[dropcap]The [/dropcap]DCU Drama Society’s pantomime took place last night in the auditorium of St Patricks campus. ‘North Side Story’ is the first DCU panto which has been held outside the Glasnevin campus since the incorporation took place earlier this year.
The Drama Society put their own college spin on the Broadway classic ‘West Side Story’ to tell the tale of the two campuses which become intertwined when a romance emerges from members of each of the campuses- Diarmuid and Mary.
One difference to the set up this year is the volume of auditionees for acting parts, which proved to be troubling for pantomime producer and final year communications student Michael O’Keefe.
“Although this made our casting decision harder, it was a pleasant headache having such an incredibly talented bunch of people to cast from,” he said.
One of the problems faced when rehearsing and organising the pantomime was the selection of locations to meet in between the two campuses and not having one definitive base. It has provided a new dimension to the drama society.
“Having so many people from Pats meant that we had to try and split rehearsals 50/50 between Pats and DCU, which logistically made it harder than in previous years, but on the whole, the amalgamation has been a positive one in terms of drama.”
While the incorporation project, ‘the new DCU’ is still in its first year, one positive outcome of it has been the amount of material available to writers Peter Dineen and pantomime director Caoimhe McGowan, providing a lot of comical content.
“The amalgamation has proved handy, in that it’s provided lots of comedic opportunity for the Panto and it’s integral to the storyline,” said O’Keefe.
The cast of thirty performed to a full-to-capacity auditorium in St Pats which incorporated the typical audience participation that comes with Christmas pantomimes.
Liam Ashton
Image Credit: Niall Farrell
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