Hamiltons behind the scenes triump

The play, which was essentially a love story based within the Walls of Derry during the Siege, was directed and produced by Kieran Griffiths and was warmly received.

As part of the background to the play, three pieces of music were written by composer Brian O’Doherty and performed by the Hamilton Flute Band. As the staging took up quite a large portion of the theatre, it was realised there would be no room for the band and it was agreed to have the players perform in The Green Room, located behind the stage and hidden away from the audience.

The band received cues remotely through a set of earphones worn by their conductor, Ben McGonigle. Despite concerns, it worked seamlessly and members of the audience did not believe there was a band performing live in the theatre.

The band was asked to perform music from their own repertoire on the last three evenings while the audience took their seats in order to prove they were actually in the building.

Robert McGonigle, band secretary said: “We were delighted to have been given the opportunity to perform at an event which was so different from our other recent performances requiring a large commitment from members, such as The Relief of Derry Symphony and Walled City Tattoo.

“We had a tremendous week of togetherness and making music and would like to thank Pauline Ross, Kieran Griffiths and the staff of the Playhouse for all their help and hospitality throughout an exhausting but very rewarding week.”