Six weeks is a long time in theatre, as a group of strangers discover when they come together for a drama class in Annie Baker’s ensemble play from 2009. This American playwright has since been acclaimed for work including The Flick, John and The Antipodes, and those plays’ attention to the subtleties of group dynamics is evident in this earlier work, too.
In a community centre in Vermont, a brightly encouraging drama facilitator, Marty (Niamh Cusack), introduces counting games, improvisation and role-play to three initially bemused participants. The sharply observant teenager Lauren (Hazel Doupe) was hoping to do some “real acting”, while Theresa (Imogen Doel), recently arrived from New York, and Schultz (Marty Rea) are both bruised by recent break-ups and immediately attracted to each other. They are joined by Marty’s husband, James (Risteárd Cooper), who seems to be there to support her, or perhaps to atone for something.
