FOCUS – a new play by Sheena Lambert

Nellie has invited a collection of friends and family to her house with a purpose. She had a problem at work, her last focus group ended badly and now she has to get the work done in an unorthodox fashion. Her sister Jane is the first to arrive along with her husband Paul. The next is her next door neighbour Suds, a man with an unusual view of the world that works in a shadowy business he will only describe as ‘logistics’. The final member of the group is Nellie’s friend Mary Kate. Nellie starts off asking them a series of questions on their views of the catholic church and religion. She tries to keep the discussion on topic, but as the wine starts to take effect, the group share more than was expected!

This is a new play by Sheena Lambert. Sheena has written two novels to date and this is her first produced play. Sheena’s latest novel ‘The Lake’ is a detective story, but this play has a very different subject matter. There is a focus on the characters, with little in the way of an actual story other than the discussion between the various characters. The collection of disparate individuals bounce off each other nicely and produce more than a few laughs along the way.

This is the third full length production by fledging theatre company Firedoor, which was established in 2013. They are an amateur group and as you would expect, the acting ability of the cast is mixed. It is unusual for a theatre company of this kind to put on new work, and it certainly shows ambition and a spark of imagination. The script has some interesting ideas and characters and could easily be developed into a longer work.

Focus – Premiering August 18th 2015, at 7.30pm, Players Theatre

Runs from August 18th – 22nd 2015 at 8.00pm – €10 Admission

Tickets can be purchased at firedoortheatre.com

Directed by: David Fleming, Written by: Sheena Lambert, Cast: Dympna Heffernan as Nellie, Geraldine Crowley as

Jane, Kevin Marren as Paul, Hilary Smith as Mary Kate, Shaun Elebert as Suds, Harry Walsh as DS Casey