How it’s New York: at Rosie O’Gradys in New York City
How it’s Irish: Origin’s 1st Irish Theatre Company’s annual Festival Finale
Last week saw the wrap up of the annual Origin Theatre’s 1st Irish Theatre Festival at Rosie O’Grady’s on Monday, February 3rd, 2020.
The who’s who of the Irish Theatre scene was present for the 12th annual awards presentation for the culmination of a month of the best that Irish theatre both local and international has to offer.
“The 8th” nabbed Best Production. The world premiere of Seanie Sugrue’s comedy-drama about a family’s tensions around Ireland’s recent epic referendum to overturn the 8th Amendment outlawing abortion, ran for 13 performances at The Secret Theatre in Queens and was produced locally by Locked in the Attic Productions, with Five OHM Productions.
The Irish Repertory Theatre’s hit comedy “London Assurance,” which just closed this past weekend, won three awards – for direction by Charlotte Moore, for acting by Rachel Pickup, and for Best Design. The other acting award was offered to Ciaran O’Brien, who co-starred with Eva O’Connor in the American premiere of “Maz and Bricks” which was imported from Dublin by Fishamble: The New Play Company.
The Best Playwright honor went to New York based writer Honor Molloy, for “Round Room,” about childbirth in the wards of Dublin’s infamous Rotunda Hospital over several centuries. This was produced by the Grammy Award-winning Irish singer/songwriter Susan McKeown’s Cuala Foundation, and features a new score by McKeown.
The Festival’s Special Jury Prize went to “The Scourge’s” Michelle Dooley Mahon, for her work as a writer bringing underexposed issues vital to women in contemporary Ireland to an international audience. The American premiere of “The Scourge,” produced by the Wexford Arts Centre in partnership with The Irish Repertory Theatre (where it closed February 2nd), was nominated for three awards, and was directed by the acclaimed Irish director Ben Barnes.
This year the Bairbre Dowling Spirit of the Festival Award, given by the Origin Theatre Company’s board of directors to a standout participant in the Festival, was given to Sarah-Jane Scott, the actor and writer of the bracing comedy about marriage, “Appropriate.” Scott, who travelled to New York for her American debut, was singled out for her fearlessness in sharing honestly the contradictions and shifting social winds for women in Ireland today. Dublin’s Gúna Nua, a frequent Festival participant, brought the comedy to the New York Irish Center in Long Island City for a week of performances.
This year’s Festival jury included New York stage and television actress Cynthia Darlow; famed theater writer Harry Haun; college administrator and theatre writer Kate Kennon, and the international journalist, filmmaker and US television writer Sadhbh Walshe.
