This article is from page 8 of the 2013-05-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
COROFIN actress Maura Clancy is the toast of the Irish drama world today after capturing the Best Actress title at this year’s RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival. Maura’s victory is a milestone for the Corofin Dramatic Society, having qualified for the All-Ireland Open Finals for the first time just last year. The society also took the top prize for Best Set and Best Stage Management to round off a remarkable week for the players of Corofin. Maura’s success came in the role of Hester in their production of ‘By The Bog Of Cats’, directed by John Clancy. “I am really delighted; it is a huge honour. There are a lot of fine actresses and actors out on the circuit, including a number in our own group, and to win this is a hugh honour,” Maura told The Clare People yesterday. “I see this very much as a group honour; it was a big group effort and I was singled out. We had such a huge cast for this show that it was all about the whole group. Even just to organise rehearsals was a lot of work so everyone involved pulled out all the stops this year. “In 2008 we won the confined All Ireland, so we have only been competing in the full open competition for a few years. Our plan was to work really hard and see could we some day get to Athlone for an All Ireland. “We were over the moon that that happen so quickly for us last year. Our aim this year was to prove that we could do it again, and that is what we did. So we are all over the moon. We are all so delighted with how this has turned out for us this year.”