Welcome
to the
Irish Association of Manitoba
Founded in 1973, the Tara Players' mission is to bring relevant and engaging Irish theatre - both classic and modern - to audiences everywhere. In addition to participating in MTC's annual Master Playwright Festival, Tara produces an average of 4 productions every year. Tara is also a founding member of the Acting Irish International Theatre Festival (AIITF).
Tara players presents:
Once a Dream
A new One Act Play by Brendan Carruthers
With settings ranging from Ireland to WW1 battlefields, Once a Dream is a play raising many questions. Haunted by his memories of past events and people, old Jack Riley finally unburdens himself and in the process returns significant ghosts to life. His revealing insights give new meaning to love and loss with unexpected consequences.
November 14-16
8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.)
Irish Club, 654 Erin Street
Tickets: $15 at the door online through Eventbrite
CAST:
Story Teller ………………Tim Webster
Old Jack Riley……………Bernard Boland
Captain Hodges………….Rob Kwade
Young Jack……………….Alistair Wright
Ma………………………...Alison Kolisnyk
William Whistler…………Justin Fry*
*Barman
CREW:
Ray Cloutier – Director
Stephanie Blanchette - Stage Manager and amp; Technical
Jane Hilder – Set Design and Costumes
Time and Place:
Ireland in 1980’s and Dublin before 1916.
Also WW1 - Gallipoli, Turkey and Verdun and Somme Valley, France
ABOUT THE PLAY AND PLAYWRIGHT
With settings ranging from Ireland to WW1 battlefields, Once a Dream is a play raising many
questions. Haunted by his memories of past events and people, old Jack Riley finally unburdens
himself and in the process returns significant ghosts to life. His revealing insights give new
meaning to love and loss with unexpected consequences.
The play Once a Dream is truly a memory story brought to life. In fact, it first began as a short
story. Following an initial discussion and encouragement from John Mac Kenna, Irish
Playwright, (Faint Voices); the rewriting and expansion process slowly got underway. Ray
Cloutier’s unstinting input, always questioning and demanding so much more also proved
integral to the writing and final play script development process. Thank you Ray.
The script notes that the historic events and locations in Ireland, Gallipoli and France are
factual. Likewise, the late Jack Riley, Larry Thornton and William Whistler were real people.
While it’s possible that they might have met, beyond the basic facts this story is entirely the
work of the author.
Brendan Carruthers is a founding member of the Tara Players. During a lengthy career in Irish
Community Theatre he has performed in and directed a wide variety of productions, in Canada, USA and Ireland.
