Award-winning play Now on Then back on stage in Mayo for Lions Club fundraiser

HARVEST Moon Theatre Group will stage their award-winning play Now and Then in the Town Hall, Claremorris, on Friday, September 27, at 8 p.m. The event is a fundraiser for Claremorris and District Lions Club.

The Lions is a non-profit organisation, and 100% of funds raised by the group goes to worthy causes. Claremorris & District Lions Club meet monthly to organise fundraising events for local charities and volunteer groups and are also involved in projects (with young and old) to create awareness for various environmental and health topics.

Meetings are on the first Wednesday of every month at 8.30 p.m. in the Dalton Inn Hotel.

In the play Now and Then, Jamie, a young barman, is closing up one night in 1981, and waiting for his girlfriend Abby, when an older man comes in for a quick one. The man tells them that he just wants to stay a while, have a drink and that he will then leave quietly. Soon the man makes Jamie and Abby a ridiculous offer - one that is very tempting. And he tells them a story, which seems unbelievable. When another stranger arrives, the unbelievable suddenly seems like it might just be true. Will they accept the offer, and if they do, what will the consequences be? What happens that night, may, or may not, change the course of Jamie’s life.

This is a cracking story about love, following your dreams (or not) and the costs of the decisions we make. The play is suitable for all ages.

Sean Grennan’s play, Now and Then, was originally set in an Irish bar in Chicago in 1981. Harvest Moon’s presentation is an Irish adaption of the play, by John Corless.

Harvest Moon Theatre Group is based in Claremorris, with members drawn from all over Connaught. The cast of Now and Then is made up of Rosemary Dixon, Vera Kilgallon, Kevin Woods and John Morley.

Rosemary Dixon was part of the Garrymore Drama Group for many years and is no stranger to Claremorris audiences. Vera Kilgallon, from Mayo Abbey, is an All-Ireland winning actress. Kevin Woods is a native of Roscommon and John Morley is originally from Bekan, and is now living in Oranmore. Both have many acting awards to their credit for stage and screen.

Tickets for the play are available from the Town Hall and the Lions can be contacted on claremorrislionsclub@gmail.com.