electricmail logo May 2009   search Electricmail
GeneralESB Power GenerationCS & GSESBIESB NetworksSafety, Health & Environment Life Last Word
ESB Power Generation
 

ESB MADSOC is calling you to look to the future!

Now 25 years on from its revival in 1984, ESB MADSOC is anxious to take a root and branch look at where the Society would like to see itself in the future. The Society has built up a high profile in the music world over the last 25 years and in keeping with the changes in the music and entertainment world in general, MADSOC would like to 'renew' itself moving forward.
With that in mind, a General Meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 27th at 5.30pm in the upstairs section of Scruffy Murphy's (located in Powers Court, Lr. Mount Street in Dublin). We would love to see as many of our former members as possible in attendance – new members of course are most welcome.

Brief history of ESB MADSOC
The ESB Musical & Dramatic Society (MADSOC) was revived in 1984 with a play aptly titled Phoenix '84 which incorporated a one act comedy and a variety show. This was quickly followed by the Bernard Farrell play Canaries in 1985.

MADSOC then turned its attention to the John Player Tops and won the Dublin Final in 1986 with its first big variety show ESB Lights Up. In 1988 they had the honour of winning the National Final of Tops with Baile Atha Cliath to the Future which was televised live by RTÉ from the Gaiety Theatre. In 1989 they produced a compilation of both shows for ESB's 60th Anniversary in Waterford.

Over the following years MADSOC staged such plays as Filumena Marturano, A Week in the Life of a Grocer's Assistant and of course Big Maggie starring the late Rosaleen Geraghty.

The musical side was well catered to and MADSOC became regular attendees at the Waterford Festival of Light Opera and won many awards with their productions of Grease, On Your Toes, My Fair Lady and Chess. One of their most famous was Fiddler on the Roof which played to packed houses in Dublin and at the Waterford Festival in 1993 – some would still say "this was the jewel in the crown!" Gay Kirwan won Best Musical Director for this show as well as many other MADSOC musicals.

The first venture to the National Concert Hall came in 1994 with the premiere of Sweeney Todd directed by Michael Scott and Gay Kirwan as Musical Director. For the next few years the NCH invited MADSOC to perform lunch time concerts which was a wonderful platform. In 2003 the Society was invited to stage Showtime 75 in NCH to formally close ESB's 75th Anniversary celebrations. This was followed in 2005 by another great concert in NCH Key Musicals – this time to celebrate MADSOC's own 21st birthday.

  A photo of the ESB Musical & Dramatic Society show
Pictured: ESB Musical & Dramatic Society Show
 
ESB logo Disclaimer | Privacy | Accessibility | www.ESB.ie