“If you’ve ever worked somewhere and wondered, ‘how did I end up here with these people!?’ then this is the show for you,” say Foraois Productions, the company behind new play Letter-headed Paper, that comes to the Lantern this weekend (October 12).

 

Sheila, Ken, Olivia and Amy work in the same office, 9 to 5, Monday to Friday. Despite spending most of their time together, there’s very little they really know about one another. When the future of their workplace comes into question, true colours start to be revealed and some difficult decisions must be made.

 

Inspiration for the play came from writer Grace O’Leary’s time working in offices where she encountered people and situations she felt had to be written about. Set in the office of a national cement manufacturer, the story explores the various dynamics of work place relationships and the strains created by office politics.

 

Grace, who also directs the play, said: “I really hope audiences will enjoy Letter-headed Paper. I believe it’s a piece that many people will be able to relate to and while I haven’t based the characters on people I’ve worked with I think their behaviour will be familiar to everybody. I’ve been very fortunate to work with a wonderful cast and I can’t wait to see it performed in front of an audience.”

 

Grace’s previous work has won awards at the Not Part Of Festivals in Manchester and her first play What Colour Was Her Blood? was short-listed for Best Original New Play in 2009 by North West Playwrights. In June 2012 she won Contact Theatre’s ‘Verbally Challenged’ Competition in Manchester.

 

Tickets for the show are £8.50 from the Lantern’s website or .