Dancing at Lughnasa
All performances begin at 7:30 PM, except Sunday shows, which begin at 2:00 PM.
Set in a small 1936 Irish village, Michael recounts a life-changing summer when he lived with his mother and four aunts. Struggling to make a living, these courageous, good-hearted women work to keep hope alive by finding strength in each other and through brief escapes in dancing to the music on their little wireless radio.
Performance Dates
March 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 2009
Ticket Reservations available February 9.
Production Staff
| Director | Rob Lippert |
| Assistant Director | Patrick Donnigan |
| Admin. Assistant | Karen Lee Maloney |
| General Assistant | Harriet Church |
| Choreographer | Jeffrey Gressem-Yapp |
| Light Crew | Jay Frey |
| Light Crew | Lynette Chinal |
| Stage Director | Anne Ecker |
| Costumes | Peg Zuger |
Cast and Character Descriptions
Kate Mundy (Gigi Dowling Urban)
- The eldest and most responsible of the 5 sisters
- The only wage earner in the Mundy household
- Works as a school teacher
- Supports her 4 sisters, Michael, and Jack, nagging at each of them and looking out for their best interests, having become somewhat of the Mother figure of the household
- Comes across as strict, educated, and fiercely Catholic, but is still very kind-hearted
- Thinks Gerry Evans is a good-for-nothing vagabond, but still tries to remain polite, extending hospitality as far as offering him to stay the night in the loft of the barn
- Is closest with her sister Maggie, who acts as her confidant
Maggie Mundy (Amy Kinsella)
- 2 years younger than Kate
- Has no money and no job
- A homemaker and family "Chef"
- Dresses poorly
- Loves to dance, tell riddles, and tease
- The life of the play, she keeps everyone from getting too annoyed with each other
- Secretly has her own dreams as evident from her sudden quietness upon hearing of the success of her best friend
- Is the only sister who calls Kate "Kitty," suggesting that she is not only closest with Kate, but that she is somewhat of Kate's equal in the household
Agnes Mundy (Cindy Donnigan)
- 5 years younger than Kate
- Loves to dance and is a good dancer
- Is secretly infatuated with Gerry Evans, and often comes to his defense
- A hint to the hidden talents she possessed, but rarely exposed due to her lack of self confidence
- Makes a little bit of income with Rose Mundy to add to the Mundy sister household's income by knitting gloves
- Feels a strong sense of duty and sisterly love for Rose. She connects and shares a love with her that she does not have with any of the other sisters
- Tries to support both herself and Rose and fails
- Interesting contrast between what the women thought would be better for themselves
- thought emigration to London would be more beneficial in terms of work and overall better for the family
- ended up worse off than if they just remained at home in Ireland
- Dies in rather dire circumstances before Rose
Rose Mundy (Shawn Chevalier)
- 8 years younger than Kate
- Loves to dance, but is a bad dancer
- Makes a little bit of income with Agnes Mundy to add to the Mundy sister household's income by knitting gloves
- "Touched by the hand of God" (Developmental disability)
- Gullible. Easy to be wooed
- Loves to go berry-picking with Agnes
- Feels a type of bond and love for Agnes that she does not share with any of the other sisters
Christina Mundy (Rebecca Kearney)
- 15 years younger than Kate
- Never married
- Referred to as Chris, Christina, and Chrissie throughout the play
- Has no money and no job
- Dresses poorly
- Used to see Gerry Evans intimately, and cannot seem to get over him. Often falls into depression when he leaves, but still tries to convince herself that he will come back to her a changed man
- Had a son Michael, with Gerry Evans, and was looked down upon for having an illegitimate child
- Is jealous of Gerry's flirtation with her other siblings
Uncle Jack Mundy (Mike Russell)
- Early to mid-fifties
- Also known as "Father Jack", he was a Catholic chaplain and a respected member of the community
- Spent 6 months in the British army during World War I in East Africa as a missionary
- Worked for 25 years in a leper colony in Ryanga, Uganda
- Returned home afflicted with malaria and difficulty remembering his home and family, as well as speech impediments after speaking nothing but Swahili for 25 years
- His strange behaviour and loss of interest in the Christian faith has lost him the respect his neighbours and community once held for him
- Always fantasizes about returning to the leper colony in Ryanga and to his house boy, "Okawa" who he sometimes mistakenly addresses the Mundy sisters as
Michael Evans (Don Urban)
- 7 years old, the typical cheeky, impish lad
- Son of Chris Mundy and Gerry Evans
- Narrated through the eyes of him
- Paints kites that imply his paganism. Kites also represent escapism, freedom(flying) and aspirations
- Story is about him as a child growing up
- Does not physically appear onstage, but is voiced by the narrator (adult Michael) as the other actors mime his presence
- Adored by the family- each sister dreams of having a child
Gerry Evans (Brian Scheppler)
- Between Rose and Christine in age
- Father of Michael, narrator
- Very unreliable. Left Chris and Michael
- "Wanderer"-type personality
- His clothes are clean and spotless, suggesting a hygienic appearance
- Left Chris, with his son Michael, without any support or assistance
- An elegant charmer always lending compliments to the ladies
- Another family in a village in the south of Wales
- Curiously has something going with Agnes Mundy too
Rehearsal Schedule
| Dancing at Lughnasa | ||||||
| Rehearsal Schedule | ||||||
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| 8-Feb | 9-Feb | 10-Feb | 11-Feb | 12-Feb | 13-Feb | 14-Feb |
| Read Thru 7 PM | Off | Blocking - Act 1 | Blocking - Act 2 | Set Construction 9AM - 12PM | ||
| 15-Feb | 16-Feb | 17-Feb | 18-Feb | 19-Feb | 20-Feb | 21-Feb |
| Choreography Run Act 1 | Run Act 1 | Set Construction 7 PM | Run Act 2 | Run Act 1 | ||
| 22-Feb | 23-Feb | 24-Feb | 25-Feb | 26-Feb | 27-Feb | 28-Feb |
| Choreography Off book - Act 1 | Off-book Acts 2 | Set Construction 7 PM | Run Act 1 | Run Act 2 | ||
| 1-Mar | 2-Mar | 3-Mar | 4-Mar | 5-Mar | 6-Mar | 7-Mar |
| Run - Whole show | Run - Whole show | Set Construction 7 PM | Run - Whole show | Run - Whole show | ||
| 8-Mar | 9-Mar | 10-Mar | 11-Mar | 12-Mar | 13-Mar | 14-Mar |
| Tech Rehearsal 6PM | Dress Rehearsal 6:30 PM | Dress Rehearsal 6:30 PM | Dress Rehearsal 6:30 PM | Perfomance - 7:30 PM (6:00 call) | Perfomance - 7:30 PM (6:00 call) | Perfomance - 7:30 PM (6:00 call) |
| 15-Mar | 16-Mar | 17-Mar | 18-Mar | 19-Mar | 20-Mar | 21-Mar |
| Perfomance - 2PM (12:30 call) | Pick-up Rehearsal 7 PM | Perfomance - 7:30 PM (6:00 call) | Perfomance - 7:30 PM (6:00 call) | Perfomance - 7:30 PM (6:00 call) | ||
| 22-Mar | ||||||
| Perfomance - 2PM (12:30 call) | ||||||
| All rehearsals begin at 7PM unless otherwise noted | ||||||
| Set Construction will be Tuesday Evenings 7 - 9PM and Sunday afternoons 1 - 5PM (except Feb 10 & 14) | ||||||