The wondrous Christmas show is taking a sabbatical this year, it’s been a wild five years, magic things happened, tickets sold out, audiences were loving it, performers were having a great time…but sometimes energy runs out, money definitely runs out, and what was new and exciting gets a little safe.

Maybe it was one of those short lived wonders, a flash in the pan, a proverbial flower in spring, a butterfly that lived for a day. If ya missed it, ya missed out, if you didn’t, you got in on something special, something unique. Maybe we’ll bring it back next year, somewhere bigger, make it better. who knows? For now, it’s out to pasture.

Love to all the pony dancers over the years – Duane Watters, Paula O’Reilly, Neil Hainsworth, Ryan O’Neill, Neil O’Brien, Abbie Madden, Emily McDonagh, Deirdre Griffin, Roisin Laffan, Sarah Ryan, Eileen McClory, Lorcan O’Neill, Shane McKeever, Annika Graham, The Sirens…Laura McDonagh, Jade Roxanne O’Connor, Ciara O’Connor, Aphria O’Higgins, Amy Forde.

Music by Donal Scullion and a plethora of musicians, Brendy Scullion, Yaz Aoussi, Chris Kelly, Paul Killough, Matthew Benson and  Suzie Coyle, Mark Heffernan made an appearance and we had Shake the band too.

We’ve had performances and guest appearances by Ajendance, Lords of Strut, Eric Mitchell, Tumble Circus, Tina Machina, Kenneth Fall, Guillame Coussan (Riuchi), Emmen Jude Donnelly, Rachel Lindsay, Brian O’Connell, The Noginettes, Lynn Scott, Daryl, Christina Gill, Peter Davoren Paper Dolls, Haus of Funk, Paul Currie, Graham Milligan, Finn Carragher, Asaf More, Mary Nugent, Melanie McDonagh, Nuala Rude, Nicole Gillen, Teri and Lysette. Hillario Spillacio, Gail O’Brien, PonyBOIS, Lesley Evans, Katie Richardson and the powerhouse that is Sara Ski. We had brilliant drag queens, Dolly, Davina, Portia, Tina Leggs, Trudy Scrumptious, Mangina, Regina George, Victoria Secrets, even the Queen of Ireland herself, Panti, has joined us on stage.

We gave life to Suzy Snowflake and Sandra Snowballl. We had roller-skaters and reindeer, reinvented Hail Mary(well Katie Richardson did). We’ve had dance offs, draw offs, band offs and show offs. wheelbarrow races, obstacle courses. We had Jesus, we had Santa, we launched Sinnead! We had loads of VIPS’s – ye know who ye are!

All patiently teched, lighted, sounded, projected by Gareth, Simon, Chris, JP, Craig, Catherine, Ian, Damian, the irreplaceable Sean Mc and other techies who came and went, diligently and without drawing attention.

We celebrated love, uncelebrated religion, created new traditions, dissolved old ones, we laughed and we cried.

Mostly we laughed.

Til again…

Key Performances

• The Project, Dublin and The Mac, Belfast 2012 – 2016