Community Groups
Parke Arts & Drama Group Takes To The Royal Stage
By Vincent McHale
22, May 2012 - 19:30

Parke Arts & Drama Group Brings Fortunes & Misfortunes To The Royal Theatre

Following on from its successful four night run in Parke Community Centre last March, the Group has been invited to bring Fortunes & Misfortunes to the stage of the Royal Theatre in Castlebar.  The Group will provide the entertainment each Thursday night from the 12th July 2012 for six weeks as part of a summer entertainment schedule put on by The Royal Hotel & Theatre.  This is a great opportunity for the Group to bring its talents to a bigger stage and to introduce a wider audience to the acting prowess of the Group.  It is a big undertaking for all involved but the Group is dedicated to the project and you can be assured that audiences will not be disappointed.  We hope you can come along on one of the Thursday nights over the summer season and enjoy the show.  For more information you can contact the TF Royal Theatre on 094 9023111 or visit www.theroyal.ie

The Parke Arts & Drama Group was established in 2008 and has managed to grow and improve year-on-year since then.  Each year the Group brings something new to their productions and their rapid progress was recognised last year when they won the Mayo Co. Co. Amateur Drama Award for their production of Cupid Wore Skirts in 2011.  This opportunity to bring its current production to the big stage is another step along the road for the Group and is a reflection of the dedication and commitment of all involved in the Group.

Synopsis of Fortunes & Misfortunes

Fortunes & Misfortunes is a side-splitting 3 act comedy by Jimmy Keary.  The story centres on Daisy Fortune, a hard working fifty-something, who is supporting a lazy husband and a good-for-nothing son. She loses her job as a waitress in ‘The Cosy Corner' after her son, Nathan's pet lizard ‘Britney', gets loose in the premises.  She gets a job as a housekeeper for Bill and Oonagh Delaney.  Oonagh is busy organizing a poetry workshop, which is being held in her home, and has invited renowned poet, Aubrey Peacock to attend.  Meanwhile, there is tension in the Delaneys' marriage as a result of Bill's flirting with Wanda Hunt, the mother of one of his pupils.  However, when Nathan's lizard escapes in the Delaney home and Oonagh's fruit punch is accidentally laced with alcohol, the workshop turns into a complete disaster and the tension between Oonagh and Wanda finally explodes.