PETER COLLEY Playwright-Screenwriter
THE DONNELLYS
A Drama with Music
Rep 21's production - see cast pictures below!
"A beautifully written, daring, intimate and profound theatrical experience." Canadore.ca
Theatre companies, to obtain a free perusal copy of
this play, email the author at:
See the bottom of the page for rights and playscripts.
Premiere: Grand Theatre, London, Ontario
"Peter Colley's The Donnellys is a personal Canadian favourite."
Mike Ross - Times Square Chronicles, New York
THE PALACE THEATRE - 2023
The historic 1927 theatre - London (ON)
Standing ovation every night!
The National Arts Center Ottawa (left) and The Roxy at Owen Sound
- 2013 (right)
The premiere production was performed at The
Grand Theatre, London, Ontario
and the National Arts Centre, Ottawa. It was directed by Heinar Piller,
Set Design: Anton Dimitrov, Costumes: Olga Dimitrov, Music: Berthold Carriere
2013 - THE ROXY PRODUCTION SELLS OUT - PERFORMANCES ADDED!
Second Production: The National Arts Centre, Ottawa
"Canada's Home For The Performing Arts"
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TO SEE MORE PRODUCTION PHOTOS CLICK HERE
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THE STORY: The Donnellys is based on Canada's most infamous true story. A story that has grown in the telling with each generation since the events that shook the little village of Lucan in 1880 and caused a sensation around the world. Why did the god-fearing residents of a small pioneer town rise up one night and slaughter an entire family as they lay sleeping? Why did a veil of silence descend over the town, so that even though forty sets of footprints were found at the scene, nobody was ever convicted of the murders? And why has the code of silence lasted to this day? The play sets out to answer these questions, going back into the blood-feuds of old Ireland and tracing the passions and hatreds that fueled this deadly tragedy. |
Tom Celli and Pat Collins at the National Arts Centre
Wayne Burnett as "Tim Mulligan" at the National Arts Centre
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PRODUCTION
HISTORY:
REVIEWS: “I found
The Donnellys an outstanding and intense experience... an exciting and
original work of theatre! With
this production The Grand Theatre has
finally “arrived.”" “The
play’s portrait of a shameful past is both powerful and disturbing... a
strong and unrelenting script... very moving... a dark display of evil...
overwhelming emotions of fear, passion and hatred... left a lasting impact
that should fill us with shame and dread.” “The
Donnellys is a stunning box-office success! Intelligent
entertainment... nimble yet perceptive. Rich
in atmosphere and compelling in incident. This
is important theatre!” “Grandly
soars... full-bodied, full of lurid verse and high excitement! It
is a proud contribution to local culture.”
“One feels
that comment on this production is almost superfluous after the rave
reviews and sell-out crowds The Donnellys drew. The
production was for myself a moving experience... nothing short of
superb.” “Peter
Colley’s The Donnellys, which began a run at the National Arts Centre, is a stirring drama... fascinating as fictionalised history.” “The
Donnellys brought to me a valuable, personal and literary interpretation
of both life and history.” “I saw two
performances (of the The Donnellys) and was deeply moved by the play... it
was a hit!”
“The
Donnellys is the best piece of community-oriented theatre in Ontario.”
"Murderous tale a popular stage hit... this play shows what hate can do to honest people."
“In The
Donnellys, I wondered why Colley’s sweeping lyrics couldn’t be lifted
and used as narrative poetry in the schools. They’re
utterly grand reading... the saga of the Donnellys could come to life the
same way as The Highwayman has for schoolchildren.” "We
closed our production of The Donnellys last night, thrilled to have been
immersed in the world of your play for the last few months. It is
probably the most challenging work we’ve undertaken and it was met with
an outstanding response from our audience. Thank you for writing such an
accessible, inspiring text. My students grew immeasurably from their
experiences during this project." Welland Tribune 2007: "Students embrace dark drama with great enthusiasm". "We had a great success with The Donnellys and it provided
a very memorable experience for all of us who were involved."
BELOW FROM THE ROXY THEATRE 2013 |
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TO OBTAIN A COPY OF THIS PLAY SEE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE
PHOTOS OF THE DONNELLY HOMESTEAD AND
HEADSTONE
Photos taken by James Patterson. © Copyright James Patterson.
Used with permission
Check out the Donnelly Museum
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For playscripts or stage rights contact the author at the email address below or:
The Playwrights Guild of Canada
401 Richmond St. W., Suite 350 Toronto ON, M5V 3A8
Tel: (416) 703-0201
Mail to: P.O. Box 60022 Queen Beverley PO Toronto, Ontario M5V 0C5
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm
WEB SITE: www.playwrightsguild.ca E-MAIL:
info@playwrightsguild.ca
The Playwrights Guild handles the amateur rights of this
play in Canada. For all other rights please contact the author at:
The above email address is a graphic so that SPAM email harvesting programs cannot see it. You must manually type in the email address! Thanks!
THEATRE COMPANIES: For free perusal copies of any of Peter's plays email a request to the above address. Please include company name
