Irish Drama.
New York Style.
Thank you to everyone who joined us at our 2023 Member Holiday Party on Saturday, December 9. We were thrilled to snack, chat, and drink with so many of you! It’s always great to celebrate the year with the people who make so much of what we do possible. Play our 2023 Irish Rep trivia and check out photos from the event below. Photos are by James Higgins.
Click here to check out our 2023 Irish Rep Trivia
Click here for the answer key!
in the W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre
By Brian Friel
Directed by Ursula McGinn
Featuring Terry Donnelly, Sean Gormley, Doireann Mac Mahon, Kieran Mulcare, Nicola Murphy Dubey, Niall Powderly, Fergal Titley, Ciara Van Buren
Thursday, December 14 at 7pm
Set in 1982 in a restored thatched cottage close to the sea in the remote townland of Ballybeg, County Donegal, The Communication Cord is a farce which is preoccupied with language and its powerful effects. Originally written for Field Day Company’s 1982 autumn tour, the play skillfully combines comedy and drama to explore themes of communication, misunderstanding, and the impact of external events on a close-knit community.
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 full retrospective on the work of Brian Friel.
in the W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre
November 4, 2023 at 2:00pm
While Brian Friel’s Translations tells the story of British colonialism’s efforts to suppress Irish culture, it is our pleasure to present a film in the Irish language that survived.
Join us after the screening for a talkback with Irish Language expert Caoimhe Nic Giollarnáith.
The Quiet Girl (An Cailín Ciúin) is an Oscar-nominated multi-award-winning Irish Language film, written/directed by Colm Bairéad, based on Foster by Claire Keegan (Small Things like These).
Cáit is a nine-year-old girl from an over-crowded, dysfunctional and impoverished family. Quietly struggling at school and at home, she has learnt to hide in plain sight from those around her. As summer arrives and her pregnant mother’s due date approaches, Cáit (Catherine Clinch) is sent to live with distant relatives. Without knowing when she will return home, she is left at the strangers’ house with only the clothes she is wearing. The Kinsellas, a middle-aged couple she has never met, dress the girl in what clothes they have.
They are farming people, like her own, but hard-working and wanting for nothing, it seems. Despite a warm reception from the woman, Eibhlín (Carrie Crowley), the man of the house, Seán (Andrew Bennett), keeps his distance from Cáit and she from him, but over time, their strained relationship begins to deepen. Slowly, in the care of the Kinsellas, Cáit blossoms and discovers a new way of living. But in this house where affection grows and there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one painful truth.
An Irish Goodbye is a 2022 short film written, produced, and directed by Tom Berkeley and Ross White. The film stars James Martin, Seamus O’Hara, Paddy Jenkins and Michelle Fairley.
Winner of the 2023 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
Set against the backdrop of a working farm in rural Northern Ireland, An Irish Goodbye is a black comedy following the reunion of estranged brothers Turlough and Lorcan following the untimely death of their mother. Under the watchful eye of odd-ball parish priest Father O’Shea, the brothers’ pained reunion is worsened by the fact Turlough must now make new care arrangements for Lorcan, who has Down Syndrome. A robust and dedicated farmer, Lorcan’s dream of continuing to work the land he grew up on is thwarted when Turlough decides he’s sending him to live with their Aunt on the other side of Ireland. But when the brothers discover an unfulfilled bucket list belonging to their late mother, Lorcan senses an opportunity: he’ll only agree to leave the farm once he and Turlough have themselves completed every single wish on their mother’s list… … all one-hundred of them.
This screening is presented in association with the Irish Film Institute’s IFI International programme, supported by Culture Ireland, and distributors Super Ltd and Network Ireland Television.
A One-Night-Only event on the Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage
Featuring Charles Busch in conversation with Melissa Errico
Monday, November 6, 2023, at 6pm
On November 6, join us for a captivating conversation with Charles Busch alongside Melissa Errico as they discuss Charles’ new book Leading Lady: A Memoir of a Most Unusual Boy.
As the Tony Award-nominated writer behind The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife and the long-running hit Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, and a Sundance Festival award winner, Charles Busch has created a unique place in the entertainment world as a playwright, LGBT icon, drag actor, director, and cabaret performer, with his extraordinary gift for both connecting with and channeling the leading ladies of show business. Charles’ new book recounts his colorful and sometimes outlandish childhood memories, from his mother’s death to his surrogate mothers to his career interacting with film and theatrical luminaries in heartfelt and humorous ways.
Leading Lady is not only for fans of entertainment books but for anyone who enjoys real-life stories of artists who break the mold and find their own unique ways to sparkle. Don’t miss this one-night-only event!
Tickets are free for this one-night-only event
Charles Busch is an actor, playwright, and drag legend. He is the author and star of many plays, including Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, one of the longest-running plays in Off-Broadway history. His play The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife played 777 performances on Broadway and received a Tony nomination for Best Play. Busch wrote and starred in the film versions of his plays Psycho Beach Party and Die, Mommie, Die!, the latter of which won him the Best Performance Award at the Sundance Film Festival. He has been honored with a special Drama Desk Award for career achievement as both performer and playwright, and he also received the Flora Roberts Award for Sustained Achievement in the theater by the Dramatists Guild.
Melissa Errico, “The Maria Callas of American musical theater,” as Opera News has called her, referencing both her silken voice and dramatic, expressive intensity, Melissa Errico’s career is characterized by a dazzling range of passions as actress, singer, and author. She is thrilled to return to Irish Rep where she has starred in numerous productions including her Drama Desk Award-nominated performances in The Importance of Being Earnest and Candida, and playing Sharon in the musical Finian’s Rainbow twice (the second time she chronicled in an essay for The New York Times). She starred as Daisy Gamble in Irish Rep’s acclaimed production of On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (which she also explored in an essay for The New York Times in a pioneering piece on the sexual gender stereotypes in American musicals). Also known for her starring roles on Broadway, her tribute album, Sondheim Sublime, was called by The Wall Street Journal “The best all-Sondheim album ever recorded.” Nominated for a Tony for her appearance in Michel Legrand’s only Broadway musical, Amour, she was asked to write the eulogy to Legrand in The New York Times in 2019; while, that fall, Ghostlight Records reissued an expanded version of her symphonic album, which Legrand arranged and conducted, as Legrand Affair Deluxe Edition. She is currently working on her first book, a memoir tentatively titled Terminal Ingenue.
Absolutely captivating . . . This joyful, upbeat, and witty memoir will likely capture the hearts of theater and movie buffs. — Literary Journal, starred review
A magical tale of how Charles brought drag into the present by celebrating the glamour of the past. — Sarah Jessica Parker
Leading Lady is both a page-turner with name-drops and a book depicting the thrill of creation . . . If you aren’t sure of his influence on your own world, you will still be spellbound, but you will also come away with a new mentor for living an unafraid life true to who you are. — Jim Parsons
Fascinating, elegant, frank, and unputdownable. I devoured this book with a glee that could only be surpassed by watching Charles Busch perform live! — Alan Cumming
A One-Night-Only event on the Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage
Monday, October 30, 2023 at 7pm
We are thrilled to welcome the Allegri Ladies Choir to Irish Repertory Theatre for a very special performance this fall from the vibrant city of Derry, located in the northwest of Ireland, celebrating the significant milestone of the 10th anniversary since their formation.
Their important anniversary coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the historic peace accord which played a pivotal role in the journey to peace, stability, and reconciliation for a fractured nation.
This unique musical evening will showcase the choir’s journey over the past decade featuring a selection of favorites from their repertoire, and celebrate themes of creativity, connection, and resilience. It will include a special musical tribute to Derry peacemaker Pat Hume, written by her close friend, the American author and filmmaker, Mary Pat Kelly, as well as works by internationally renowned Derry composer, Seán Doherty, one with text by Irish poet Paula Meehan.
This event will resonate deeply with a New York audience, fostering understanding and connection, underscoring the immense value of cross-community cooperation and cultural exchange, and celebrating the transformative power of singing together.
Allegri is a community arts organisation founded in 2013 by two friends from opposite sides of the political divide to create an open and inclusive space for singers to come together to learn and perform high-quality repertoire in a safe and inclusive space.
Since formation, Allegri has gone from strength to strength and now comprises Youth and Junior Choirs, a symphony orchestra (Orchestra NorthWest) and an annual singing event, the Every Voice Festival as well as the Ladies Choir. The organisation is committed to raising the standard of arts practice and performance, eliminating all barriers to arts participation and using music to promote social inclusion, good relations, and equality.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST FOR FUTURE TRIPS.
Wednesday, October 4 through Sunday, October 8, 2023 (five days & four nights)
ITINERARY
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
NOT INCLUDED
Contact 212.255.0270 or Development@IrishRep.org with any questions.
Login to your account