14 April 2003: An evening of poetry, drama and song at the Riverbank Centre on Saturday 26 April will feature author and braodcaster John McKenna, and singers Amy Leonard and Paula Dempsey.
John Mckenna is a novelist and short-story writer and also the author of a number of plays. Winner of the Irish Times Literary Award, he has published three novels, two collections of short stories, one volume of poems and a number of volumes of social history. Has worked in theatre and, for many years, as a producer and presenter on RTE Radio 1. He is a co-founder of the Meeting Lane Theatre Company, and his memoir, Things You Should Know, will be published next year.
Paula Dempsey is an actress and singer from Mountmellick. She was Director of Laois Youth Theatre and this year took her MA in Theatre Studies from UCD. She has worked extensively as a director and actor in theatre and is a co-founder of Meeting Lane Theatre Company, which is based in Athy. She will be appearing in a one-woman show, based on the life the 19th century Quaker writer Mary Leadbetter, in October.
Amy Leonard is a Leaving Cert student in Athy who has performed widely in concerts and rock venues all over the country. She does a mixture of her own and other people’s songs. She is from Athy and it's her intention to study music at third level. She'll be doing songs by Leonard Cohen, Carole King and Paul Mc Cartney plus some of her own material at the Riverbank.
An Evening with John Mac Kenna starts at 8pm on the night, and tickets cost E5.
Further information is available from Catríona or Gráinne on
(045) 448314/5 or by e-mail at artscentre@riverbank.ie
