Benbo Productions

The Adventures of The Wet Señor is coming!!!

Donal O'Kelly — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:49:51 +0000

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 The Wet Señor at The Glens Centre - 2 Min Showcase Excerpt, Dec ‘10 with Kíla

Donal O'Kelly — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:16:29 +0000

The Adventures of Wet Señor from benboproductions on Vimeo.

The Cambria at Irish Arts Centre New York for 6 weeks

Donal O'Kelly — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:46:49 +0000

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! in John Hewitt Summer School, Armagh 29 July

Donal O'Kelly — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:12:25 +0000

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.

The Cambria in Féile na Gréine, Waterville, Kerry Midsummer night 2009

Donal O'Kelly — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:13:06 +0000

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.

Jimmy Joyced! plays Portugal and Trieste for Bloomsday 2009

Donal O'Kelly — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 16:25:36 +0000

Donal O’Kelly’s one man theatrical tour-de-force Jimmy Joyced! has been invited to tour three of Portugal’s most prestigious theatres in June this year to celebrate Bloomsday 2009. It will then travel to Trieste for a special performance at the reknowned Trieste Joyce School. Described as ‘Genius inspired by genius’ by the RTE Guide and ‘a great kaleidescope of word, power, energy and insight’ by The Sunday Independent, Jimmy Joyced! looks back at James Joyce’s personal journey in 1904 through the eyes of a Dublin market stallholder with a dangerous obsession for all things Joycean.

From Joyce’s birthday on February 2nd, Jimmy Joyced! careers through Joyce’s battles with his mad Dad, his 3rd place in the Feis, a night of gunfire in Sandycove tower, mayhem in Monto, that fabled walk on the 16th of June and his departure from Ireland on the 9th October with Nora Barnacle.

Written and performed by Donal O’Kelly and directed by Sorcha Fox, Jimmy Joyced! was nominated for an Irish Times/ESB best actor award in 2005. This tour follows hot on the heels of Donal O’Kelly Productions’ recent huge New York success at the Irish arts Center with his play about Frederick Douglass’ visit to Ireland in 1845 – The Cambria.

Jimmy Joyced! will play:

Porto – Teatro Nacional Sao Joao on 13th June

Lisbon – Teatro Sao Luis on 16th June

Faro – Teatro Municipal de Faro on 18th June

Trieste - Trieste Joyce School on 1st July

This Jimmy Joyced! tour supported by Culture Ireland.

The Cambria in Liberty Hall 23rd April after New York success

Donal O'Kelly — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 23:26:29 +0000

The Cambria will be performed for one night only in Liberty Hall Dublin, 8pm Thursday 23rd April as part of The Five Lamps Festival. Following on its rave reviews in New York, where it played to packed houses in the Irish Arts Centre, it promises to be an exciting night back where The Cambria started in 2005. Liberty Hall, aptly named for a show about an escaped slave - Frederick Douglass - and his journey from the US to Ireland in 1845. Tickets are EUR15 and EUR 12 (conc), Box Office 0818 205205 www.ctb.ie

The Cambria will also play Belmullet Arts Centre, 8.30pm Sunday 26th April, and Droichead Arts Centre Drogheda, 11.30am & 8.30pm Tuesday 6th May.

The Cambria gets rave reviews in New York

Donal O'Kelly — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:20:25 +0000

The Cambria has received rave reviews for its seven-performance run in New York from St. Patrick’s Day. Produced by the Irish Arts Centre New York in association with the Classical Theatre of Harlem, The Cambria played to packed houses for its limited run.

The St. Patrick’s Day performance was followed by a panel discussion chaired by Marcus Mabry of the New York Times, and comprising Alfred Preisser, Artistic Director of Classical Theatre of Harlem, Ty Jones, actor, writer and Chairman of Classical Theatre of Harlem, Terry George, Oscar-nominated director and screenwriter of Hotel Rwanda and Some Mother’s Son, and writer/actor Donal O’Kelly.

Here are some brief review excerpts:-
“This two-person show is a superb evening at the theatre … Raymond Keane’s direction is superb … if Fox is ever doing a show in New York City, I’m going to see it. She’s that good.” NYTHEATRE.COM
For full review go to http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/showpage.php?t=camb8062

“With just two fine actors, one good script and a minimal amount of staging, this production puts to shame most of what I’ve seen on Broadway and off this entire 2008-2009 season.”
LIFE UPON THE STAGE
For full review go to http://www.uponthestage.blogspot.com/2009/03/cambria.html

“With his new play The Cambria, playwright and actor Donal O’Kelly steps to the front line of contemporary Irish playwrights .. the production, directed by Raymond Keane, is nimble and evocative .. you’ll be swept up by the storyline from start to finish … Fox’s concentration, her physical poise and her pitch perfect accent work make her one of the most impressive Irish actors this reviewer has ever seen”
IRISH VOICE and IRISHCENTRAL.COM
For full review, go to http://www.irishcentral.com/ent/theater/Theatre-Review-The-Cambria-41838477.html

“Superb actors…the language is worthy of the great Irish dramatists of the past – warm, poetic, funny, pained, sprightly yet always faintly weighted but never bitter. The Cambria provides one of those concentrated, magical experiences one hopes for every time one takes one’s seat in the theatre”
BLOGCRITICS.ORG
For full review, go to http://blogcritics.org/archives/2009/03/18/002716.php

The Cambria in Irish Arts Center, New York, St. Patrick’s Day

Donal O'Kelly — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:34:12 +0000

Starting Tuesday 17th March and running until Sunday 22 March - The Irish Arts Center New York will present The Cambria, Donal O’Kelly’s play about African-American ex-slave Frederick Douglass’ voyage to Ireland in 1845. It stars Sorcha Fox and Donal O’Kelly and it is being performed to mark US President Obama’s first Saint Patrick’s Day in office.

A special St. Patrick’s Day performance features a post-show discussion with Classical Theatre of Harlem Artistic Director Alfred Preisser, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Terry George (Hotel Rwanda, Some Mother’s Son), Marcus Mabry of the New York Times, and playwright O’Kelly.

The New York run will be preceded by a performance in the Glens Centre Manorhamilton Co. Leitrim, on Thursday 12th March, 8.30pm.

The Cambria was a trans-Atlantic paddle-steamer. On August 10th 1845, among the passengers on board was an escaped slave called Frederick Douglass. His autobiography had just become a bestseller. Slave-owners placed a price on his head and he was forced to flee the US. He came to Ireland.

It was an eventful voyage, culminating in a mob attempt to throw Douglass overboard. The Cambria tells the story of how he survived to become what Abraham Lincoln called “the most impressive man I ever met”, and to become the rhetorical inspiration for Barack Obama in his successful campaign to become 44th President of the United States.

Frederick Douglass was welcomed as a hero in Ireland and was hailed as ‘The Black O’Connell’. The Cambria recalls that Irish welcome and invites us, as Barack Obama invited the American people, to “choose our better history”.

Directed by Raymond Keane of Barrabas, The Cambria opened the 2005 St Patrick’s Festival in Dublin and toured all over Ireland, as well as Liverpool and Los Angeles in 2007. The Cambria follows the highly successful run of O’Kelly’s Catalpa in the Irish Arts Center New York in November 2008.

Some review excerpts for The Cambria:
“ Entertaining, thought provoking and beautifully crafted…a well aimed appeal to our better selves.” Fintan O’Toole - The Irish Times
“ Vintage O’Kelly here is this searing, soaring true story…gorgeous
stuff…a delightful exercise in the possibilities of theatre” Sun Tribune
“A Gripping play…without a single superfluous sentence in the script… a highly commendable production” Sunday Business Post
For details and booking, visit www.irishartscenter.org

‘What Am I Doing Here?” documentary in IFC, Sun 8th March 09

Donal O'Kelly — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:30:18 +0000

Eastlands Films’ documentary on Donal O’Kelly’s work, What Am I Doing Here?, directed and produced by Trish McAdam, supported by the Arts Council through a Documenting the Arts award, will have its first public screening in the Irish Film Centre, Eustace Street, Dublin on Sunday 8th March at 12.30pm. The documentary follows the tours of Vive La and Running Beast, and also looks back at Donal’s previous work and talks to participants. There will be a question-and-answer session afterwards, with Trish and Donal present.