New York Premiere

New York Premiere
on the Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage

An Exploration of the Works of: Samuel Beckett
Conceived and Performed by: Bill Irwin

Starring Bill Irwin with guest appearance by Finn O’Sullivan

September 26 – November 4, 2018

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Bill Irwin can’t escape Samuel Beckett. He has spent a lifetime captivated by the Irish writer’s language. In this intimate 90-minute evening, Irwin will explore a performer’s relationship to Beckett, mining the physical and verbal skills acquired in his years as a master clown and Tony Award-winning actor. Irwin’s approach to the comic, the tragic, to every side of Beckett’s work – including Waiting for Godot, Texts for Nothing, and more– will allow audiences to experience the language in compelling new ways. Whether you’re encountering the Nobel Prize winner’s writing for the first time, or building on a body of Beckett knowledge, this dynamic showcase is not to be missed.

Irish Repertory Theatre is proud to present the New York Premiere of On Beckett, a new work by master clown, Tony Award-winning actor, and MacArthur, Guggenheim, and Fulbright Fellow Bill Irwin. On Beckett was originally developed at the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco in consultation with Artistic Director Carey Perloff, and produced at the Strand Theater in January 2017. On Beckett was also workshopped at Vineyard Theatre and the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle.

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“CRITIC’S PICK! Captivating…radiant, living theater” – Ben Brantley, New York Times

“a delicious piece of theater… a playful, intimate experiment conducted by a master practitioner… utterly delightful” – Sara Holdren, New York Magazine

“masterful… Beckett’s words bloom not just with humor but with poignant emotion” – Theatermania

“near-90 minutes of pleasure…Irwin’s physical comedy is delicious… a brilliant gateway to understanding [Beckett]” – Tim Teeman, The Daily Beast

“one of the most profound experiments to be conducted on an off-Broadway stage” – David Roberts, Theatre Reviews, Ltd.

“an homage to [Beckett] that is both deeply personal and defiantly, even exuberantly accessible.” – Elysa Gardner, New York Stage Review

TICKET LOTTERY:

A limited number of tickets to On Beckett will be made available throughout the run of the show for $25.00 through a daily lottery with TodayTix, which can now be accessed via phone, tablet, or desktop. Click here to download the TodayTix app and get ready to enter or sign up at todaytix.com.

New York Premiere

by Brian Friel
directed by Charlotte Moore

Extended through December 17, 2017

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In the hot Donegal August of 1878, the fruits of Colonialism and the ambiguities of loyalty are tested within the background of impossible love. Christopher Gore, the liberal minded Anglo-Irish landlord and his son, David, reside at The Lodge with their “chatelaine” Margaret, with whom they are both in love. Christopher’s cousin, Dr. Richard Gore, arrives with the intention of pursuing a Darwin-inspired scientific theory: by measuring the craniums of the indigenous Irish, he hopes to crack the genetic code of the indigenes…demonstrating their inferior place in the natural order. Set in the era of the rumblings of violence and uncertainty at the dawn of The Home Rule movement, Brian Friel explores the aftermath of Dr. Gore’s experiment as deep animosity is dangerously ignited amongst the suspicious villagers of Ballybeg.

“This is a staging of hushed grace and delicacy, one that I wish Mr. Friel had lived to see… superior in every way. To see it is to come away certain that The Home Place is one of Mr. Friel’s half-dozen masterpieces. -The Wall Street Journal

“an insightful and inspiring piece of theatre… a dénouement of surpassing beauty.” –The New Yorker

“one for the ages…[you’ll] be moved by the accumulating power of this slow-burn but increasingly unsettling work.” –Irish Central

Support for this production provided by the Northern Ireland Bureau

by Richard F. Stockton
additional material & original concept by Richard T. Herd
directed by Ciarán O’Reilly

May 14- July 6, 2008

Prisoner of the Crown is the riveting story of the trial of Sir Roger Casement, an Irish patriot and one of the world’s great humanitarians. A few short years after being knighted, Casement was sentenced to be hanged for treason in what was called “The Trial of the Century.” The sensational trial was tainted by the presence of the “Black Diaries” an alleged explicit account of Casement’s promiscuous homosexual lifestyle. Were the diaries real? Or, were they, as many believed, forged by the crown forces determined that he pay the ultimate price for his role in the Easter 1916 uprising? The play, set in the jury room of the Old Bailey and in the minds of the jury, features 49 characters and paints a captivating picture of heroism, passion, and manipulative deception.

“EIGHT SKILLED ACTORS HANDLE DOZENS OF ROLES, AND THE TRANSITIONS AMONG THE PLAY’S MULTIPLE SETTINGS ARE MARVELS OF STAGECRAFT” – THE NEW YORKER

“In a new play, the paradox of Roger Casement haunts the Irish Rep IN A SHARP, SNAPPILY PACED PRODUCTION by Ciarán O’Reilly. Philip Goodwin, pale and grave, embodies (Casement) persuasively at the head of A SOLIDLY EFFECTIVE CAST THAT ZIPS FROM ROLE TO ROLE WITH EASE, aided by Brian Nason’s swiftly changing lights.” – VILLAGE VOICE

“INGENIOUSLY STAGED AND MAGNIFICENTLY ACTED.” -CURTAIN UP

“STRONG CAST TO BRING THIS REMARKABLE PLAY TO LIFE   – IRISH VOICE

“Prisoner of the Crown is an ENGROSSING and solidly acted brief for the defense. Director Ciarán O’Reilly adds a few stylized touches around the edges, particularly during scene transitions, but for the most part this is straightforward, socially conscious docudrama, with its tense jury-room scenes strongly reminiscent of Twelve Angry Men. THE ACTORS ALL DISTINGUISH THEMSELVES IN MULTIPLE ROLES, though the most rousing moments come courtesy of John Windsor-Cunningham as Casement’s principal tormentor and Tim Ruddy as his passionate defense attorney.” – BACKSTAGE

“O’Reilly manages to keep the history and the details of Casement’s story crystal clear despite the complexity. His inventiveness combines with the GENERAL HIGH QUALITY OF MUCH OF THE ACTING to produce not only a really satisfying evening of theatre, but a truly instructive one as well.” – IRISH ECHO

by John B. Keane
directed by Ciarán O’Reilly

September 20- November 11, 2007

A raw and riveting drama,  John B. Keane’s Sive tells the tale of a beautiful young schoolgirl forced into an arranged marriage with a rich and lecherous old man. This hard hitting depiction of a sexually charged world was a scandalous affair when it was first seen in 1959. Against the backdrop of 1950’s rural Ireland, the play is colorfully populated with traveling tinkers, bitter housewives and scheming matchmakers. From the same vivid and creative mind that penned The Field and The Matchmaker,  Sive was Keane’s first play and it introduced the country to a powerful theatrical voice that influenced a generation of Ireland’s modern playwrights.

“PACED WITH IRRESISTIBLE MELODRAMATIC MOMENTUM, John B. Keane’s 1959 potboiler feels like the missing link between the hardscrabble folk dramas of O’Casey and Synge and the corruscating latter-day black comedies of McDonagh and McPherson. In director Ciaran O’Reilly’s crackling New York premiere production, this story unfolds with heartside grit and fablelike force.” —Time Out

“Theatre is all about creating a reality and making it not just immediate, but livable for us in the audience. SIVE INSPIRED SUCH REVERENCE ON THE NIGHT I SAW IT, TO THE POINT THAT GASPS WERE SOMETIMES AUDIBLE.” -NY Theatre.com

“A SOLID PRODUCTION.”      -NY Times

“A HANDSOME PRODUCTION WITH AN ANIMATED CAST.” -Backstage

“THE IRISH REPERTORY STRIKES AGAIN. CONTINUING ITS WELCOME STREAK OF PROVIDING EFFECTIVE STAGING OF INTRIGUING WORKS. IT EFFECTIVELY DELINEATES THE ASSORTMENT OF CHARACTERS WELL-WRITTEN BY THE AUTHOR AND BROUGHT DRAMATICALLY TO LIFE BY A FIRST-RATE CAST.” –William Wolf

“A HEARTFELT AND BEAUTIFULLY EXECUTED NEW PRODUCTION.”  –Irish Echo

by Philip Dunne & Martin Blaine
based on the newspaper articles of Finley Peter Dunne
directed by Charlotte Moore

August 10- September 10, 2006

Mr. Dooley’s America tells the tale of Mr. Dooley, an Irish pub owner in the 1890s who wrote satiric daily editorials in The Chicago Evening Post about the issues of the day. On the president, Dooley opines, “I can’t truthfully say that there’s a presidential possibility in sight. And I looked in the White House too.” More wit and wisdom throughout the show!

“CHARMING” -The New York Times

“the writing is solid, the formula works like a charm… Moore knew what she was doing when she cast Dowling and Keogh. Their twinkling eyes only begin to describe the life they bring to their roles.” -TheaterMania