Photo Flash: Martin McDonagh's THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN Comes To The Addison Theatre Centre
Outcry Youth Theatre is once again challenging its young performers with the hilarious comedy The Cripple of Inishmaan, from brilliant Irish playwright Martin McDonagh. McDonagh has been nominated for four Tony Awards, and is also the writer/director of the Academy Award winning film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
"I've been a huge fan of McDonagh for years," said director Becca Johnson-Spinos, "and I'm excited to bring his particular brand of dark humor to the stage. McDonagh uses incendiary wit, ferocious dialogue, and decidedly politically incorrect absurdism to create his world populated by misfits. It's a style we haven't yet had a chance to do at Outcry."
In 1934, the people of Inishmaan learn that the Hollywood director Robert Flaherty is coming nearby to film a documentary. No one is more excited than Cripple Billy, an unloved boy whose chief occupation has been gazing at cows and yearning for a girl who wants no part of him. For Billy is determined to cross the sea and audition for the Yank. And as news of his audacity ripples through his rumor-starved community, The Cripple of Inishmaan becomes a merciless portrayal of a world so comically cramped and mean-spirited that hope is an affront to its order.
The show poses a number of difficulties for its teenaged cast. From the Irish accents to the comedic timing and tone of the play, the cast of eighteen actors ages 14-18 has their work cut out for them.
"One of the obvious challenges with playing Cripple Billy is the physicality," said Dylan Weand, who alternates performances of Cripple Billy with Calin Eastes. "I want to feel fully connected to the character, and that includes showing the struggles he has with movement. Cripple Billy has had difficulty moving since birth, so I also want to be able to show his development or methods of dealing with this lifelong disability."
The Cripple of Inishmaan performs November 8-17 at the Addison Theatre Centre's Studio Theatre. The play contains explicit language and mature themes. If patrons have further questions about the content, the theatre encourages them to use their contact form on outcrytheatre.com.
outcrytheatre.com/the-cripple-of-inishmaan
Photo Credit: Jason Johnson-Spinos
Calin Eastes, Ella Warner, Peyton Nicholson, and Harrison Polen
Front: Fallon Goldsmith and Brayden Soffa. Back: Dylan Weand and Elijah Harms.
Elijah Harms and Dylan Weand
Elijah Harms
Harrison Polen and Calin Eastes
Dylan Weand
Peyton Nicholson, Calin Eastes, and Ella Warner
Elijah Harms, Dylan Weand, Fallon Goldsmith, and Brayden Soffa
Brayden Soffa and Fallon Goldsmith
Harrison Polen, Calin Eastes, Ella Warner, and Peyton Nicholson
Dylan Weand and Fallon Goldsmith
|
Joshua Henry in Concert with the Plano Symphony Orchestra Meyerson Symphony Center (8/15-8/15) |
|
DISNEY'S FROZEN North Texas Performing Arts Repertory Theatre (8/07-8/16) |
|
Hallmarked Plaza Theatre Company (8/14-9/12) |
|
Laughter on the 23rd Floor Allen Contemporary Theatre (8/14-8/30) |
|
C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center (10/11-10/11) |
|
Mariachi Herencia de México: Día de Muertos Bass Performance Hall (10/20-10/20) |
|
Sister's Christmas Catechism McDavid Studio (12/10-12/13) |
|
The Immigrant Rockwall Community Playhouse (9/11-9/27) |
|
A Midsummer Night's Dream Shakespeare Everywhere (8/10-8/17) |
|
So That’s What The Moms Were Doing MainStage Irving Las-Calinas (8/21-8/29) |