Athenry comedy faces public vote again

By JOSH LEE BUOYED by its success in the first round of voting in RTÉ's Storyland competition at the end of February, Athenry comedy Student Teacher is currently facing the second round of the public vote, which opened on Monday, March 19 and will run until Sunday, March 25. Written and directed by Athenry comedian and film-maker Giles Brody, Student Teacher centres around 17-year-old over-achiever Conor Shaw as he finds himself working at his old school, teaching his former classmates who all hate him, after leaving to earn his teaching degree at the age of just 15. [private] The series's second episode, which is now available for viewing, follows Conor's efforts to connect with his class as the mock exams approach. The programme is the sole entrant from Connacth in this year's competition, and Giles has been delighted with the support so far from Athenry and across Galway County. Students and staff from the Presentation College Athenry have generously lent their school for filming, and the team are hoping for continued support from across Galway to help see the programme through to the end. Student Teacher features an entirely Galway-based crew, in addition to a raft of exciting young comedy talent from around Ireland, including Dublin comedian Conor O'Toole as the titular teacher, Athenry native Neil Molloy of Republic of Telly and Kevin McGahern who appeared in the Mayo-based 2009 Storyland winner, Hardy Bucks. The show is produced in the Renmore-based studio, Spire Productions, and music is provided by Tuam's own Brian Kelly, who has taken time out from recording the next So Cow record to lend his musical talents to the project. Through Storyland, RTÉ offers aspiring writers, directors and actors a chance to showcase their talents and produce their own Internet-based series. Each set of episodes is subject to a vote, with the two programmes with the smallest number of votes being eliminated. All entrants can be viewed on  rte.ie/drama/ featured/ storyland, where you can also cast your vote. [/private]