Thurles Drama Group's Odd Couple are having a Valentine's Party

Do you like Valentines parties? If so, then the place to be is The Source for the opening night of The Odd Couple by Neil Simon on Monday February 14.

Thurles Drama will open the show with a special evening staring at 7:15 with a complimentary glass of wine followed by the play all in for €20. All proceeds for the evening will go to the Drama Group fund as they are trying to finish off work on their rehearsal and meeting centre in Friar Street.

As you are aware, like so many organisations, Covid stalled our plans and plays for two years leaving very little money or resources for anything.

Despite this the group continued refurbishing the centre, thanks to the fantastic voluntary work carried out by members. Walls were painted, floors were covered in a special long lasting material suitable for rehearsals and other parts of the building were repaired.

The single remaining major task is to put in a heating system that will make working in the hall comfortable especially during winter rehearsals. Funds received from opening night will be used specifically for this purpose. Normally opening night is a benefit night for local community groups and organisations and the group have raised large sums in this way over the past 25 years. The group are hopeful that the people of Thurles will support the drama group on this occasion.

In terms of the play, rehearsals are going really well with the cast and director working very hard each night to be ready for opening on the 14th.

The play’s director, Pat Loughnane is a great fan of Neil Simon and has wanted to direct this play for a long time. Pat brings great energy and experience to his role and pays a lot of attention to structuring each scene carefully and getting the most out of all the comic moments in the script. Directing a comedy is very challenging as timing, characterisation and keeping a clear focus on the plot are essential. The play is in very good hands with Pat in this regard.

As mentioned last week, The Odd Couple also has a slightly darker side. At the start of the play, everyone is worried that Felix might commit suicide after his wife has thrown him out. However Felix has no intention of doing so but just wants to get everyone’s attention, which he does! A serious theme and one that might be sensitive for some members of the audience.

Simon deals with this in a very light and funny way but the group would like to draw the audience’s attention to this element of the play in advance so as not to cause any upset. Enjoying the play and having a lovely evening of theatre is always the priority.

Tickets can be booked from The Source, so come along and enjoy the Valentines Party!