Dates confirmed for Athlone RTÉ All-Ireland drama festival

Planning is well underway for the 2024 RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival, under the stewardship of Festival Director, Regina Bushell and the Festival Committee.

The festival, which is held under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland, celebrated a number of significant anniversaries in recent years and this year is no different as it marks the 20th year of partnership between RTÉ and the All Ireland Drama Festival.

The drama circuit is already underway and drama groups, who are competing to perform in the open section in the RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival in Athlone, will travel the length and breadth of the country to participate in drama festivals nationwide. A number of groups have already qualified (see the ADCI website for further information https://adci.ie/full-length-circuit/league-tables/open/

The dates for the RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival have been set from Thursday, May 2 to Friday, May 10. The festival will conclude with a grand Gala Awards night on Saturday, May 11. Another key date for the finalists, is for the draw for the nights when the plays will be performed. This is scheduled for Sunday, April 14.

The Fringe Festival opens with two anchor events, the Athlone Film Festival on April 27 followed by the Schools Playwright Award Ceremony on April 29.

The committee is looking forward to welcoming the nine finalists and the audiences to Athlone in May. The bar was set high in 2023 and the organisers plan to entertain audiences at the Dean Crowe Theatre as well as audiences at our Fringe events creating a buzzing atmosphere in Athlone in May 2024!