Springfield Community Players take on ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’

By JOSH O’GORMAN Herald Staff

SPRINGFIELD — Theatergoers will have the opportunity to unleash their inner pagans when the Springfield Community Players stage the play “Dancing at Lughnasa” this weekend.

Written by prominent Irish playwright Brian Friel, the play tells the story of five sisters and their desire to dance and celebrate the ancient pagan ritual of Lughnasa.

Set in Ireland in 1936, the story centers on the return of Jack Mundy, a priest who has spent the last 25 years working with lepers in Africa. Although in the eyes of his hometown he is returning a hero, Jack has actually been sent home by the Catholic Church for embracing the native Ugandan traditions.

At the same time, Jack’s sisters are inspired to dance after listening to music broadcast from Dublin on an old transistor radio, reminding them of the Celtic pagan harvest festival Lughnasa.

“There are definitely parallels between the African rites and the pagan rituals,” said Bonnie McPhetres, who plays Agnes Mundy, one of the five sisters.

Director Stephanie Rowe has been waiting to stage this play since first seeing it at the Weston Playhouse “many years ago.”

“It’s a play I’ve wanted to do for several years and with a small theater group you have to wait to find the right group,” Rowe said. “It always seems like I have a backlog of plays that I would like to stage.”

Although it might be a small theater company, the Springfield Community Players have a long history, dating back to their first performance in 1920, and is Vermont’s longest continually running nonprofessional theater group.

While the play deals with themes of Irish identity and the clash between ancient and modern traditions, the relationships between the characters often take center stage.

“The relationships between the five sisters are key to this play,” McPhetres said.

Rowe said that as a director it was her job to encourage her actors to explore their relationships.

“Several times I’ve had the actors just talk about their relationships as actors,” Rowe said. “With each passing week of rehearsal I’ve seen them bring more depth to their roles.”

“Dancing at Lughnasa” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and on May 16 and 17 at the Springfield Community Players Studio at 162 South St. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. To reserve tickets or for more information, call 885-4098 or visit www.springfieldcommunityplayers.org.

Contact Josh O’Gorman at josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com.