AFTER an audience acclaimed preview performance in February, Borderline Players Generation 2.0 will present the Sam Cree comedy, ‘Wedding Fever’ at the Ardhowen Theatre in Enniskillen next Friday and Saturday (June 26 and June 27).

Directed by Siobhan O’Brien, the comedy set in 1960’s Belfast is a story of young love, and two very different families being brought together for the first time with hilarious consequences.

Bringing together young actors from Ederney, Kesh, Pettigo and Belleek, Wedding Fever is the first production to be staged under the Borderline Players Generation 2.0 brand. The cast features 12 actors aged between 16 and 23.

Several actors are taking to the stage for the first time, while others will be instantly recognised by traditional Borderline audiences.

Speaking ahead of the shows, Siobhan O’Brien explained that the idea for Generation 2.0 came as the number of young people wanting to get involved in the Pettigo based group had grown a considerably in recent years.

“The group believed that it was important to give these younger mem-bers a platform to showcase their extraordinary talents,” she said.

“While this is the first production for some of the cast, others have been members of Borderline Players from the very beginning and have acted in the annual pantomimes, taken to the stage in Orlando as part of the Project America venture in 2009 and have won multiple acting awards in festivals rights across Ireland, from Feis Fermanagh to the Belfast and Dundalk drama festivals.” In a leading role as mother-of-the-bride, Sadie Galbraith, Amy Britton said that while many of the characters are instantly recognisable, the nagging wife, the loved-up young couple, the nosy neighbour and unwanted house guests, that it is their on-stage interactions and relationships that make Wedding Fever special. Amy also reflected upon some of the plays more serious moments, adding that despite the frequent laughs throughout each of the 3 acts, there is a strongly con-trasting emotional scene in the second act that provides an additional challenge for the young cast.

Just weeks after completing her A-Level exams, Kesh actress Abbie Parkinson joins the cast as American wannabe Georgina.

The Wedding Fever cast also features Killian McGloin as shipyard worker and father of the bride Alec Galbraith.

Una McGloin in her first starring role is blushing bride Myra and Borderline regulars Nicole Beaumont and Dean McGarrigle star as next door neighbours Emily and Willie.

Thomas Beaumont and Claire McKervey join the cast as the in-laws to be, Patrick and Mary Hall.

Pettigo’s Aaron Britton dons an American accent to bring army officer Hirium P Dingleheifer to life. Rounding out the cast in their first on-stage performances are Belleek students Ben McCann and Aisling Maguire as Davy Galbraith and Kathleen Brownlee.

The cast and crew are currently documenting their Generation 2.0 experiences in a series of blog posts, currently available to read on the Borderline Players blog at www.borderlineplayers.com.

The curtain will rise on the latest performances of Wedding Fever in the Ardhowen Theatre at 8pm on Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27.