Public Invitation to attend the first read-through of play, Walking the Road, by Dermot Bolger and Playwriting Workshop

South Dublin County Council invites the you to the first read-though rehearsal of Walking The Road, a new play by renowned writer and poet Dermot Bolger, followed by a playwriting workshop. The read-through rehearsal will take place in Civic Theatre, Tallaght on Saturday 28^th April from 11am-1pm, with the playwriting workshop taking place afterwards on the afternoon of the same day. Admission to the read-through and workshop is free and tickets for the event can be booked through Colette Ryan in the Arts Office, South Dublin County Council; Tel: 01 4149000 (mornings) or email cryan@sdublincoco.ie

Walking The Road is loosely based on the life of the Irish poet Francis Ledwidge who died ninety years ago in the Third Battle of Ypres. Hovering in the half-light of memories, Bolgers play vividly and imaginatively follows Ledwidge on one final journey after his death as he finds himself once again walking the road that he once walked as a boy from Rathfarnham to Slane, alongside the ghosts of all those who touched his life. But where are they walking to and will any of them ever reach home? The play will open in the Axis Art Centre in June 2007 after which it will tour to Ypres and then return to Ireland to be shown in Civic Theatre, Tallaght, in July as part of Fused*, the South Dublin County Arts Festival

The itinerary for the read-through and workshop on the 28^th April is as follows. From 11am to 1pm the audience will witness the playwright, director and actors engage in the first reading of the script of Walking The Road. In the afternoon there will be a playwriting workshop given by Dermot Bolger, Ray Yeates (Artistic Director of Axis Art Centre) and Jim Culleton (Artistic Director of Fishamble Theatre Company).

Those attending the read-through and workshop can, on the day of the event, avail of a special offer to buy two tickets for the price of one to see the play during its run in the Civic Theatre in July 2007. Dermot Bolger states that the read-through and workshop will be a unique chance for theatregoers and emerging playwrights to explore the art of playwriting and gain an insight into the production process

The writing of Walking The Road was commissioned through In Context 3, South Dublin County Councils Per Cent for Art programme with funding from the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Governments Per Cent for Art Scheme, and the public read through and workshop are also part of this programme. The Axis Arts Centre in Ballymun, are the producers of the play, in association with The Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres, France.

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