Art
Limericks West End Youth Club Presents Loss
Limericks West End Youth Club Presents Loss – Pictured above Maggiemay O’Reilly who plays the lead role
Limericks West End Youth Club Presents Loss, a new, short film. Loss will be launched On January 28, by The GAFF, Limerick’s artist and community led performance space. Loss was written and performed by the members of the West End Youth Club in association with Red Paw Media as part of The Gaff’s three-year community based arts programme which is made possible with assistance from the J.P. McManus Benevolent Fund, the PAUL Partnership, Limerick City and County Council and independent fundraising.
Loss is a touching story about atraveller-girl who is isolated in grief as a result of her mother’s death. Her classmates don’t seem to understand or sympathise with her. Her only solace is the local church where she goes every day to light a candle. In an unlikely turn of events she befriends an older man who also visits the church daily. Together they come to terms with their own grief and share an unlikely understanding. Loss is a film about hope that focuses on human interaction and empathy and features young cast members Maggiemay O’Reilly, Maney O’Reilly, Mayney O’Reilly, Josie O’Driscoll, Nathan Keogh, Laura Roche and Leah Ryan in the lead roles. Supported by Gaff board member, Marie Boylan, film-makers, Miriam Garcia-Mortell, Jay Reddan and Dominik Kosicki, worked with the young people in Weston for a week of intensive workshops during the October Mid-Term, 2015. Each workshop introduced the young people to a different aspect of film making including storyboarding, script development, location work and cinematography.The launch of Loss celebrates a busy 2015 for The Gaff and its community arts strand of activity. Earlier in the year, the communities of St. Mary’s and of Moyross became engaged in two new drama projects initiated by Gaff theatre artists. Field of Dreams written by Mike Finn and based on stories collected from residents of King’s Island Senior Citizen Group, was presented in The Town House, St. Mary’s Church, Athlunkard St. in May. Saving the House of Delmege, facilitated by Monica Spencer, was presented in The Hunt Museum last Summer and in Corpus Christi School in November. The year-long programme of drama workshops has seen the emergence of a new community drama group in Moyross.
The launch of Loss celebrates a busy 2015 for The Gaff and its community arts strand of activity. Earlier in the year, the communities of St. Mary’s and of Moyross became engaged in two new drama projects initiated by Gaff theatre artists. Field of Dreams written by Mike Finn and based on stories collected from residents of King’s Island Senior Citizen Group, was presented in The Town House, St. Mary’s Church, Athlunkard St. in May. Saving the House of Delmege, facilitated by Monica Spencer, was presented in The Hunt Museum last Summer and in Corpus Christi School in November. The year-long programme of drama workshops has seen the emergence of a new community drama group in Moyross.
For 2016, The Gaff’s artistic programme includes the continuation of Mike Finn’s work collecting stories from residents of King’s Island and we can look forward to a community based reading of his new, extended work later in 2016. Moyross Community Drama, has plans for a new, site-specific work to take place in the community in September or October and the group resumes regular workshops in Corpus Christi school from Mid-February. Gaff board members Marie Boylan and Norma Lowney will run a series of ‘taster’ workshops in association with a number of youth organisations – a channel of activity that continues to offer avenues of expression to young people through drama and film.
Individuals and community groups who would like to find out more about the activities of this artist-led organisation, can check out The Gaff on Facebook here or email [email protected].
Limericks West End Youth Club Presents Loss in the West End Community Centre, Weston on January 28 at 8pm.
For more stories about The GAFF click here.