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THEATRE ARCHIVE


Irish Arts Center
in association with
Landmark Productions
presents
Tall Tales Theatre Company / Solstice Arts Centre production of
These Halcyon Days

May 7 – June 2

May 7 – May 12
Tuesday – Friday | 8 pm
Saturday | 2 pm and 8 pm

Sunday | 3 pm

May 15 – June 2
Wednesday – Friday | 8 pm
Saturday | 2 pm and 8 pm

Sunday | 3 pm
(please note there is no performance on Sunday, May 26th)

It took a while. But they found each other.

Written by
DEIRDRE KINAHAN

Starring
ANITA REEVES
STEPHEN BRENNAN

Directed by
DAVID HORAN

Designed by
MAREE KEARNS

Lighting by
KEVIN SMITH

Sound by
TREVOR KNIGHT

“Kinahan could ask for no better actors than Stephen Brennan and Anita Reeves to bring her characters to life” - The Irish Times

“The performances are stellar, and Kinahan's message is an important one”
- Evening Herald

“a wonderful balance between humour and poignancy…a rich blend of both unintentional hilarity and insightful wit” – entertainment.ie

Seán sits alone in a nursing-home conservatory, abandoned to his memories, when in
storms Patricia, a feisty woman with a zest for life and handsome men in wheelchairs.
A wary intimacy soon develops between the two—an unforeseen relationship by turns charming and combative, tender and funny.

Writer of critically acclaimed international plays Moment and Bogboy (IAC, 2011), Deirdre Kinahan returns to the Irish Arts Center with a new drama that is infused with her hallmark wry humor and humanity. These Halcyon Days is a funny, touching, life-affirming play about facing our fears and bucking against despair. It features remarkable performances by two of Ireland’s leading actors, Stephen Brennan and Anita Reeves.

These Halcyon Days was originally produced by Tall Tales Theatre Company and Solstice Arts Centre, and had its sold-out premiere during the 2012 Dublin Theatre Festival.

Admission: $28 member / $35 non-member

 

Artist Talk Back 

Friday, May 10
Following the 8 pm performance, join us for an artist talk back with playwright Deirdre Kinahan.

Following the 8 pm performance, join us for an artist talk back with NYT Critic’s Pick playwright Deirdre Kinahan, hosted by Annie MacRae from the Manhattan Theatre Club.

Annie MacRae has been involved with Manhattan Theatre Club for eight seasons. Annie began as an intern in the Literary Department and has been the Play Development Assistant, Associate/Sloan Project Manager and is now the Literary Manager/Sloan Project Manager. Annie is responsible for making programming recommendations for all of MTC’s stages. In addition to her responsibilities administering MTC’s partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, she also runs MTC’s Ernst C. Stiefel 7@7 Reading Series. She has worked as a Literary Assistant at Bret Adams Ltd theatrical agency and was an Artistic Intern at Signature. Annie has served as a dramaturg and a script reader for the O’Neill Playwrights Conference.

 


Irish Arts Center
in association with Georganne Aldrich Heller
and Fishamble: The New Play Company
present

Silent

“A moving story…pulses with the erratic noise of life.” – The Irish Times

“A larger-than-life performer” - THE NEW YORKER

“Dazzling with theatricality” - THE GUARDIAN


EXTENDED THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30!

September 6 – 30
Wednesday – Saturday | 8pm
Sunday | 3pm


REVIEWS

The New York Times' chief theatre critic Ben Brantley calls SILENT "passionate...stunning".
Click here to read more. 

"...rich with the detailed imagery and poetic language that Tennessee Williams might have used had he been born an Irishman." Read the rest of the review here.

 

Written and Performed by Pat Kinevane
Directed by Jim Culleton
Composed and Sound Design by Denis Clohessy
Produced for Fishamble: The New Play Company by Marketa Dowling

Silent is the touching and challenging story of homeless McGoldrig, who once had splendid things.

But he has lost it all-including his mind. He now dives into the wonderful wounds of his past through the romantic world of Rudolph Valentino.

Award-winning writer and performer Pat Kinevane and Fishamble: The New Play Company return to the IrishArts Center with Silent, following a sold out run at The Abbey, Ireland’s National Theater.

Running Time: 80 minutes

Admission: $30 non-members / $24 members
Group Rates Available. Email groupsales@irishartscenter.org for information.

Irish Arts Center is proud to be part of 1st Irish 2012, New  York’s annual festival of Irish theatre. The festival runs from September 3 to October 1 at venues across New York. For a full list of events visit www.1stirish.org.

Silent opened in 2011, following an In Development showcase at the 2010 Dublin Theatre Festival. Since then, it has been performed at 20 Irish venues, including Galway Arts Festival, The Abbey, Cork Midsummer Festival and has traveled to Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris, Dance Base in Edinburgh, the Hotbed Festival in Cambridge, Brighton Festival, National Theatre of Sofia, Nu:Write Festival in Zagreb and will soon feature at the Odyssey Theater in Los Angeles.

 

This program is made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; Culture Ireland, a government agency dedicated to promoting Irish arts worldwide; and the Georganne Aldrich Heller Foundation.




I ♥ Alice ♥ I

An unflinching and astonishingly personal love story that spans six decades.

New York Critics love I ♥ Alice ♥ I

"Sweeter than marmalade...humorous, affecting, and quietly empowering."
NYT

"A lovely Irish import arriving just in time for St Patrick's Day...Beautiful, wonderfully played, with touching warmth and humor...there's little doubt
that you'll heart 'Alice,' too."   
 

 

"Theirs is a story worth telling -- particularly when
done with warmth and humor, as is the case here." 

 

Members Night! March 7
Performance and Reception
Book early to guarantee a seat!

Artist Talk Back

Artist Talk
Thursday, March 15, 2012

Following the 8pm performance, join us for an artist talk with Amy Conroy and Clare Barrett, led by Julie Crosby, Producing Artistic Director at Women’s Project.

February 29 – March 17
Wednesday – Friday | 8pm
Saturday | 2pm and 8 pm
Sunday | 3 pm
*Opening night Sunday, March 4 at 7 pm
*No shows Friday, March 2 at 8pm, Saturday, March 3 at 2 pm, Sunday, March 4 at 3 pm

Written and Directed by AMY CONROY
Developed with CLARE BARRETT
Performed by CLARE BARRETT and AMY CONROY
Designed by CIARÁN O’MELIA

“…impeccably executed piece…authentic…genuinely affecting” – THE IRISH TIMES

Alice and Alice are coming out. Finally.

Two exceptional, opinionated women were spotted winking at each other in Crumlin Shopping Centre. Now they’re in a show…reluctantly. Defying stereotype, they’re here to share with you something they’ve never dared before.

Direct from The Abbey Theatre in Dublin comes the U.S. debut of a fresh, human and hilarious piece from HotForTheatre.  Alice  I explores the monumental journey of a most unlikely couple.

 Alice  I has been presented at The Abbey, Ireland’s National Theatre, Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival and ABSOLUT Fringe.

“Many things that are close to wondrous ... Conroy’s mastery of language is pitch-perfect. Ingenious... Intelligent and quirky... wigs and make-up are a triumph.” – SUNDAY INDEPENDENT

Running time: 75 minutes

“an artful and touching exploration of their relationship...Conroy renders their lives in brilliant detail…Such eye for detail is the sublime talent of both playwright and documentarian, and in performance it requires acute sensitivity. As Kinsella, Conroy captures the ebb and flow of assurance in the merest gestures, while Clare Barrett, as Slattery, finds poetry in hesitance.” – THE IRISH TIMES

Admission:  $27 non-member / $23 member

Group Nights available! Email groupsales@irishartscenter.org for more information

If you need assistance placing your order, call 866-811-4111.

 

This program is made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and Culture Ireland,the agency for the promotion of Irish arts worldwide.


 

Bogboy

Two lost souls.
One beautiful friendship.
And a secret that
won’t stay buried.

IAC

“A beautiful fluid production,
evocative, moving…stunning”
—THE IRISH TIMES

Tall Tales Theatre Company
Solstice Arts Centre
and
Irish Arts Center 
present

BOGBOY

Written by DEIRDRE KINAHAN
Directed by JO MANGAN
Design by CIARAN BAGNALL
Produced by TRACY MARTIN
Sound Design by PHILIP STEWART
Costume Design by ELAINE CHAPMAN

Starring
STEVE BLOUNT
NOELLE BROWN
SORCHA FOX
EMMET KIRWAN

September 7 - 25
Wednesday – Friday | 8 pm
Saturday | 2 pm & 8 pm
Sunday | 3 pm 

When heroin addict Brigit leaves the chaos of her life in Dublin she meets reclusive local farmer Hughie Dolan and finds her first hopes for a future…but the idyllic life she imagines in Meath soon unravels.

From award-winning Dublin playwright Deirdre Kinahan (Moment; Hue & Cry) comes a moving, intriguing and funny new play; a tale of deep friendship, violent murder and unforgivable deceit.

Running time: 60 minutes

Please note: BOGBOY contains some strong language.

Artist Talk Back

Friday, September 9: Join us for a conversation with playwright Deirdre Kinahan and Aedin Moloney, founder and Artistic Director of Fallen Angel Theatre Company.

Wednesday, September 14: Audience talkback with actors Steve Blount, Noelle Brown, Sorcha Fox and Emmet Kirwan. Moderated by George C. Heslin, Artistic Director of Origin Theatre Company and Founder of 1st Irish Theatre Festival.

Writer Deirdre Kinahan talks about her new play BOGBOY

IAC     IAC    IAC  IAC 

IACNYC Dept of Cultural AffairsNYSCAIAC

This program is supported, in part, by Imagine Ireland, Culture Ireland’s year of Irish arts in America in 2011; the Arts Council; the New York State Council on the Arts, a public agency; public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; and the Georganne Aldrich Heller Foundation. 

Bogboy Bogboy BOgboy Bogboy Bogboy Bogboy

 


 

IAC

"A compelling constellation...
 
vertiginous, playful 
and poignant" 
—IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE

"One of Ireland’s most exciting new theatrical voices"
—FLAVORPILL

"[Tom Creed is] one of
the most accomplished and productive Irish theatre-makers of the decade"

—THE IRISH TIMES

Best Male Performer 
Dublin Fringe Festival 2008

Photo credit: Colm Hogan

IAC      IAC

Irish Arts Center in association with
Performance Space 122

presents

MIMIC

Written, Composed and Performed by
RAYMOND SCANNELL

Directed and Designed by TOM CREED

March 2 – March 20 
Wed-Sat at 8 pm | Sat 2 pm | Sun 3 pm 

Save the date for a post-performance talk back with Performance Space 122 Artistic Director Vallejo Gantner, Wednesday, March 9.

There will be no performance of Mimic on Friday, March 4, Sunday, March 13 and no matinee on Saturday, March 5.

There is no late seating for any performances.

Poetic and prescient, Raymond Scannell’s virtuosic solo performance tells the story of Julian Neary, whose childhood gift for mimicry—from Columbo and Jimmy Stewart to Billie Holiday and Morrissey—becomes his ticket out of 1980s Ireland, until the chaos he sees in the outside world reflects his own chaos within.

Winner of Best Male Performer at the Dublin Fringe Festival, Scannell takes the audience on a moving and mesmerizing journey, exploring imitation, authenticity, and what happens to a nation that leaves its heritage behind.

Running time: 75 minutes

Admission: $27 general / $23 member

First performed at the Cork Midsummer Festival 2007, Mimic played the Galway Arts Festival 2008, the Kilkenny Arts Festival and Dublin Fringe Festival 2008. The New York Premiere was presented by Performance Space 122 as part of COIL 2010.

IAC

This program is supported, in part, by Imagine Ireland, Culture Ireland’s year of Irish arts in America in 2011; the New York State Council on the Arts, a public agency; public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; and the Georganne Aldrich Heller Foundation. Previous support from The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon Projects: New Work, and Cork City Council project grants helped make this work possible.


Forgotten

IAC

IAC
Sam Underwood, Artistic Director
Nicola Murphy, Producing Director

Irish Arts Center
New Plays Partnership
in association with
Fundamental Theater Project

presents

TRANS-EURO EXPRESS

A New Play by Gary Duggan
Directed by Chris Henry

Starring
Patricia Buckley
Roderick Hill
Charlie Kevin
Katy Wright-Mead

September 16th - October 3 |
Wed - Sat at 8 pm, Sat 2 pm, Sun 7 pm (Sun, Oct 3rd only at 3 pm)

“an inter-rail odyssey of self-discovery…blending together monologue, multimedia and live action sequences…the writing is dynamic and laced with black humor”
Irish Times

Join us in the gallery for special post show mixers with $3 drink specials and live music, September 23, September 24 (talk back with playwright Gary Duggan, led by 1st Irish Festival director George Heslin), September 29 and September 30 only!

An aspiring filmmaker, a singer-songwriter, an actress and an artist embark on a fast-paced Eurorail mission to shoot a debut music video - an epic journey that will test the limits of friendship, allowing no one to return home the same. This U.S. premiere by award-winning playwright Gary Duggan is a fast, funny and heartfelt exploration of the pursuit of happiness.

Trans-Euro Express contains strong language and some adult situations.

Admission: $27 general / $23 member

IAC
Irish Arts Center is proud to be part of 1st Irish 2010, New York’s annual festival of Irish theatre.  The festival runs from September 7 to October 3 at venues across New York. For a full list of events visit www.1stIrish.org.

IACIAC

This program is sponsored, in part, by Scott DelaCruz, Lucas Mendeita, Miss Bronagh Murphy, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts, a public agency.

Press enquiries
Nik Quaife - nikquaife@gmail.com
Zoetrope Arts PR & Marketing

Click here to return

Law of DreamsIrish Arts Center New Plays Partnership
and
1407 Productions LLC

present

Transport

Concert Performance of a New Musical
by Thomas Keneally and Larry Kirwan
Directed by Tony Walton

KirwanKeneallyApril 30 - May 2 | Friday, April 30 – 8pm,
Saturday, May 1 – 8pm, Sunday May 2 – 3pm

And all that I ask for, all that I need
Is to live my life in my own country
And all that I wanted or dear to me
Is bås in Erin a cushla geal mo chroi
Bas in Erin

On Thomas Keneally and Schindler’s List

"Brilliantly detailed, moving, powerful and gripping"
The London Times

“A masterful account of the growth of the human soul.”
—Los Angeles Times Book Review

"An extraordinary achievement"
—Graham Greene

On Larry Kirwan and Black 47

"...An unashamedly topical wallop of the early-Seventies Jersey-bar E Street Band and the Combat Rock-era Clash, laced with the mourning siren of uilleann pipes."
Rolling Stone

Written and conceived by world-renowned novelist and Man Booker prize winner Thomas Keneally (Schindler’s List), with music composed by Wexford's Larry Kirwan, founder of the iconic New York City band BLACK 47, Transport captures the searing emotion of the Irish diaspora to the Australian penal colony, in a universal story of romance and loss.

Based on the real journey of an Irish woman from Cork to Australia in 1846, Keneally’s story gives voice to the passions, hopes, and fears of Transport’s unforgettable characters caught up in the grand sweep of history. Through songs of hope (“Dreams of New York”) and heartbreak (“A Stranger in My Own Country”), Kirwan’s score elevates the story, blending traditional Irish and Australian music with an immediacy that engages and inspires.

Tony-winner Tony Walton directs top New York theatrical and musical talents in three thrilling performances at the Irish Arts Center Donaghy Theatre, bringing Transport to life as an allegory for displacement in the times in which we live, and as a celebration of the human spirit.

Admission: $38 general sale/ $32 members

IAC members at all levels may book directly through Irish Arts Center and avoid ticket processing fees. Call 212-757-3318 ext. 204 10 am - 6 pm Monday through Friday.

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ForgottenIrish Arts Center
In association with
Georganne Aldrich Heller
and
Fishamble: The New Play Company
present

Forgotten

Written and Performed by Pat Kinevane
Directed by Jim Culleton
Produced by Orla Flanagan

February 17– March 7 | Wednesday - Saturday 8 pm, Sunday 3 pm

...

NYT

“Never underestimate the substance, the complexity, of a long life. ‘Forgotten,’ Pat Kinevane’s one-man show at the Irish Arts Center, gracefully illustrates that point with mimickry, invention and formidable stamina. Well paced and poignant. Mr. Kinevane artfully conveys the secrets, the hidden past, of the aged, and the dignity often behind their quaint, seemingly innocuous bearing.”

...

Rave review for Fishamble's Forgotten in

The New Yorker

"... the monologues are beautifully written and vivid , what makes this show uniquely memorable is Kinevane’s raw, over-the-top, compassionate performance.." Read more...

...


Forgotten“The Japanese and dance elements are
as weird as they are fresh, bold choices
in a show with a serious heart.”

—Gwen Orel, BackStage

“Every now and then you see something truly unique…Pat Kinevane's Forgotten is a superb showcase for this exceptionally warm and generous performer. More than a play, it's poetry, and it’s an immersive experience.”
—Jon Sobel, Blogcritics.org

Forgotten

“With this poignant one-man show, Fishamble proves itself once again to be the progenitor of innovative, socially engaged drama that's both lyrical and tough as nails. The power of the piece—which juxtaposes each character's pain with flashes of humor and humanity—transcends. Forgotten is well-worth seeing for the strength of Pat Kinevane's writing and precision of his performance, and the fluidity of Culleton's direction. It is an exemplar of the solo show form.”
—NY Theatre.com

Pat Kinevane’s captivating portrayal of four vibrant elderly characters on the fringe of society is a unique collage of Kabuki dance and Irish storytelling. With humor and haunting honesty, Kinevane’s performance brings to life the challenges, loves, dreams and sorrows of these heroic figures in the twilight of their lives.

“An indelible solo performance…one of the most unexpectedly witty and dramatically rewarding works of the theater you are likely to attend this year…” — Irish Voice

“…an incredibly moving piece of theatre…immediate and compelling…unequivocally beautiful” — The Scotsman

“…astonishingly realised…a consummate act of storytelling …it is a striking accomplishment; captivating, moving, and – yes – even unforgettable.” — The Irish Times

Dublin’s award-winning Fishamble: The New Play Company, returns to New York for this special limited engagement following their triumphant Off-Broadway production of Sebastian Barry’s The Pride of Parnell Street.

Admission:
$38 general sale/$30 members

 

 

...


Cambria/DouglassCambria/Douglass
Two Plays.   One Legacy.

The Cambriaby Donal O'Kelly
Featuring Donal O'Kelly and Sorcha Fox

and

Frederick Douglass Now
Written and performed by Roger Guenveur Smith

Presented on alternating evenings and matinees through October 25th only

Click here to jump to full schedule.  

“A star turn, a rapid-fire riff, darting among epochs that mix the sounds of
poetry slam, hip-hop and the old-style preacher. Spoken, sung and emoted with entertaining conviction”
—The New York Times

Click here to read the reviews

Marvelous. Eye-Opening.
O'Kelly's performance of Douglass is brilliant.
You need to make it your business to go and see this show."
Amsterdam News

Cambria/Douglass features two thrilling plays that illuminate the Frederick Douglass story for our time.The Cambria and Frederick Douglass Now are presented on alternating evenings and matinees through October 25th only. See full schedule below.  Presented in association with the Classical Theatre of Harlem.

“Entertaining, thought provoking, beautifully crafted
. . . a well aimed appeal to our better selves.”
Irish Times

Forced to flee the U.S. after publishing his life story, Frederick Douglass sought refuge in Ireland.   With false papers, and a bounty on his head from enraged slaveholders, he boarded the paddle-steamer Cambria out of Boston.   Donal O’Kelly’s THE CAMBRIA is the thrilling tale of the historic voyage in which Douglass’s identity was revealed—placing his life in mortal danger—and how he survived to become the person Abraham Lincoln called “the most impressive man I ever met.” Featuring Sorcha Fox and Donal O’Kelly.

“Run, do not walk, to The Cambria
…a superb evening at the theatre.”

NY Theatre.com

Written and performed by Roger Guenveur Smith (A Huey P. Newton Story, American Gangster, Do The Right Thing), FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW brings to life the pioneering abolitionist and orator in a nationally acclaimed solo performance.  At the core of Smith's Douglass is the fugitive slave turned statesman, whose quest for an America free of racism, sexism and economic deprivation is still, tragically, relevant. Most recently presented at the Kennedy Center, FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW returns to New York following sold-out engagements at Aaron Davis Hall and La Mama.

“Roger Guenveur Smith gets it all and gets it brilliantly”
The New York Times

Tue-Fri 8 pm | Sat 2 pm & 8 pm | Sun 3pm & 7 pm
Presented on alternating evenings and matinees through October 25th only.

Each Performance :  $50* general, $42* IAC & CTH members

PURCHASE TICKETS TO ONE PERFORMANCE & RECEIVE 50% OFF THE OTHER.   
Buy tickets to THE CAMBRIA or FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW and use the discount code in your confirmation e-mail to see the other show for half the price!


Please Note: There will be no late seating for FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW

Click here to buy now or call 212-868-4444

IAC & CTH members can book directly through Irish Arts Centerand avoid ticket processing fees.  Call 212-757-3318 ext. 204 from 10 - 6 Monday through Fri.

Tuesday October 20th-Sunday October 25th
Tue, Oct 20, 8 pm
THE CAMBRIA
Wed, Oct 21, 8 pm
FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Thur, Oct 22, 8 pm
THE CAMBRIA
Fri, Oct 23, 8 pm
FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Sat, Oct 24, 2 pm
THE CAMBRIA
Sat, Oct 24, 8 pm
FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Sun, Oct 25, 3 pm
FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW
Sun, Oct 251, 7 pm
THE CAMBRIA

About Classical Theatre of Harlem

Since its founding in 1999, the Classical Theatre of Harlem has presented nearly forty productions that have included works by Anton Chekhov, Samuel Beckett, Euripides, Jean Genet, Langston Hughes, Adrienne Kennedy, William Shakespeare, Melvin Van Peebles, Derek Walcott and August Wilson among many others.  The company combines non-traditional casting, original adaptations, music and dance in ways that render works from the classical canon as fresh, innovative, and essentially a new experience of world classics. It is CTH’s vision to create the next great American theatre company whose value to its community is inherent and essential, a company that is engaged in producing theatre that has the capacity to change lives and truly reflects the diversity of ideas and racial tapestry that is America. www.ClassicalTheatreOfHarlem.org

 

...

“I have spent some of the happiest days of my life since landing in this country." Frederick Douglass

The Cambria
by Donal O’Kelly
Celebrating Frederick Douglass's Historic Trip To Ireland


Donal O'Kelly Frederick Douglass

Starring Donal O’Kelly and Sorcha Fox
Directed by Raymond Keane

March 17-22
Tues-Fri 8pm | Sat 2pm & 8pm; Sun 3pm

Strictly limited engagement

The Wall Street JournalCLICK HERE FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL FEATURE

The New York TimesTHE CAMBRIA leads Ben Brantley's column in NY Times Click here

Black Star NewsCLICK HERE FOR THE FEATURE IN THE
BLACK STAR NEWS

irish timesCLICK HERE FOR THE FEATURE IN THE IRISH TIMES

 

Click on the link below for review:

"This play provides one of those concentrated, magical experiences one hopes for every time one takes one's seat in a theater." —Blogcritics Magazine

Special Performance on St. Patrick’s Day, Tuesday, March 17

Pre-performance reception 7pm
Performance 8pm, followed by a special panel discussion on race and progress in Ireland and America featuring Oscar-nominated film director/screenwriter Terry George (Hotel Rwanda, In the Name of the Father), Donal O’Kelly, playwright/performer author and star of the Cambria and Alfred Preisser, artistic director of the Classical Theatre of Harlem. Moderated by renowned New York Times journalist/author Marcus Mabry follows the performance.

Frederick Douglass is one of the great iconic figures in American history and a forerunner to our new American president, Barack Obama.   At the 1888 Republican convention in Chicago, Douglass became the first African-American to have his name placed in nomination for the presidency by a major party.  

But forty three years earlier, as a relatively unknown escaped slave, he was forced to flee the United States after publishing his life story, A Narrative of the Life of an American Slave.  With false papers – and a bounty on his head from enraged slaveholders – he boarded the Cunard Line paddle-steamer The Cambria out of Boston bound for Ireland.    He was greeted like a hero by the Irish people and spoke to mass meetings on platforms with Daniel O’Connell, the leading Irish politician of the day.

The Cambria is the thrilling tale of the historic voyage in which Douglass’s identity was revealed – placing his life in mortal danger. Written by Ireland’s master theatrical storyteller Donal O’Kelly, who dazzled IAC audiences last November with his virtuosic Catalpa, The Cambria tells the story of how Douglass survived to become what Abraham Lincoln called "the most impressive man I ever met”, and the rhetorical inspiration for Barack Obama’s successful campaign for the American Presidency.

“Entertaining, thought provoking and beautifully crafted … a well-aimed appeal to our better selves.”
Fintan O’Toole, The Irish Times


“Four stars . . . a first class ticket to Dublin . . . wonderful to watch.”
The Guardian (London)


“Vintage O’Kelly here is this searing, soaring true story … gorgeous stuff … a delightful exercise in the possibilities of theatre”
Sunday Tribune


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Ronan NooneIrish Arts Center New Plays Partnership

Brendan
Staged Reading of a New Play by Ronan Noone
Directed by Will Frears

Friday, February 20 | 3pm





Fluid, funny, and heartfelt, Brendan is Ronan Noone's most expertly crafted play yet. And that's saying something . . . Brendan may never see his mother, or his motherland, again. But so deftly does Noone trace his journey that we, with Brendan, come to understand: Nothing loved is ever wholly lost. - Boston Globe

Brendan is a funny and touching coming of age story about a recent Irish immigrant in Boston.  Brendan misses his family, but works hard to fit-in in his adopted country, earn his American citizenship, and find love and meaning in his new life.  

Originally from Clifden, Co. Galway, Ronan Noone is the author of The Lepers of Baile Baiste and The Blowin of Baile Gall, which had its Off-Broadway premiere at the Irish Arts Center in 2005.  His play The Atheist was recently produced Off-Broadway starring Campbell Scott, and had earlier sold-out runs at the Huntington Theatre and Williamstown Theatre Festival, and is published by DPS. Brendan, produced by the Huntington Theatre, won the IRNE Best New Play Award in 2008 and is published by DPS. A former journalist, Noone studied playwriting in Boston University’s MFA program under the tutelage of Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott.

Will Frears holds an MFA in directing from Yale School of Drama.  His Off-Broadway credits include Rainbow Kiss (The Play Company); Omnium Gatherum (Variety Arts); Where We’re Born andGod Hates The Irish (Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre); The Water’s Edge (Second Stage); Pen (Playwrights Horizons).  Regionally, he directed Romeo & Juliet, Bus Stop, The Water’s Edge and A Servant Of Two Masters at the Williamstown Theatre Festival; The Pillowman at George Street Playhouse; and Our Lady of 121st Street at Steppenwolf Theatre.  His film credits include Coach; Beloved; and All Saints Day (Winner, Best Narrative Short, Savannah Film Festival). 

The Irish Arts Center New Plays Partnership is a project that links playwrights with directors, offers a safe space for the development of new work and provides exposure to a wide network of New York-based theatre professionals.

NYSCAThis program is supported, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts,
a public agency.

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CatalpaCatalpa LIMITED ENGAGEMENT!

Written and performed by Donal O’Kelly
With live music composed and performed by Trevor Knight


November 12 – 30 | Tues-Fri* 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun** 3pm

Click here for more info

 

 

“An Improbably Beautiful Show”
Variety

"A Sensational Seafaring Epic"
NYTheatre.com

“A Rip-Roaring Theatrical Adventure"
Washington Post

“A Triumph, A Joy and a Delight!”
 Irish Times

“DAZZLING, THEATRICAL STORYTELLING” Times of London

Winner, Fringe First Award, Edinburgh Fringe Festival

“Exuberant, exhilarating, magical ...a triumph, a joy, a delight" Irish Times

“Dazzling, theatrical storytelling”The Times of London

“A masterpiece ... searingly satirical, comic, tragic, profoundly sensitive" The Scotsman

“Donal O’Kelly is Ireland’s Robin Williams...a one-man tour-de-force" The Herald (Glasgow)

“A triumphant feat...a ferocious night of imaginative theatre" RTE Guide

Click here for more info

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Irish Arts Center in association with
Georganne Aldrich Heller and Semper Fi (Ireland)

presents the American premiere
of the award-winning theatrical event

Ladies & GentsLadies and Gents

Performed in the Bethesda Fountain Restrooms Central Park

Written and Directed by Paul Walker
Original Direction by Karl Shiels

A site-specific noir thriller set in a public restroom in 1957 Dublin, “Ladies and Gents” has shocked and delighted audiences and critics alike from Dublin to Edinburgh.      Winner of the Edinburgh Fringe First Award.

Limited Engagement! | March 17th – 29th | Performances at 7PM, 8PM, and 9PM nightly


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Irish Arts Center New Plays Partnership
ronan nooneLITTLE BLACK DRESS
Staged Reading of a New Play by Ronan Noone
Directed by Ari Edelson

Monday, February 4th at 7.30 PM




In a small Midwestern town Charly Kennedy needs help with his booming gigolo business, and hires his best friend, Jimmy, to help out.  Jimmy agrees as long as his mother, Amy, doesn’t find out. An outrageous satire on the “pursuit of happiness," Little Black Dress asks what you have to sacrifice when chasing the American dream.


Ronan Noone, originally from Clifden, Co. Galway, is the author of The Lepers of Baile Baiste and The Blowin of Baile Gall, which had its Off-Broadway premiere at the Irish Arts Center in 2005.  His most recent plays, The Atheist (starring Campbell Scott) and Brendan received enthusiastic reviews and played to sold-out audiences at Boston’s Huntington Theatre in 2007.      

"Noone's plays are now the highlight of any given theatre season!" 
The Boston Globe 

“(A) talent likely heading for The Great White Way” 
San Francisco Bay Times 

As a director, Ari Edelson has worked both in the US and internationally, with recent credits including: Vengeance (Cherry Lane), Expats (The New Group (naked), NY), Jump! and Realism (The Exchange, NY), The Attic (Play Company, NY, Obie Award), The Atheist (Theatre 503, London), Blood Wedding, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Sexual Perversity in Chicago (Theatre Project Tokyo), True West and Tape (Tokyo Globe), Rape of Lucretia (English National Opera, London and Luxembourg). He has also worked with such companies as La Jolla Playhouse, Long Wharf, the Old Vic, Circle in the Square, the Royal National Theatre, Theatre Royal Haymarket, The Vineyard Theatre, The New Group and the Westport Country Playhouse. In additions to his roles at the Exchange, the Orchard Project and with Old Vic New Voices, he has been a guest director on attachment at New Dramatists, a Directing Fellow of the Drama League of New York, and has taught at Northwestern University, Fordham University and in Japan.  He graduated from Yale University and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

The Irish Arts Center New Plays Partnership links playwrights with directors, offers a safe space for the development of new work, and provides exposure to a wide network of New York-based theatre professionals

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Marie Jones photoROCK DOVES
A New Comedy by Marie Jones
Directed by Ian McElhinney




presented in association with Georganne Aldrich Heller
and Anita Waxman

Rock Doves ran from September 6, 2007 to October 28, 2007

Set in Belfast – a thriving city now that the “Troubles” are over – Rock Doves centers around four wild and colorful characters as they navigate the “new” Northern Ireland: a squatter, a prostitute, a cross-dresser… and a teenager who still thinks he is fighting the war. In Marie Jones’ signature comedic style, Rock Dovesoffers an affectionate portrait of the resilience and humanity of people who will do anything to survive. Featuring Natalie Brown, Johnny Hopkins, Marty Maguire (A Night in November),and Tim Ruddy (The Blowin of Baile Gall).

From the Olivier-winning,Tony-nominated team behind the international hit Stones in His Pockets.

Click here for photos, cast info and more.

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