“Investing Time” is a contemporary play written by Somerset playwright, Sam Elsby. The Festival’s part-staged rehearsed reading will be its first public performance.

Synopsis:

Thirty-something Nick has lost his high-powered job and is back in his hometown living with his sister, Juliette. She is increasingly irritated by his reliance on her. Nick finds a prop of sorts in Mrs Rivera, who cleans for Juliette, and she interests him in a controversial local issue.

Juliette invites their parents’ round, Caroline and David, along with her best friend Ellie. Family dynamics and friendships are explored while, to Juliette’s concern, Nick and Ellie hit it off.

Further character interactions reveal past events, and we start to feel that all might not be as it seems. Nick thinks that he has found an answer to his financial problems. The final scene contains a twist, which disrupts the certainties of their lives.
In a plot that covers relationships and choices, the story remains engaging throughout, with some good moments of comic counterpoint.