Corn Mill sweeps the boards at All-Ireland Drama Festival

Corn Mill Theatre Company has swept the boards at the RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival finals in Athlone.

Their production of experimental comedy The Devil's Céilí, by Philip Doherty and Kevin McGahern, won the perpetual trophy for best play and the best director award for first-time director Ronan Ward.

Mr Ward said he was incredibly proud of the cast and crew, and that their success was a great moment for families from Carrigallen, Leitrim. They also won the Abbey Theatre Award – meaning their production will be staged at the Peacock – along with the award for best stage management.

Adjudicator Russell Boyce described their high-octane, multimedia performance as a tour de force of theatre.

The play presents the psychedelic experiences of three social climbers in a small Cavan town who are slipped LSD by the devil.

Other winners
The Moat Club's Lianne O'Shea won the best lighting award; the Naas group also earned the best actor award for Padraig Broe as the tormented ex-policeman Thomas Dunne in Sebastian Barry's The Steward of Christendom. Eilish Rafferty and Lisa Moorhead, who played Dunne's daughters, Dolly and Maud, won summer school scholarships.

Leixlip's Bradan Players performed Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Helena Stout won best actress award for her portrayal of Martha, and her colleague, Michelle Reade, who played Honey, was best supporting actress.

The award for best supporting actor went to Martin Fitzgerald as lawyer Alfieri in Thurles Drama Group's production of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge.