LUCKY enough to get artist in residence status confirmed a second year at Friars’ Gate, Kilmallock and funded by The Arts Council, John Sheehy’s latest will premiere February 12 and 13. Sheehy’s work has had a wide reach since he, with partner Cora Fenton, pioneered their CallBack Theatre company’s work at Bewley’s Café in Limerick 15 years ago.
That connection with owner Colm O’Brien held up when O’Brien’s PayDay Productions made a hit of monthly ‘Lunchtime – and then teatime – Theatre at Savoy’, CallBack being a regular there with small touring shows. And Bewley’s Café in Dublin has booked this latest, ‘The Hole’, for a three week run straight after Limerick; on then to a fortnight at Clontarf’s The Viking and another two weeks in Ballinteely. This county Limerick company has a national audience.
An experienced playwright, John Sheehy follows on success with ‘Fred & Alice’ and ‘Set in Stones’ with hopefully, ‘The Hole’. It opens in Kilmallock for two nights, directed by himself and produced by Fenton.
The sole actor for multiple parts is Bren Barnett with whom they worked in 2010 “and I was half way through writing it when I realised I had to get Bren to read it”. After a week’s work in development, Sheehy knew he had the right man for the part(s), this play having “knocked around in my head for a few years”.
“‘The Hole’ is a play about a man that really wants to be left alone, is quite content to be in his own company until he gets new neighbours and is drawn out of himself”.
Initially that’s good, and then it goes bad “when tragedy strikes”. More revelations but essentially, “he is a lost soul until this project” which is literally, digging a 50ft hole.
Clearly this displaced activity begs questions and the cerebral writer that John Sheehy is, has some fun. Book for Thursday February 12 and Friday 13 at 063-98727, Friars’ Gate, Kilmallock.
