Irish Rep Announces New MEET THE MAKERS Conversations and Schedule Changes to Summer Season

Irish Repertory Theatre announced today upcoming editions of their online series Meet the Makers. A digital series of conversations with scholars and Irish Rep artists discussing their work and theatre in general, Meet the Makers offers a behind-the-scenes look at Irish history, theatre and the creative process. Episodes are released on the first and third Thursdays of each month throughout the COVID-19 hiatus. The current lineup is below, with additional programming to be released in the weeks that follow. Follow the hashtags #IRTMeettheMakers and #IrishRepOnline for Meet the Makers updates and new videos. All videos will also live on Irish Rep's website: www.irishrep.org/meetthemakers.

MEET THE MAKERS:

Thursday June 18

Meet the Maker: Frank McCourt... and How He Got That Way-A Conversation with Ellen McCourt and Malachy McCourt

Irish Rep looks back on the life and work of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angela's Ashes and 'Tis, the late Frank McCourt. McCourt was an Irish Repertory Theatre actor, playwright (The Irish...and How They Got That Way) and board member since the company's founding. In this special Meet the Makers episode, Ellen McCourt and Malachy McCourt, Frank McCourt's widow and brother, respectively, remember Frank in advance of Irish Rep's digital fundraiser, The Irish (Rep)... and How We Got That Way,

Thursday July 2

Meet the Makers: Conor McPherson

Acclaimed Irish playwright Conor McPherson (Girl from the North Country) speaks with Irish Rep Artistic Director Charlotte Moore and Producing Director Ciarán O'Reilly about playwriting, creativity, coronavirus and more.

Thursday July 16

Meet the Makers: John Douglas Thompson and Obi Abili on Breaking Barriers in Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones

Eugene O'Neill evolved as the first major American playwright to address the problem of racism in the United States. He despised the discrepancies between the image America projected - a democracy based on equality and justice for all - and what he really saw as a racially divided land of gross inequality. At Irish Repertory Theatre, John Douglas Thompson and Obi Abili both memorably played the title role in O'Neill's provocative and controversial play The Emperor Jones in separate productions. With director Ciarán O'Reilly, they discuss the complexities of exploring this 1920 play that exposed the painful truths that America is still grappling with 100 years later.

Irish Rep has also announced schedule updates to its Digital Summer Season.

Irish Rep will now host its special online celebration-The Irish (Rep)... and How We Got That Way: A Celebration of Endurance and Perseverance Through Hard Times on Monday, July 13 at 7PM EST. The evening will feature a special screening of selections from the 1998 Irish Rep World Premiere production of The Irish... and How They Got That Way by Pulitzer Prize winner Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes, 'Tis, Teacher Man) and conversations with Irish Rep co-founders Charlotte Moore and Ciarán O'Reilly, Irish Rep Board Chair Kathleen Begala, Frank McCourt's widow and Irish Rep Board Chair emerita Ellen McCourt, and Frank McCourt's brother Malachy McCourt. The video will then be available to stream through July 19.

The Irish... and How They Got That Way is an irreverent history of the Irish through the tumultuous 20th and 21st centuries through the eyes of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt. His razor sharp wit, coupled with his trademark bitter irony and his boundless love for the Irish People are all underscored by glorious music extending all the way from the auld Irish folk ballades; through George M. Cohan's patriotic love songs to America; to World War II standards sung in movies, USOs and foxholes all over the world, including the latest from contemporary Ireland's most well-known artists.

The cast of the 1998 production included Terry Donnelly (Lady G), Bob Green (Prophets and Heroes), Rusty Magee (Hannah and Her Sisters), Ciarán O'Reilly (Molly Sweeney), Ciarán Sheehan (Finian's Rainbow) and Marian Tomas Griffin ("As the World Turns").

The 1998 production featured scenic design by Shawn Lewis, lighting design by Dan Walker, costume design by David Toser and choreography by Alexia Hess Sheehan.

This celebration is a special fundraiser in place of Irish Rep's annual gala, which was originally scheduled for June 8. At 6PM on July 13, Irish Repertory Theatre will host a private Zoom pre-show reception for VIP guests and supporters featuring a live performance by Ciarán Sheehan and live conversations with the cast and creatives. VIP pre-event tickets start at $500 are available now at irishrep.org.

The Irish (Rep)...and How We Got That Way will premiere to the public on Irish Rep's YouTube channel.

Irish Rep's A Performance on Screen production of Love, Noël: The Songs and Letters of Noël Coward, previously scheduled for August 18-22, 2020, will now take place one week earlier, from August 11-15, 2020. Love, Noël: The Songs and Letters of Noël Coward is written and devised by Barry Day, directed by Charlotte Moore, and stars Steve Ross and KT Sullivan. Scenic design is by James Morgan (On A Clear Day You Can See Forever).

Get to know the life and times of one of the 20th century's most dynamic creative icons - Noël Coward - through this intimate performance in which Steve Ross and KT Sullivan transform into some of the many characters that made up Coward's unique life...Gertrude Lawrence, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Elaine Stritch, Lynn Fontanne, Virginia Woolf, Edna Ferber, the Queen Mother and, of course, The Master himself, Noël Coward. Through Coward's songs, stories and personal letters, cabaret legends Ross and Sullivan will summon up timeless memories of an era that may be gone but is never to be forgotten.

Performances will take place on Tuesday August 11 at 7pm; Wednesday August 12 at 3pm and 8pm; Thursday August 13 at 7pm; Friday August 14 at 8pm; and Saturday August 15 at 3pm. Reservations are now open to Irish Rep members and will open to the public on Monday July 27.

Love, Noël is the final Performance on Screen in Irish Rep's 2020 Online Summer Season. From June 16 - 20, 2020, Irish Rep will present Yes! Reflections of Molly Bloom, adapted for the stage by Aedín Moloney and Colum McCann from the novel Ulysses by James Joyce. Yes! Reflections of Molly Bloom stars Aedín Moloney and features music by Paddy Moloney. The season will continue with The Weir by Conor McPherson, directed by Ciarán O'Reilly. Starring Dan Butler, Sean Gormley, John Keating, Amanda Quaid and Tim Ruddy, The Weir will be presented July 21 - 25, 2020.

To view a performance, audience members must register at IrishRep.org for one of the performance dates. A link will be sent to all registrants two hours before the performance begins. Irish Rep is committed to making theatre that is affordable and accessible. In pursuit of this goal, Irish Rep has chosen to make A Performance on Screen events free to the public, with a suggested donation of $25. All contributions will help ensure that Irish Rep can continue to offer top-quality digital events, keep staff employed and be artistically and financially ready to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.

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