In common with similar venues across the world, the curtains came down on the Glen Theatre in Banteer just short of twelve months ago when the plague of Covid 19 began to engulf the country.
The popular north Cork venue is widely acclaimed for the quality of its dramatic offerings and the variety of top musical acts that have graced the stage over the past 24-years.
Theatre chairman Rory O Driscoll said that in March 2020 when the committee heard that the virus had entered the country, they decided to close ahead of the Government lockdown. We felt this was best from a safety point of view, because many of our clientele would be in the older age group and possibly more vulnerable, he told The Corkman.
The Banteer Drama Group was established in 1990 by Seamus O Keeffe, Dan Duggan, and Denis O Connell who, while chatting over a pint came up with the notion of staging a play.
They gathered a group and produced two one act plays in the local Community Centre. Although the group was drawing capacity crowds to the centre, they realised that it was not the most suitable venue for drama, and began seeking a new home for the group.
Needless to say, the Drama Group settled in to their permanent home after the Glen Theatre opened in 1996.
The Banteer Drama Group has travelled to many places down through the years, in its first season, the group toured The Field around the county, performing in Banteer, Killavullen, Doneraile, Cloghroe, Glanmire and Dromtarriffe.