It's showtime...

At Mount Carmel Secondary School in King's Inn Street in the heart of Dublin's inner city the teachers and students have just completed a production of Little Shop of Horrors.

Mary Kelly and Dara Kelleher, the main organisers of the event at Mount Carmel, explains that this is their fourteenth musical. They have produced some classics such as Oliver Twist Grease but they said that this year's production was the best ever.

This was due to the hard work and dedication of the cast and all the backroom team. All were happy to stay behind in the evenings and to come in on Sundays to rehearse. Surprising, given the very tight budget. Kelly says they had very little money to work with, so it was a case of getting "bits and bobs" everywhere they could.

They keep all the costumes and equipment they can from previous productions to reduce material costs. "We raid all our fellow teachers' attics every year for any old clothes they might have," says Kelleher.

This year, for example, they were lucky to get four plants from the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, for a minimal fee. The show would have suffered without them, says Kelly, because the plants are very important to the story-line.

This production is the second phase of a millennium project in which Mount Carmel has been chosen to represent Ireland. The project is being run in conjunction with schools in Belgium and Germany. The third phase will be a joint production with pupils from all schools participating. It will be presented in 2000 in Brussels and in Bonn.

The project began in January 1998 when Richard Kane of Leargas approached the school to ask if it would be interested in representing Ireland as part of an EU Millennium Project. The school invited him to attend Oliver Twist to see if they were up to the task. Kane was delighted with what he saw and immediately recommended that Mount Carmel be nominated.

So, the school hosted a workshop last October with their German counterparts coming to Dublin. Both sets of students went through some scenes together. It was a great success, says Kelly, and it bodes well for next year.

She and Kelleher are going to Brussels this month to finalise details for next year's production. They hope to be able to bring as many of the cast with them next year as possible, even though they have not yet secured major funding for the trip.

At the moment they have sponsorship from IFSC, Dublin Inner City Trust, Irish Life Insurance and some EU funding. Sadly, though, they get no government funding.

The two teachers feel that the talent in the school is "unbelievable" and that there should be better structures to tap into the talent. Kelly feels that at least four of her present group have the ability to "make it" on stage.

One of the students, Roisin McInerney, says the whole experience helped give her the confidence to perform in front of a live audience. Jennifer Boyle enjoyed working with others and being part of a team - she felt that the experience would stand to her in later life.

For Nicola Giltrap, it was beneficial having the chance to work with students from other countries.