NINETY seven years young, Cecilian Musical Society approaches its centenary as the admired elder lemon of societies in Ireland. Rolling into 2019 there are challenges ahead for this anniversary epoch – funding, profile, recruiting, audience numbers, awards.
Reviewing their nine decades and 143 shows thus far, this is exactly the stuff that makes Cecilians great, and great to regenerate.
Since first entering the AIMS awards of the Association of Irish Musical Societies, their productions have scooped Best in Class for Actress (Amanda Minihan, Hollie O’Donoghue); Best Choreography in four shows; Best Comedienne (Sinead O’Sullivan); Best Stage Manager (Michael Burke) and numerous Runner-Up accolades in various categories.
Gloriously, their Copacobana saw them carry off the ‘Spirit of AIMS’ award in 2013.
Personal commitment per show is four months immersion and hundreds of tickets to sell. The reward is that talent is pushed outward relentlessly, even towards the famously selective West End. There is an interesting local sidebar: lifelong romance and friendships hatch in the wings.
Today’s thrill is how young and urgent membership is with a Centenary Committee set up in May “to look at how to better the society and to draw up a programme of entertainment and to welcome in new members”.
Jason Ronan chairs CMS for 2016/17 and as vice chair thereafter, heads up a floating cast of 50-60 and another 25-30 production/techies to make their 100 years blaze.
Brian Henry, a young veteran in his 40s, makes the point that “the Cecilian family is vast in Limerick, given the slews of past members and those episodically part of shows”. His Dad Dermot Henry led before him, “involved since the early ’70s. My earliest Cecilian memory is going to see ‘Viva Mexico’ in the Crescent Theatre in 1978.”
A gifted singer and actor himself (robust Raoul in ‘The Addams Family’ 2015), Brian gussied up in costume first for ‘Brigadoon’ in 1992 with Chris Rowley, Phil O’Neill, Richie Ryan, Gwen McCann and other familiar names. Over his decades in the fold, what makes him most proud?
“One of the biggest hurdles we overcame was that we had always been based in Crescent Theatre [O’Connell Street] for all the years from 1990 onwards. Then came a change of circumstances and ownership, we had to find ourselves a rehearsal venue and a venue stage wise. Moving to UCH in 2002 with ‘Guys and Dolls’ was a massive undertaking”.
He recalls the logistics of finding a place to build and keep props, even sell tickets (bless the late Mary Morrison and her desk in Clancy’s Electrical).
“In moving to a fully professional theatre, your standards have to improve with the venue. Now we are over in Lime Tree since 2011”.
As well as audience expectations rising, “costs rise, it’s in excess of €50,000 per production. It is like running a small business now”.
Jason Ronan lists the outlays: “Band, venue, rehearsal venue, production, stage, insurance, sound. The rights to the show can be around €6,000. Print costs, costuming”. The recession was tough “but we rolled through it, stayed relevant, putting in productions of very high quality, as acknowledged by AIMS over the last years”.
Exciting performers both, their elation on stage when the curtain goes up is the drug. Brian: “A buzz that cannot be fabricated, magic, indescribable”. For Jason, “the character that you are playing, you have to be 100 per cent focused. You have to be so immersed in it that no matter what happens, you have to deal with it”.
Next for Cecilian Musical Society is a tribute to Elvis, ‘All Shook Up’, set to quake for late November 23-26.
Browse at www.cecilianmusicalsociety.com to join in centennial high kicks and highs.
