Flying Turtle Productions

at the Abbey School of Drama, Dublin

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When It Rains… It Pours!

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As we prepare to come back to full speed with our live classes in 2022, I wanted to update you on some creative projects from 2021.

As well as running Flying Turtle Productions, I also work as an artist in theatre and film. Most recently I directed a live site specific cowboy western with 13 actors and musicians for Showdown at Hickory Gulch in September.  I am also working as an actor…

So purely by coincidence, I have three large scale performances that landed in October/November 2021 in theatre, film and TV!  Strangley enough,  The Letters (feature film), Dublin in a Rainstorm (theatre) and John Connors Acting Academy (TV) all happened at the same time.  More info below on each of these.

Click here to read recent press from October, 31st, 2021 written by Michael Moffett of the Irish Sunday Mail:    KathleenPress 

THE LETTERS, A Robbie Walsh independent feature film opened in Irish Cinemas October 29th for a limited run. I play one of the three female lead roles along with Mary Murray, Sarah Carroll, Ann Russell, John Connors and a brilliant supporting cast. We are getting fantastic reviews for this heartbreaking film about the cervical cancer screening scandal in Ireland. See more information, reviews and booking links for this film on the facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/The-Letters-Feature-Film-103340362090770/

DUBLIN IN A RAINSTORM: A world premiere of this new play by Tzarini Meyler of Lipzinc Theatre ran Nov 2-6th at Smock Alley Mainstage.  This is a really wildly humorous and moving new play featuring actors Martin Kelleher, Ana Canals, Janet Little, Martina McCormack, Joe Wright and myself!  It is a fantastic night of theatre that will take you on a journey into the “other world”, complete with music, laughter, dancing, a seance and loads of colourful characters. Trailer here: https://www.facebook.com/LipZinc/videos/568460167778902
Booking info here:
JOHN CONNORS ACTING ACADEMY on RTE2 (Click the link to watch!): A three-part TV series where John brings 6 young actors into the heart of the industry for training and professional insights from Jim Sheridan, Saoirse Ronan, Jessica Buckly, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor. I am an acting coach on this series, and so far I have a prominent role in the first episode (Watch it on RTE Player in the link above)! Great review on this in the Irish Times.  https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/there-s-no-drama-at-john-connors-acting-academy-1.4712113
I hope that you have a chance to see some of this work above, as I feel that the teams involved are just brilliant and a joy to work with.
All of this also means that I am “up to speed” with the industry latest and can pass it on to YOU!
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to see all the latest!
Hope to see you soon!
Kathleen

CULTURE NIGHT 2021: Showdown at Hickory Gulch!

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COMPLETELY SOLD OUT FOR ALL 10 PERFORMANCES!
THANK YOU FOR COMING!

Was performed as a CULTURE NIGHT AND WEEKEND EVENT 2021…. Some production images below and on Facebook here:  Flying Turtle Productions

FEATURED ACTORS: Michael Keegan, Simon Cunningham, Alan Buckley, Ciarán ó Murchú, Ella Mooney, Julie Dean, Kate O’Donnell, Rachel Walshe, Phoebe Moore, Louise O’Toole, Richard Sweetman, Deirdre Grant, Bill Paton, Gordon Delap and Simon Mombrun O’Neill. 

Conceived and directed by Kathleen Warner Yeates.

        

Was performed 2021… old info…

On Friday Sept 17th (Booking Starts 10:00am Sept 15th!)
+ SATURDAY OPTION  Saturday Sept 18th (Paid event reserveNOW!)

We hope you will join us for our CULTURE NIGHT event!
Our site-specific live 40-minute outdoor performance will take you back to the world of the wild, wild west! Welcome to the world of cowboys and cattlerustlers, Sheriffs and Deputies, outlaws and ladies of ill repute. If you think it could all end in a gunfight, you can be darn tootin’ sure it will! Please read full details below before booking.

LOCATION: Outdoors at Flying Turtle Productions, 27 Pearse Street, Dublin D02K037 in the Ireland Institute.

Building on our previous years of presenting genre styled performance (Culture Night Noir, Midsummer Night’s Dream Escapes!), we now celebrate the classic westerns. The audience will pass briefly through a building corrider then will view the performance from an outside atrium area which has an overhead shelter.  See you there, partner!

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED and must be booked in “Pods” of 2 to 6 people who must be arriving together an audience group, with social distancing between pods. COVID-19 health and safety procedures will be in place including mask wearing, sanitizing and contact tracing via booking system. There will be some limited folding chairs available for those unable to stand for the length of the performance. 

This is a “MOST WEATHER” performance, so we will go on if there is mild rain.

BOOKING for CULTURE NIGHT  FREE TICKETED EVENT on FRIDAY Evening September 17th – Bookings will begin on Wednesday Sept 15th at 10:00am at this link or through our website. (IN PREVIOUS YEARS OUR EVENTS HAVE BOOKED OUT IN ONE HOUR! Additional seats may be released after pods are assigned.)  Performance timesfor this FREE Culture Night event performing promptly at 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:30, 9:30:

WE HAVE A BONUS PERFORMANCE night on SATURDAY Evening, September 18th for a small ticket price of €10 per person (plus transaction charge) and must be purchased in advance through the link. This can be purchased NOW and selling fast. Performances start promptly at 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:30, 9:30. All proceeds go to the performers and creative team.

CLICK THE TICKET LINK BELOW, SELECT A PERFORMANCE DATE AND TIME, AND RESERVE FOR YOUR FREE (Friday) OR PAID (Saturday) PERFORMANCES TIMES:  

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/167632414063

NOTE: Performances will begin promptly as scheduled and this event is fills quickly. A place will be held for you in the performance time that you select, but YOU MUST BE IN LINE IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING 5 MINUTES BEFORE PERFORMANCE OR YOUR PLACE WILL BE GIVEN AWAY TO THE WAIT LIST PEOPLE. NO LATE ADMISSION.

IF you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 or have had contact with anyone known to have COVID-19 please do not attend this performance. A reminder of this will be sent prior to the performance.

Ability to climb 5 steps is required, and it is recommended for adults or young people age 10 and older. There will be some limited folding chairs available for those who cannot stand for the performance length of approximately 40 minutes.

SEE OUR YOUTUBE TESTIMONIALS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bOjm9M0ZEM&t=6s

FEATURED ACTORS: Michael Keegan, Simon Cunningham, Alan Buckley, Ciarán ó Murchú, Ella Mooney, Julie Dean, Kate O’Donnell, Rachel Walshe, Phoebe Moore, Louise O’Toole, Richard Sweetman, Deirdre Grant, Bill Paton, Gordon Delap and Simon Mombrun O’Neill. 

Conceived and directed by Kathleen Warner Yeates.

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE IRELAND INSTITUTE.

Flying Turtle Productions provides part-time evening courses in Drama, Screenwriting and Public Speaking, as well as film and theatre production and corporate training. Please see more details on our website for full details at www.flyingturtleproductions.com.

For any additional inquireys contact info@flyingturtleproductions.com or 086 824 4826

#CultureNight #LOVECulture @CultureNight @CulturenightDub

Alumni are Flying!

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It’s hard to track how many of our alumni are breaking through to the larger creative industry as award winning actors, writers, filmmakers and producers – but we have to start somewhere!

Currently trending on the Irish Netflix is feature film “Broken Law”  the gritty crime drama by filmmaker Paddy Slattery and starring two former students, Tristan Heanue and John Connors. (Both Tristan and John are also award winning filmmakers as well as actors!).  These independent films are made with blood and sweat, and it is a real testimony to the talent that they can make a mark in the international market.

Next up, here is the newly released feature film, The New Music by filmmaker Chiara Viale (from our screenwriting classes) and starring Cilléin McEvoy from our advanced actor training! After a Young Onset Parkinson’s diagnosis a classically trained pianist embarks on a path of self discovery leading him to a punk band. Their rebellious lifestyle and music provide a distraction to his troubles and a sharp contrast to his old life.

Then we have filmmaker, actor, director and producer Robbie Walsh !  Robbie has several feature films such as Split and Eden, which are currently winning one award after another and can be watched on various streaming networks.  It has been my pleasure to be an actor in the upcoming Robbie Walsh feature film The Letters, based on the cervical cancer scandle.

Listen to Robbie speak in detail about the independent film market, his films,  and The Letters in this recent interview:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?

We have a LOT more upcoming news about our working alumni!
It is my hope to begin a more regular posting here to celebrate the success of our former students, but in the meantime following on social media and our newsletter is the best way to hear the latest.
Click links this website to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube and Linked-in!

See our Alumni page to see a few more former students who are working!
See our Testimonials page to hear more about what people think of our classes.
If you are an alumi with news do email us at info@flyingturtleproductions.com!

 

 

Our Kind of ZOOM…

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Barry McEvoy and the Screenwriting class on ZOOM

This past year we have spent a LOT of time creating projects on ZOOM  working collaboratively with actors, directors and writers in locations all over the world to create new characters, plays and films for ZOOM along with one-to-one coaching for on-camera presentations.  That all said, I am a chronic techno-phobe and could not imagine how this could all work. But it did!
I personnally have been acting, directing and writing for ZOOM collaborations exploring new ways of telling stories for projects like TransAtlantic Tales with AboutFACE Theatre / Origin Theatre Festival / Bluefish feature film with Stacey Keech and about 30 other actors in 8 time zones/ original monologues and stories with LipZinc theatre … and more projects!  There is even a TV series on Netflix inspired by ZOOM called “Staged”.  Auditions and callbacks are now happening on ZOOM, with directors and producers based in other countries.
People are using ZOOM for corporate and artistic meetings, and while we may miss face-to-face connections, we are recognizing that we can work internationally, we can save on commuting time and resources, and we can discover NEW ways of working.  ZOOM is here to stay as an option in the creative and corporate industries, so this is a great opportunity to hone your skills!
Our ZOOM classes have been designed to keep you completely engaged. We have observed others around the world, explored new teaching practices and re-imagined the way that we facilitate so that each class will keep you challenged and inspired.
We miss the theatre and live performance, as there is nothing like it. But until we can gather safely, we will continue sharing stories and building connections on ZOOM.  We hope to see you soon!
Have a look at our home page for the latest options on course listings at www.flyingturtleproductions.com

 

Culture Night Sept 18th 2020: Midsummer Night’s Dream Escapes!

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This year Culture Night is on Friday September 18th, and in the year of COVID-19 restrictions, we have been pushed to “evolve” to a different kind of event!

Watch our performance event online, a one-hour version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with eight actors. Previously filmed live in St Anne’s Park. See options for home activities below!  Viewable here on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8gzRG7nUiM&t=1s

Our advanced actor training course could not perform on stage due to COVID-19, so we re-imagined the performance. We escaped from the theatre to film the actors in the park, running through fields, over castle bridges and into the lush forest where fairy magic and madness takes over.  This edited version of Shakespeare’s classic focuses on the fairies and the mixed-up lovers.

Drama activities at home are suggested around the event for anyone at home who feels like getting  dressed in their Fairy Best and participating in their own gardens!

DOWLOAD the fairy home activities documents below. We strongly encourage you to share your discoveries with us as per the instructions!

Flying Turtle Fairy Activity Pack:   CultureNight2020FlyingTurtlesandFairies 

Flying Turtle Fairy Colour Page:   CultureNight2020FlyingTurtleFairyColorPage

VIDEO LINK TO WATCH Midsummer Night’s Dream Escapes on Youtube (will remain viewable any time):  

Genres: Literature / Performance / Theatre

Features: Family Friendly

No Booking Required. This video will remain viewable.

There are many options to engage in the arts throughout Ireland on Culture Night with more details here: https://culturenight.ie/

Performance of Creative Choices – March 9th & 10th, 2020

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“CREATIVE CHOICES” is an original devised theatre piece involving 8 actors playing over 16 characters. Under the direction of Kathleen Warner Yeates, the performance is one of the productions created in the Advanced 6-Month Part-time Actor Training course with Flying Turtle Productions (formerly the Abbey School of Drama)

In this performance we will explore 24 for hours in the lives of these characters as they make choices, takes chances and create their lives in an every changing world.

FEATURING: Gabriela de Anunciacao, Fiachra Corkery, Emmet Lindsay, Ciara McCollum, Phoebe Moore, Rory O’Connor, Carán ó Murchú, Jack Swift.

Performance will have a running time approximately 90 minutes with no interval. Starts 7:30pm
SHARP! SORRY NO LATE ENTRANCE DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE THEATRE BUILDING.

Monday, March 9th 7:30pm

Tuesday, March 10th 7:30pm

ADMISSION €10 purchased throught the Eventbrite link below or cash at the door prior to performance if seats are still available.
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/creative-choices-an-original-theatre-production-tickets-97983779121

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at 0868244826 or email info@flyingturtleproductions.com

 

FIRST LOOK! Presentation of New Screenwriting March 19th, 2020

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SORRY – CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19 CORONA VIRUS

COME JOIN US at 7:00pm on Thursday, March 19th, 2020 at Doyles Pub, Upstairs.

No reservation needed, no charge to enter, just come and enjoy!

We will be sharing a reading of selected scenes from new screenplays from our Experienced Level Screenwriting course taught by Barry McEvoy. Professional actors will be performing the roles. Featured writers include: Yolanda Hellmanns Carvajal, Carlos Day Pomar, Evan Byrne, Marian Ryan, Wendy Jacobs, Martin Wynns, Sinead O’Riordan and Adam McGarry Byrne.

The writers for this “Screenwriting- Experienced Level” course were selected from submitted writing samples or from “Introduction to Screenwriting” course participants. Class size was limited to eight students maximum in order to provide the highest quality of tuition. Over the past 3 months, they have been writing under the inspired guidance of Barry. More than just a formulaic re-hashing of Hollywood writing advice, this course has creatively delved into the individual voices of these writers to bring original, dynamic and engaging scripts to fruition. 

Barry McEvoy has over 25 years professional experience in Theatre, Television and Film, collaborating with world renowned artists in the U.S., Ireland and U.K. He wrote and acted in the Barry Levinson, Dreamworks production An Everlasting Piece. As an actor or writer he has collaborated with renowned industry professionals including; Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad), Joel Schumacher (Veronica Guerin) Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon), Karel Reisz (The French Lieutenant’s Woman) and Oliver Hirschbiegel (Five Minutes of Heaven). He has written feature screenplays for Artisan/Summit and Dreamworks and, completed rewrites for Workhorse Films, Parallel Pictures and Touchstone. Variety Magazine awarded him Screenwriter to Watch (2000) and he carries an MFA in Playwriting from The LIR academy, Trinity College. His extensive theatre CV includes work by Harold Pinter, W.B. Yeats, John Osborne, Brian Friel, Wendy Wasserstein, Samuel Beckett, Conor McPherson and Vaclav Havel and, he is a founding member of Scena Theatre, Washington DC. His next film SHAM is being produced by Deadpan/Grand (Moone Boy) and Baby Cow (Philomena), to be directed by Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty).

NEXT Screenwriting beginner course option begins March 24th (only a few spaces left!). Next options for Experienced Level and Beginners are begin finalized soon! To express interest or receive additional information click here to “Contact Us”

Culture Night 2019 & Saturday Night Noir! Sept 20th & 21st!

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As part of Dublin Culture Night 2019 come see our FREE TICKETED PERFORMANCE on Friday Evening September 20th – RESERVATIONS BEING ACCEPTED BEGINNING 10:00am Thursday Sept 19th (not before).
PLUS WE HAVE A BONUS PERFORMANCE night on Saturday Evening, September 21st for a small ticket price of €10 which can be purchased in advance.

Join us for a 30 minute immersive live performance involving trained actors in costume as Film Noir characters ala the 1940’s black and white films…detective, Femme Fatale, Gangsters etc. We will bring small groups of 12 audience members at a time into the performance provided they know the password: “SPEAK EASY” Ability to climb stairs is required, and it is recommended for adults or young people age 10 and older.

BE SURE TO RESERVE ON SEPT 19th 10:00am FOR THIS FREE TICKETED EVENT (or PURCHASE For the Saturday Night Noir!) TICKETS BOOK UP FAST!! Last year we were completely booked up and had to turn a lot of people away, however, many those with free tickets did not turn up. PLEASE DO NOT RESERVE UNLESS YOU ARE SURE TO ATTEND. A wait list for “no shows” will be taken on the evening at the performance time.

SEE OUR YOUTUBE TESTIMONIALS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bOjm9M0ZEM&t=6s

TO RESERVE:
CLICK TICKET LINK BELOW AND RESERVE FOR YOUR FREE OR PAID PERFORMANCES…

Friday Evening Sept 20th: Reserve beginning Sept 19th 10:00am for this free event promptly at 6:00, 6:45, 7:30, 8:30, 9:15, 10:00


Saturday Evening Sept 21st: Ticket price of €10 at 6:00, 6:45, 7:30, 8:30, 9:15

BOOK TICKETS HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/culture-night-noir-and-saturday-night-noir-2019-tickets-64589430726

NOTE: Performances will begin promptly as scheduled and this event is fills quickly. A place will be held for you in the performance time that you select, but YOU MUST BE IN LINE IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING 5 MINUTES BEFORE PERFORMANCE OR YOUR PLACE WILL BE GIVEN AWAY TO THE WAIT LIST PEOPLE.

These tickets book out very fast! Last year we had to turn dozens of people away, as the online reservations were filled. However, sometimes people reserve but do not turn up for free Culture Night events, which leaves a lot of people on wait lists in hopes of admission which may or may not happen. So we only begin reserving for this free event starting Thursday Sept 19th at 10:00am We have added a second performance evening on Saturday, and we have found that charging a small price for this performance meant that people will have the option to see other Culture Night events on Friday, and see our performance with a guaranteed seat on Saturday evening.

Flying Turtle Productions provides part-time evening courses in Drama, Screenwriting and Public Speaking, as well as film and theatre production and corporate training. Please see more details on our website for full details at www.flyingturtleproductions.com.

For any additional inquireys contact info@flyingturtleproductions.com or 086 824 4826

#CultureNight #LOVECulture @CultureNight

Final Presentation Week June 25th-29th, 2019 – The New Theatre, Temple Bar

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Come see our Flying Turtle Productions – End of Term Presentation Series for THREE DIFFERENT COURSES ON DIFFERENT EVENINGS from 7:30pm Tuesday-Saturday, June 25th-30th,2019 at the New Theatre in Temple Bar. (SEE DETAILS BELOW FOR WHICH GROUP PERFORMS ON WHICH EVENINGS).

Our advanced adult and teen courses have been working towards this week of shared work from our Advanced 6-month Actor Training ,  Advanced Adult Scene Study  , Teen Drama Production Week  While we cherish the beginner adult drama and youth options, this is the opportunity for those with some more serious intentions to share their work with the public. Many of our past alumni are working in the top levels of the film and theatre industry. See Our Alumni page.

6-MONTH ACTOR TRAINING PRESENTATION (Our most advanced course, director Kathleen Warner Yeates) TUES-WED, June 25th-26th @ 7:30PM, The end of a 6 month part-time acting course culminating in a series of dynamic contemporary scenes and an edited version of “Midsummer Night’s Dream: Lovers”. This will be an engaging and entertaining evening of theatre! FEATURING: Simon Cunningham, Fionnuala Cox, Anne-Sophie Delap, Charles Ferguson, Patrick Fogarty,  Kevin Koidl, and Helen Kelly.

ADVANCED ADULT SCENE STUDY PRESENTATION (directed by Ann Russell) THURS-FRI, June 27th & 28th @7:30pm This is the end of a 12-week Advanced course, and will feature selected dramatic contemporary scenes in the first act and an lighter improvisation series in the second act! FEATURING: Samuel Clarke, Colin Fitzsimons, Albert Gillick, Caoimhe O’Leary, Séan O’Regan, and Jane Tuohy

THE TEEN DRAMA PRODUCTION SAT June 29th, 7:30pm This is a devised theatre piece created in one week, then fully staged and performed under the direction of Kathleen Warner Yeates.

Lighting design by Cathy Ocarroll

Flying Turtle Productions was formerly The Abbey School of Drama

BOOK TICKETS THROUGH THE NEW THEATRE HERE: http://www.thenewtheatre.com/show-info/

 

FIRST LOOK 2019: Presentation of New Screenwriters May 9th!

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COME JOIN US at 7:00pm on Thursday, May 9th at Doyles Pub, Upstairs.

No reservation needed, no charge to enter, just come and enjoy!

We will be sharing a reading of selected scenes from screenplays from our Experienced Level Screenwriting course taught by Barry McEvoy. Featured writers include: James Dunne, Angelica Litsiou, Elaine O’Brien, Sarah-Kate O’Connor, Colm O’Neill, Jennifer Osborne, and Peter Salisbury.

The writers for this “Screenwriting- Experienced Level” course were selected from submitted writing samples or from “Introduction to Screenwriting” course participants. Class size was limited to eight students maximum in order to provide the highest quality of tuition. Over the past 3 months, they have been writing under the inspired guidance of Barry. More than just a formulaic re-hashing of Hollywood writing advice, this course has creatively delved into the individual voices of these writers to bring original, dynamic and engaging scripts to fruition. 

Barry McEvoy has over 25 years professional experience in Theatre, Television and Film, collaborating with world renowned artists in the U.S., Ireland and U.K. He wrote and acted in the Barry Levinson, Dreamworks production An Everlasting Piece. As an actor or writer he has collaborated with renowned industry professionals including; Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad), Joel Schumacher (Veronica Guerin) Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon), Karel Reisz (The French Lieutenant’s Woman) and Oliver Hirschbiegel (Five Minutes of Heaven). He has written feature screenplays for Artisan/Summit and Dreamworks and, completed rewrites for Workhorse Films, Parallel Pictures and Touchstone. Variety Magazine awarded him Screenwriter to Watch (2000) and he carries an MFA in Playwriting from The LIR academy, Trinity College. His extensive theatre CV includes work by Harold Pinter, W.B. Yeats, John Osborne, Brian Friel, Wendy Wasserstein, Samuel Beckett, Conor McPherson and Vaclav Havel and, he is a founding member of Scena Theatre, Washington DC. His next film SHAM is being produced by Deadpan/Grand (Moone Boy) and Baby Cow (Philomena), to be directed by Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty).

NEXT Screenwriting beginner course option begins May 16th (only two spaces left!). Next options begin finalized soon! To express interest or receive additional information click here to “Contact Us”