Covid caper returns tonight with sequel

Following on from last year’s success of ‘On The Road to De-Mask-Us’, local playwright Fiona Hoban is back with the sequel – ‘STILL On The Road to De-Mask-Us’.

Audiences will rejoin the residents of Ballinabuck in November 2021, where a second year of Covid is taking its toll. The vaccine and booster programmes have allowed some freedoms, but plenty of challenges remain.

Emily struggles with the demands of her long-distance relationship with Jessica, while Mary Lou’s romance with Liam is rapidly losing its shine. Mick and Kathleen have their house back to themselves again, and Susan, Emily’s mother, continues to turn up unannounced. Could the unlikely seeds of a Covid romance be planted between Susan and bachelor JP?

As 2021 comes to a close, a few home truths are revealed, and hard questions need answering. And whilst Covid is going nowhere in 2022, Ballinabuck village is otherwise occupied as its residents lend their support to a fundraising event for the people of Ukraine.

An action-packed contemporary drama, ‘STILL On The Road to De-Mask-Us’ promises humour and wit, tempered with poignancy and insight.

The play will be staged in Westport Town Hall Theatre tonight Thursday and tomorrow Friday, November 9 and 10, and at Ballina Arts Centre on Sunday, November 12. All shows start at 8pm. For tickets to the Westport performance, call 098 28459 or visit www.westporttheatre.com, while tickets for the Ballina performance can be booked by calling 096 73593 or visiting www.ballinaartscentre.com

Pictured with Fiona Hoban (centre) are the cast of ‘STILL On The Road to De-Mask-Us’. From left: Niall O Cuinn, Mary Slattery, Ronan Egan, Pat O Donnell, Fiona Hoban (writer and director), Tina Burns, Brid Quinn, Anne Marie Farrell and Alice McNally.