DEBRA Hill and Kevin Elliot star in The Painted Lady, a play by Irish writer Rob Hollway inspired by his own experiences of alcoholism and recovery, which is being staged at the MAC next month following a successful run at Belfast's Accidental Theatre earlier this year.
Hollway portrays a journey with alcoholism via Dan, a 40-something in recovery who hides from the world studying butterfly migration at a picturesque observation site in the Irish countryside.
Things change when party girl Kimberley (Hill) suddenly lands into his world; as someone who, according to the actress, is "struggling to come to terms with being in an abusive relationship", the two find common ground.
"When I hit my own rock bottom a number of strangers crossed my path at the right time to lead or guide me towards sobriety," says Holloway. "I see this play as one of those signpost moments where two people meet and they have a chance to take the right paths to change their lives."
:: The Painted Lady, directed by Rachel Coffey, The MAC, October 18-19; themaclive.com
