Athlone teen stages his own musical in Dublin theatre

Writing an original musical and bringing it to the stage of a well-known theatre in a capital city would be be an impressive achievement at any age.

However, Kiltoom's Rhys Mannion made this dream a reality just days after his 18th birthday, when Dawn na Dorcha, his musical set during the Great Famine, was performed in the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin last Sunday.

Rhys (pictured above, left), who is about to begin sixth year in Athlone Community College, started working on the musical four years ago, and even a global pandemic couldn't prevent him from bringing it to fruition.

With a cast of nine, which included several actors from the Athlone area, the two-hour show was performed twice in Dublin on Sunday; an afternoon matinee for family and friends of the cast, followed by a 7.30pm 'showpiece' performance aimed at attracting interest from producers and other professionals involved in musical theatre.

"We did this to get the attention of industry professionals, and show them what we're all about, in the hope that someone might be interested in helping us progress it to the next level," Rhys told the Westmeath Independent this week.

Some of his favourite musicals - such as Les Miserables and Hamilton - were set during landmark periods in history and he decided to base his show during a period in Ireland which continues to resonate.

"I thought a Famine story could be told that would help people learn about history and allow us to reflect on our culture," he said.

Although Covid-19 restricted the numbers that could attend Sunday's debut performances, reviews from those who were present were glowing.

Michael Smith, the editor of Village magazine, said he was "amazed by the sustained and compelling theatrical energy coming from the hand of such a young writer."

He added that the cast "were well-chosen and charismatic; and there were some accomplished showstopping songs."

Eileen Donohoe, the principal of Athlone Community College, was one of several locals who travelled to Dublin to see it on Sunday. She said it was an honour to have been invited, and she was "bowled over" by the quality of the production.

"I never attended anything like it before. From the moment it started until it finished, it just drew you in. It was absolutely outstanding, and very emotional, I thought."

She said she would love to see Dawn na Dorcha being staged in Athlone and in other regional theatres in places like Roscommon and Galway.

"I'll certainly be encouraging Rhys to put on a performance in Athlone, because I'd love for our school and staff to see what somebody can do. He is a catalyst for anybody who has a dream, because this was his dream.

"From 14 years of age, he wanted to write this musical and he never let go, even though it must have been difficult, particularly during the last year, with Covid-19 and the lockdown," she said.

In addition to writing Dawn na Dorcha, Rhys directed, choreographed, and narrated the show.

The talented cast featured locals Leighann Coyle (whose sister Eva helped Rhys compose some of the musical pieces), Cian Mulhall, Joe Steiner, and Leon Brydone.

Rhys has been attending Galway's Trading Faces Stage School since he was twelve, and the cast also included two colleagues from the school, Fionn McGlacken and Emer Hearns, as well as two Dubliners, Jack Hanrahan and Jack Hopkins, both of whom had to audition for their roles online due to the pandemic.

Rhys spoke modestly about his achievement in writing Dawn na Dorcha. He started to learn guitar at the age of 15 in order to help himself compose the music for it.

"(The writing of it) sort of fell into place, in a way. I first created a standalone song, which is at the end of the musical, and then I started working back from there."

The show follows the journey of two children, Niall and Peggy, as they fight for survival while experiencing the darker side of the world around them, and the script refers to some true stories and people from the Famine times.

Rhys said staging his show in the "beautiful" Smock Alley Theatre, near Temple Bar, was a memorable experience.

"It's an intimate theatre, it's comfortable for just starting out, but it also has that 'wow' factor that really makes something look spectacular."

He was delighted with the positive feedback from those who attended Sunday's performances, and he hopes the show will go on to be staged again.

"Hopefully this is just the beginning," he said.