THE 8TH Opens At The Secret Theatre This Tuesday

Since its founding in 2007, Origin's 1st Irish is the world's only theatre festival dedicated to showcasing the work of contemporary Irish playwrights with a mix of new and acclaimed productions from both sides of the Atlantic.

Since Seanie Sugrue started writing plays he's always wanted to write a story set in rural Ireland, and particularly in Kerry where he's from. He grew up just a few miles away from where the great John B. Keane lived and has been obsessed with his play "The Field" for as long as he can remember.

"The question I had to ask myself was if I wanted it to be set in the conservative Ireland I grew up in as a kid in the 80's and 90's or the new Ireland which has gained global recognition for how progressive it has become. The answer I came up with was somewhere in-between and the Irish referendum seemed like an appropriate imaginary line down the middle of the two. The referendum was bitter and at times it felt like the whole country should have deleted their social media accounts. I personally never said a word, I focused on listening and eventually wrote the 8th."

This is the first time Sugrue has ever written a political piece and for him it was imperative that he didn't come off as preachy. While the play touches on some of society's most sensitive subjects, his goal was to push tolerance, not his opinions, and something he believes people can identify with on both sides of the Atlantic in 2020.

After spending the last two years working on a feature film, Misty Button, he is excited to be back collaborating in a playhouse.

A year after the death of their father, Saoirse and Tomas return home for his one-year anniversary mass. The family still deep in grief continue to argue over the suspicious manner in how Dennis died. While tensions rise inside the house, outside the people of Ireland are equally divided as they prepare to vote on whether to repeal the eighth amendment and legalize abortion in the most contentious social issue Ireland has seen since its independence.

Starring: Julia Nightingale*, Una Clancy*, Katherine O'Sullivan*, John Warren, Phil Burke*, Shane McNaughton, Laurissa "Lala" Romain* and Gerard McNamee *Appearing through the courtesy of the actor's equity association. Directed and Written by: Seanie Sugrue ,Produced by: Seanie Sugrue, Patrick Scherrer and Amanda Martin

For more information visit www.secrettheatre.com or call 718.392.0722