Abbey Theatre's QUIETLY Extends at Irish Rep

Irish Repertory Theatre, in association with The Public Theater, announced an extension for the US premiere of the Abbey Theatre's production of QUIETLY. QUIETLY will now play additional performances through Sunday, September 25, 2016.

Written by Owen McCafferty and directed by Jimmy Fay, QUIETLY began previews on July 20, 2016, at Irish Rep Theatre (132 West 22nd Street) and officially opened July 28, 2016.

Tickets are on sale now through Irish Rep's box office at 212-727-2737 or online at www.irishrep.org.

Belfast is a place where things need to be said. Following the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, guns were silenced but the chasm between the Republican and Unionist sides remains wide and bitter. Tonight, in a small back-street bar, Jimmy and Ian will meet for the first time. Forty years before a violent incident irrevocably changed the lives of both men and now they need to talk. QUIETLY is a powerful play about violence and forgiveness, about the limits of healing, the lottery of bearing witness, and the profit of truth. After enjoying huge international success, the Abbey Theatre brings this important new work to Irish Rep.

QUIETLY stars original cast members Declan Conlon (An Enemy of the People, "The Tudors"), Patrick O'Kane (War Horse), and Robert Zawadzki (Dziady).

QUIETLY originally premiered at the Abbey Theatre in 2012, the Edinburgh Festival in 2013, and the Soho Theatre in 2014. It went on to win the Fringe First in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2013; Best New Play, Writer's Guild of Great Britain Awards; Best Actor, Patrick O'Kane, in The Stage Awards for Excellence in Acting; Best Performer, Patrick O'Kane, UK Theatre Awards; and Best Performer, Patrick O'Kane, OFFIES Off West End Awards.

QUIETLY features scenic design by Alyson Cummins (The Lime Tree Bower), costume design by Catherine Fay (Our Few and Evil Days), lighting design by Sinéad McKenna (Howie the Rookie), sound design by Philip Stewart (An Enemy of the People), and fight direction by Donal O'Farrell ("The Fall").

The performance schedule for QUIETLY is as follows: Tuesdays at 7pm; Wednesdays at 3pm and 8pm; Thursdays at 7pm; Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm; and Sundays at 3pm. Exceptions: there will be no 3pm performance on Saturday, September 24.

Tickets to QUIETLY are priced at $70.00 and are on sale now through Irish Rep's box office by calling 212-727-2737, or online at www.irishrep.org.

Irish Repertory Theatre, co-founded by Producing Director Ciarán O'Reilly and Artistic Director Charlotte Moore, opened its doors in September 1988 with Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars. The Irish Rep is currently the only year-round theatre company in New York City devoted to bringing Irish and Irish American works to the stage. Recognized with the Jujamcyn Theatres Award, a special Drama Desk Award for "Excellence in Presenting Distinguished Irish Drama," an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Achievement, and the Lucille Lortel Award for "Outstanding Body of Work," the Irish Rep has celebrated the very best in Irish theatre for over twenty-five years, from the masters to the new generation of Irish and Irish American writers who are transforming the stage. Nearly 38,000 Audience members annually attend productions at our theatre located in the heart of New York's Off Broadway community. Once here, they witness the Irish Rep's engaging perspective on the Irish and their unique contributions to the world of drama.

The Abbey Theatre is Ireland's national theatre. It was founded by W.B. Yeats and Lady Augusta Gregory. Since it first opened its doors in 1904 the theatre has played a vital and often controversial role in the literary, social and cultural life of Ireland. In 1905, the Abbey Theatre first toured internationally and continues to be an ambassador for Irish arts and culture worldwide. The Abbey Theatre produces an annual programme of diverse, engaging, innovative Irish and international theatre and invests in and promotes new Irish writers and artists. We do this by placing the writer and theatre-maker at the heart of all that we do, commissioning and producing exciting new work and creating discourse and debate on the political, cultural and social issues of the day. Our aim is to present great theatre in a national context so that the stories told on stage have a resonance with artists and audiences alike. Over the years, the Abbey Theatre has nurtured and premiered the work of major playwrights such as J.M. Synge and Sean O'Casey as well as contemporary classics from Sebastian Barry, Marina Carr, Bernard Farrell, Brian Friel, Thomas Kilroy, Frank McGuinness, Tom MacIntyre, Tom Murphy, Owen McCafferty, Mark O'Rowe and Billy Roche. We support a new generation of Irish writers at the Abbey Theatre including Richard Dormer, Gary Duggan, Shaun Dunne, Stacey Gregg, David Ireland, Jimmy McAleavey, Owen McCafferty, Elaine Murphy, Nancy Harris, Michael West and Carmel Winters. None of this can happen without our audiences and our supporters. Annie Horniman provided crucial financial support to the Abbey in its first years. Many others have followed her lead by investing in and supporting our work. We also gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Arts Council.

The Public Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare, the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. Celebrating his 10th anniversary season at The Public, Eustis has created new community-based initiatives designed to engage audiences like Public Lab, Public Studio, Public Forum, Public Works, and a remount of the Mobile Unit. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues-including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe's Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Unit, which tours Shakespearean productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City's five boroughs. The Public's wide range of programming includes free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company's dedication to making theater accessible to all; Public Works, an expanding initiative that is designed to cultivate new connections and new models of engagement with artists, audiences and the community each year; and audience and artist development initiatives that range from Emerging Writers Group and to the Public Forum series. The Public is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; and in October 2012 the landmark building downtown at Astor Place was revitalized to physically manifest the Company's core mission of sparking new dialogues and increasing accessibility for artists and audiences, by dramatically opening up the building to the street and community, and transforming the lobby into a public piazza for artists, students, and audiences. The Public is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning Fun Home and Lin-Manuel Miranda's acclaimed American musical Hamilton. The Public has received 59 Tony Awards, 168 Obie Awards, 53 Drama Desk Awards, 54 Lortel Awards, 32 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics Awards, and five Pulitzer Prizes. www.publictheater.org.

Photo Credit: James Higgins