[2][3] The premises were soon sold, leading to several years where O'Connell temporarily housed the studio in a variety of city-center locations, including Westland Row, Kildare Street, the Pike Theatre (until it closed in 1964), and Fitzwilliam Square.

In 1967, O'Connell's husband, Luke Kelly of The Dubliners, put up most of the capital to purchase and renovate a disused factory at 6 Pembroke Place.

The site had been found by Declan Burke-Kennedy, a journalist and dramatist, who became a co-founder of the Focus Theatre, together with his wife, Mary Elizabeth.

[4][5] The theatre aspired to present the best of contemporary and classic world drama, and to develop new plays, and used Stanislavski's system "to explore the human condition through the craft of the actor".

[10] Several notable actors were associated with the Focus, including Gabriel Byrne, Brendan Coyle, Sabina Higgins (wife of the President of Ireland), Olwen Fouéré, Tom Hickey and Bosco Hogan.