‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ on the way to Fermoy
Stage It Productions will take to the Palace Theatre Fermoy this September to bring some quality amateur drama to the locality.
In 2020, the company was founded by Dr Finola Doyle O’Neill, a founding member of the UCC Players, who is now directing their current show, ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’.
“I thought I was going to be an actress but I discovered I was a woeful actress so I diverted into directing. We’re very lucky that some of the people involved in UCC Players still act with us. A lot of the cast wouldn’t have any formal acting experience but they’re great at it and we love what we do,” Finola said.
The group ranges in age from around 20-70 years old and while members come from all over, a couple of local faces have also graced the stage with the group, with Fermoy woman Dolores Dermody producing the current production and local man Tim Roche having acted in their previous show, ‘The importance of Being Earnest’.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Stage It Productions grew in popularity, being the first to return to performing during a brief break between lockdowns.
“It kept us all sane during Covid doing ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’,” Finola added.
The same production also saw filming carried out in Fermoy, with local areas featured and filming itself carried out at the time by local man, Donal O Lochlainn.
LOOKING FORWARD
The theatre company will now take to the Palace Theatre in Fermoy Community Youth Centre for two nights on September 23 and 24. Ahead of taking to the Fermoy stage, the company will also be performing in Cork Arts Theatre and Tracton Arts and Community Centre in Minane Bridge.
‘Arsenic and Old Lace’, the latest production written by Joseph Kesselring, is a dark comedy set in the 1940s centering around the Brewster family and their homicidal tendencies. This production has been adapted to a British setting, yet maintains the wartime setting and humour.
“We’re really looking forward to it. People are slowly emerging from the pandemic now and starting to return to events again. We’re hoping to see some local support at the September production,” Finola added.