 6th-Sunday October 11th:
Tuesday, 8 pm THE CAMBRIA
Wednesday, 8 pm FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Thursday, 8 pm THE CAMBRIA
Friday, 8 pm FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Saturday, 2 pm THE CAMBRIA
Saturday, 8 pm FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Sunday, 1 pm* FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Sunday, 5 pm* THE CAMBRIA
*Special Performance Time

Jimmy Joyced!, back from it’s European tour to Portugal and the famous Joyce Trieste School, plays the John Hewitt Summer School in the Marketplace Theatre Armagh on Wednesday 29th July. It will be the last performance of Jimmy Joyced! in the current season, and we’re delighted to present it as part of a wonderful programme of events in the John Hewitt Summer School. Information from www.johnhewittsociety.org and www.marketplacearmagh.com.

Just back from a highly successful and very enjoyable three-city tour of Portugal with Jimmy Joyced!, we now bring The Cambria to the Féile na Greine in Tech Amergin Waterville on the Ring of Kerry for Monday 22nd June at 8pm. Visit www.feilenagreine.com for details. We’ve previously visited the wonderful Tech Amergin with Running Beast for last year’s Féile, and also presented Catalpa there in November 2008 and Jimmy Joyced! a few weeks ago. 

There’s a special significance in bringing The Cambria, about African-American anti-slavery campaigner Frederick Douglass’s journey to Ireland in 1845, to Waterville, as Daniel O’Connell’s house at Derrynane is close by. O’Connell and Douglass shared many speaking platforms in Ireland, and became firm friends. O’Connell, a steadfast opponent of the slavery system and its powerful upholders, also makes an appearance in The Cambria.

The Cambria stars Sorcha Fox and Donal O’Kelly, directed by Raymond Keane of Barabbas.