BY DAVID BOLGER

WORLD PREMIERE | 24-28 JANUARY 2023

 
“immediate, endearing and subtle…excellently cast…a rich and constantly morphing interaction between movement and sound” – The Irish Times

“flair and humour [in] this impressive production that will knock you out of the January blues.” – No More Workhorse

We vibe, we vibrate, hearts pumping, rhythm jumping,
Drumming up the earth’s vibrations, 
Infusing our heartbeat, our breath…

Pulsating with theatrical magic, CoisCéim Dance Theatre returned to Project Arts Centre in 2023 with THE PIECE WITH THE DRUMS – a driving dance narrative between dancer and percussion.  Directed and choreographed by David Bolger, with music, beats and everything in between by pioneering Jazz percussionist Conor Guilfoyle, this major new work is a colourful exploration of relationships, spirituality, and our connection to rhythm, life and the cosmos.

With humour and swift sharp dancing from a cast of exceptional artists Justine Cooper, Ghaliah Conroy, Ivonne Kalter, Jonathan Mitchell and Alex O’Neill, it features set & costume design by Katie Davenport and is bathed in brilliant light by Eamon Fox. 

WORLD PREMIERE

PROJECT ARTS CENTRE | DUBLIN 2

PREVIEW | Tues 24 January 2023 | 7.30pm
PERFORMANCES | Wed 25 January – Sat 28 January 2023 | 7.30pm | Sold Out – returns only.
MATINEE | Saturday 28 January | 2.30pm
RELAXED PERFORMANCE | 26 January | 7.30pm | Sold Out – returns only.
DANCE & DRUMMING WORKSHOP | 26 January 4-5.30pm
Led by Cathy Coughlan with Conor Guilfoyle. Special thanks to RehabCare, part of The Rehab Group; Dun Laoghaire Resource Centre; and Run Of The Mill inclusive Theatre Group for taking part in this dance and drumming workshop on stage at Project Arts Centre.

TICKETS | Recommended price €23*
*In 2022, following the publication of our new Strategic Plan, we introduced Pay What You Can ticket options. For THE PIECE WITH THE DRUMS these range from €6- €35.

TICKET UPDATE | Due to illness performance dates for THE PIECE WITH THE DRUMS were changed to 24-28 January 2023.

CREDITS

Cast | Justine Cooper, Ghaliah Conroy, Conor Guilfoyle, Ivonne Kalter, Jonathan Mitchell, Alex O’Neill

Director | David Bolger
Choreography | David Bolger in collaboration with the dancers
Music | Conor Guilfoyle 
Set and Costume | Katie Davenport
Lighting | Eamon Fox
Hair & Makeup | Val Sherlock

Production Manager | Seán Dennehy
Stage Manager | Stephanie Ryan
Assistant Stage Manager | Laura Murphy

With special thanks to Diarmuid Armstrong.

 

GALLERY

Photos by Ros Kavanagh

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Ghaliah Conroy is a multidisciplinary performer and maker from Dublin. Ghaliah recently graduated from Fontys School of Performing Arts in the Netherlands. During her time there she worked with choreographers Andrea Beugger, Guilherme Miotto, Katja Hetimann and Agostina D’Allesandro. In her final year of studies Ghaliah specified in Choreography and has since made her own work and collaborated with Theatre companies (Malaprop). Since graduating Ghaliah has danced with John Scott in ‘The Wanderer’ and premiered her own work at The Dancer From the Dance Festival and Dublin Fringe Festival, 2022. She made her CoisCéim debut in the short film TOUCH by David Bolger for RTÉ in 2021.

Originally from New Zealand, Justine has been based in Ireland as a freelance dance artist, teacher and choreographer since 2008. A regular lecturer at The University of Limerick in contemporary dance and choreography & most recently performing as a dance artist with Laura Murphy, Liz Roche Company, CoisCéim Dance Theatre, Justine Doswell, Mary Wycherly, Oona Doherty, United Fall, Maria Nilsson Waller, Anu Productions & Junk Ensemble. Justine was a company member of Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre from 1998-2000. Her own work ‘Folds of the Crane’ was presented as part of Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival 2015 ( nominated for Spirit of the Fringe & Best Lighting & Design) also presented at Dublin Dance Festival 2016 and What’s Next Festival 2018. ‘The Misfits’ by Corn Exchange (Nominated for Best Movement Direction, Irish Theatre Awards, 2018)

Ivonne studied at Heinz Bosl Stiftung Ballet Academy in Munich and subsequently at Iwanson School of Contemporary Dance. She made her professional stage debut in 2009 as part of choreographer Jochen Heckmann’s cast at TIK Theatre Kempten. Since then, she has travelled extensively with shows, to teach and to draw inspiration for her work, honing her distinctive style and movement. Ivonne’s impactful work has received international acclaim, including the Isadora Award in 2010 for the most promising young dancer. She is an associate artist of Levantes Dance Theatre in London, who combine contemporary circus and dance-theatre. She enjoys working with people of all ages, leading workshops for the community and professional dance education programmes, and is a certified yoga teacher. Her work with CoisCéim includes: INVITATION TO A  JOURNEY, THE WOLF AND PETER, BODY LANGUAGE, IN THE MAGIC HOUR, HOW TO SINK A PAPER BOAT and FRANCIS FOOTWORK.

Jonathan graduated from the Rambert School, London, in 1992. Since then he has been fortunate to work with a host of choreographers and companies, including Adventures in Motion Pictures, Mathew Hawkins, Liz Roche Company and IMDT, performing on four continents and in both hemispheres. Jonathan’s association with CoisCeim began in 2001 with The Rite of Spring, and he has worked with the company many times since, including When Once Is Never Enough, Mermaids, Pageant, Agnes, The Wolf and Peter, These Rooms, Body Language/In The Magic Hour, Francis Footwork, Orfeo ed Euridice for the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival and Go To Blazes.

Alex’s career began on RTÉ’s Supercrew (2010-2011) Mrs Browns Boys Da Movie (2014) Ek Tha Tiger (2012) Vikings (2018) Featured dancer in the Ireland’s Got Talent Advert live shows (2019) Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel” (2021) James Vincent McMorrow’s “Gone” (2020) Disney’s Disenchanted (2022) Feature work with Red Bull, RTÉ, Apple, Heineken, Ryanair, Facebook, Google, Vodafone and Orchard Thieves and Lifestyle Sports Christmas Campaign/Adverts (2018 & 2021). Head choreographer the 80’s & 90’s Disco European Arena Tour (2018 – 2020) Soloist in Monica Loughman’s annual production of The Nutcracker (2012-2015); Michael Jackson Man In The Mirror Tribute tour (2014-2016). He made his CoisCéim debut in Orpheo ed Euridice for the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2022.

David is the Artistic Director and co-founder of CoisCéim Dance Theatre. His work has been seen by millions of people worldwide and has received prestigious awards for its innovation, performance and choreography. David has directed and choreographed over 30 original productions for CoisCéim, including Go To Blazes, Francis Footwork, the highly lauded The Wolf and Peter, Body Language, and the major international co-production These Rooms (Irish Times Theatre Award, London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT), TATE Liverpool). His work for the company has been presented at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and Peak Performances in the USA, Spring Loaded (The Place) and the Brighton Festival in the UK, Ten Days on the Island (Tasmania), Arts Centre Melbourne and Sydney Opera House (Australia). David has received numerous choreographic commissions for theatre and opera including Druid (Ireland), Spoleto Festival (USA), Guthrie Theatre (USA), RTÉ (Ireland), National Theatre (UK), Abbey Theatre (Ireland) and Opera Ireland. He is a member of Aosdána. www.coisceim.com/about-us/

Katie is a theatre designer, currently in residence at The Dean Art Studio Dublin. She has an Irish Times Theatre Award for costume design 2021 & 2022 and has been nominated twice.

Katie has designed for many major theatre, opera and dance companies in Ireland, including The Abbey, The Gate, Irish National Opera, Landmark, United Fall, Liz Roche Company, Coiscéim, Northern Ireland Opera, Theatre Lovett, thisispopbaby and Rough Magic.She recently created the installation “Pegeen’s” at The Abbey Theatre – a pop up theatre café.

Katie is vice chair of the  Irish Society of Stage & Screen Designers and was Designer in Residence at The Gate Theatre Dublin in 2017. She represented Ireland in Beijing NCPA at Evolving Design for Performance in 2016 and again at The Prague Quadrennial 2019, a world exhibition of theatre design.

Previous lighting designs for CoisCéim include Our Fathers, Missing, Swimming with my Mother and Boxes. Other work includes: Orfeo ed Euridice for Blackwater Valley Opera; The Wasteground Party for The Peacock Theatre (The Abbey); The Visit for Draiocht Arts Centre; Hansel & Gretel, Hans Christian Anderson for Verdant Productions; Chance to Dance film for Jess Rowell Dance & Draiocht; A Holy Show for Verdant Productions; Carmen, The Nutcracker & Swan Lake for Ballet Ireland; The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, King Lear and Hamlet (nominated for an Irish Times Theatre Award) for Second Age Theatre Company; It Only Ever Happens In The Movies, A Dream Play, The Seagull, A Midsummer’s Night Dream and The Caucasian Chalk Circle for The National Youth Theatre at The Peacock Theatre (The Abbey; This is a room, The Comedy of Errors for Dublin Youth Theatre; The Field for Verdant Productions, Stones In His Pockets for Pat Moylan Productions- all at The Gaiety Theatre

Conor is one of Ireland’s leading jazz drummers and educators. As a performer he has toured and recorded with some of the finest jazz musicians in the world today. On the domestic front he runs the Conor Guilfoyle Octet and has led many Salsa and Latin jazz groups making the first recordings of that genre in Ireland.

He is co-founder of the Newpark music jazz programme now in DCU which offered the first BA in jazz performance in Ireland. He has lectured on many of the leading jazz programs worldwide and is the author of three books, “Odd Meter Clave for drum set”, “Rhythmic reading for drummers” and “Keeping the drummer occupied”.

Val has worked as a hair and makeup artist as well as a wigmaker for a quarter of a century. As well as television, film and advertising work, Val has worked for all major theatre companies in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Val has had the pleasure of working across all aspects of theatre, opera, contemporary dance, and ballet. He has worked on multiple productions for the Lyric Theatre, Druid, Rough Magic Theatre Company, CoisCéim Dance Theatre, Fishamble: The New Play Company, the Abbey Theatre/Peacock Theatre, The Corn Exchange and Landmark Productions, amongst others.

CANCELLED

Please contact the Project Arts Centre box office team at boxoffice@projectartscentre.ie or +353 1 881 9613 to request a full refund. Thank you for your understanding.

FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY! Conor Guilfoyle takes over the stage for a not-to-be-missed music event: CONOR GUILFOYLE OCTET + THREE perform the sparkling jazz classic ART PEPPER + ELEVEN.

 
The Conor Guilfoyle Octet is handpicked from the finest young players on the scene today, many who originally studied with him on the jazz program in Newpark Music centre (now DCU). Their music takes a look back to the 1950’s to a style associated with the west coast called “Cool Jazz”, though the origins really began on the east coast with the seminal “Birth of the Cool” recordings by Miles Davis. In 2020, the Octet toured Ireland with “The Birth of the Cool” suite, the first time it had been performed in Ireland. 

With their latest project the Octet will expand by adding 3 extra horns to perform the iconic recording “ART PEPPER + ELEVEN”, again it will be the FIRST time the music has been performed in Ireland. ART PEPPER + ELEVEN is regarded alongside “Kind of Blue” and “Birth of the Cool” as one the modern classic recordings in jazz. With the smooth sound of Pepper’s alto and the intricate ensemble writing by arranger Marty Paich, it epitomises the west coast sound. However, the material is from the east coast with classic tunes by Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and Horace Silver among others, giving the members plenty of room to solo.

MONDAY 23 January 2023 | 8.00pm at Project Arts Centre
TICKETS | €25 / €20 with the purchase of a ticket to THE PIECE WITH THE DRUMS


FEATURING
Conor Guilfoyle | Drums Bill Blackmore | Trumpet Mark Bradley | Trumpet Colm O’ Hara | Trombone Paul Frost | Trombone Yuzaha O’ Halloran | Alto Saxophone Steve Welsh | Alto Patrice Brun | Tenor Saxophone Kelan Walsh | Baritone Saxophone Luke Howard | Piano Barry Rycraft | Bass