ALEXANDRA ROBERSTON
The 1510 West

Shame and suppression, with a little bit of joy and comedy mixed in are just a few themes in Dancing at Lughnasa, the play now at Hudson Village Theatre.

West Island director Donna Byrne said all of the characters are multi-dimensional and the audience will fall in love with them immediately.

“I think they are so well developed, and any family can relate to what’s going on here,” Byrne said.

This award-winning piece was written by Brian Friel, who loosely based the story on his own life. It takes place in 1936 in County Donegal in Northern Ireland, in a fictional town called Ballybeg. It tells the story of the five Mundy sisters who are struggling with poverty in the Industrial Age, while raising their nephew, Michael.

Byrne, who’s both a director and actor and a member of Playwrights Guild of Canada, noted that this piece is different from other performances she has directed because it’s a memory play. It is told from the perspective of seven-year-old Michael, who narrates, as he tells the story of a summer in his aunts’ cottage.

“We have the adult Michael on stage, answering as the child, but in the adult voice. The others who are on stage do not see him. It’s all in his memory,” Byrne explained.

Since this character has the perception of a young kid, he sets the tone for the whole story.

“It’s very interesting and complex,” she said. “But I’ve directed it so that it’s very easy to get. It’s no messy.”

Believe it or not, there are some similarities between this troupe and people today, and the challenges we have to face.

As Bryne explained: “One of the sisters, Kate Mundy, says, ‘Now that the Marconi radio is here, nobody talks to anyone any more!’ And it’s the same as when cellphones came around.”

Local actors are featured in the production, including Susan Corbett, who plays Kate Mundy; Dawn Hartigan and Susan Walsh, who take on the roles of Chris and Maggie Mundy; Bill Jackson plays Father Jack; and Steve Walters is featured as Michael Evans.

Bryne admitted that she couldn’t have asked for a better group to work with.

“I am so proud of them,” she said. “They are all big roles, and they are doing an incredible job.”

Byrne has now directed more than 60 plays, including Lost in Yonkers for the Lakeshore Players Dorval. And she is already thinking about what she will be doing next.

“With Lakeshore Players, we’ve had a few groups that we’ve formed,” she said. “We have the Moonlighters who would go around performing in seniors’ homes. That was pre-pandemic. We are thinking about picking that back up again.”

The West Islander says she falls in love with every project she is a part of.

“Once it opens, I like to go to every show. I like to just sit and watch the performance and the story. I get a lot of joy out of the fruits of my labour.”

Dancing at Lughnasa is produced by the Hudson Players Club and runs until April 14. For tickets, go to the Hudson Players’ Club website.