in the W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre
By Brian Friel
Directed by Ciarán O’Reilly
Featuring Ciaran Byrne, Clark Carmichael, Una Clancy, Ian Lithgow, Kieran Mulcare, Owen Campbell, David McElwee, Christa Scott-Reed and John C. Vennema
Thursday, February 8 at 7pm
Set in Derry in 1970 during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, The Freedom of the City sees three Catholic civil rights protestors accidentally occupy the mayor’s parlor; they are killed on exit. The story moves between past and present, when a tribunal takes place into the protestors’ deaths. The Freedom of the City was first performed at the Abbey Theatre in 1973, one year after Friel was present at the Bloody Sunday Massacre, where British soldiers killed at least 13 civilians at a protest for civil rights.
As part of The Friel Project, the Irish Repertory Theatre is delighted to present readings of Brian Friel’s plays. Together with the Mainstage productions, this series represents a retrospective on the work of Brian Friel.
