"RADE's innovative programme of combatting substance abuse through art introduces addicts to their own genius, their own best selves, it focuses on the buzz that living a positive life can bring,a buzz that is genuine and life enhancing"
President Mary McAleese
Check out this 10-minute documentary which will give you a taste of the behind-the-scenes work for the year.
RADE were a part of the 1913 Lockout centenary celebrations. This became our theme for the year, with all workshops focusing on the Lockout.
View full production of ‘A Hundred Years Ago’ in Liberty Hall Theatre
Music recording in Dublin studio
Working with writer Malcolm MacClancy, the group wrote new lyrics to well-known Irish ballads which were used in the production of A Hundred Years Ago. These songs were later recorded in a professional studio. These songs are available on CD.
To coincide with the Lockout centenary celebrations participants create their own art pieces
The group’s exhibition of painting and wood carvings A Hundred Years Ago, based on the themes of the 1913 Lockout, were displayed in the Atrium, Dublin City Council, Wood Quay, in August; The Axis Theatre in Ballymun; and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The work is a rumination of the 1913 Lockout, told through the medium of painting and sculpture.
Participants exhibited their sculptures A Hundred Years Ago: A Reflection on the 1913 Lockout in Sculptures at Féile na Bealtaine in Dingle, Co. Kerry in May 2014. RADE artists worked with Eoghan O’Neill to produce these original pieces. All sculptures contain a hand, marking the Red Hand Badge of the Union which each member of the union wore proudly during the 1913 Lockout. Underneath the hands, participants have carved their own personalised pieces representing themes of the Lockout.
Check out the Irish Independent article on the exhibition:
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/ballagh-lends-a-helping-hand-to-exciting-exhibition-29488196.html
Highlights from the rehearsals and performances of A Hundred Years Ago
A Hundred Years Ago explores the dramatic events that evolved through the autumn of 1913 when ordinary workers took a stand with Jim Larkin against the employers of Dublin city and the subsistent wages that held them in slavery.
The play, that includes both jaunty and haunting ballad songs, is delivered with bawdy and raucous humour. The food kitchens, proselytizers and Monto girls all come to life, as do families and workers struggling to survive in the slum tenements. Here you will find the Dubliners’ irreverent wit, chiseled from their ancestors and presented, warts and all, by the RADE Company in their distinctive style.
Much of the dialogue for this year’s show has been compiled from our creative writing class, which gives the drama a tangible and authentic voice when addressing this exciting and conflicting period in Dublin’s history. Mick Egan is responsible for the script collaboration.
This production was staged in Smock Alley Theatre in September 2013, the OLV Building during the month of December, Farmleigh House in April 2014, and for a benefit night for Dublin Simon Community in March 2014. The play also featured at the Addiction Festival run by THEATREclub and Depaul Ireland in March 2014.
The original production, staged in Smock Alley Theatre, included all RADE participants. The cast was later reduced to 8 to allow the play to tour.
Stories and images from A Hundred Years Ago
In 2013, inspired by the centenary of the 1913 Lockout, we produced a book with a difference. Participants took time outside their creative writing classes to read the literature, poetry and history of the period. This book is a compilation of what they learned, telling stories through their eyes. Participants worked with writer Dominique Cleary and RADE director Mick Egan to produce our most ambitious book to date. The stories from this book were used to develop the script of the acclaimed stage play A Hundred Years Ago.
Read A Hundred Years Ago
To mark the end of the Lockout centenary celebrations we performed ‘A Hundred Years Ago’ in Liberty Hall Theatre
Above is the full live performance on film. All proceeds raised from ticket and book sales were donated to Dublin Simon Community.
At this performance Dublin rapper Tommy KD sang a beautiful version of ‘The Kiddies Scheme Song’
