Irish Rep New Works Series Presents Ken Urban's ABSENCE OF WEATHER 10/29

The Irish Repertory Theatre Company continues the fifth season of its NEW WORKS READING SERIES to support new plays and emerging playwrights, with a free staged reading of Ken Urban's THE ABSENCE OF WEATHER on Friday, October 29 at 3:00pm at the Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd Street). As part of its mission statement, the company "encourages the development of new works focusing on the Irish and Irish American experience, as well as a range of other cultures."

The cast of THE ABSENCE OF WEATHER includes Patrick Breen (NEXT FALL, CELEBRATION & THE ROOM); Louis Cancelmi (THIS, THE WOODEN BREEKS); Aysan Çelik (The Black Eyed, SPINNING THE TIMES); Dashiell Eaves (Becky Shaw, THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE); and Matt Letscher (THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE, THE RIVALS).

In THE ABSENCE OF WEATHER -- an American tragedy about the wages of fear -- it is May, 1949. James Forrestal, President Truman's Secretary of Defense, attempts suicide and his wife commits him to the Bethesda Naval Hospital. The architect of cold-war paranoia fears that Russians
have not only infiltrated the highest ranks of the U.S. government, but are hiding in the bushes outside his home. Forrestal confides in a fellow patient about his rise to power and the choices that he made to protect the country. But if a man makes choices he's not proud of, even if it's for the larger good, is that man still right?

Ken Urban's plays have been produced and developed at SPF@The Public, The Flea, Williamstown Theater Festival, Playwrights Horizons, New York Theater Workshop, The Huntington, Theatre of NOTE, The Lark, Open Circle Theater and Soho Rep. He is the winner of the 2008 Weissberger
Playwriting Award, the 2007 Huntington Playwriting Fellowship, the 2009 Writers' Room of Boston Emerging Writers Fellowship and two summer MacDowell Colony Fellowships. His plays are featured in the anthologies Plays and Playwrights 2002 and New York Theatre Review as well as numerous monologue collections. He teaches at Harvard University.

Irish Repertory Company's current hit, BANISHED CHILDREN OF EVE - a play by Kelly Younger, adapted from Peter Quinn's bestselling novel about Civil War in New York - was initially read as part of the 2009-2010 New Works Reading Series. Directed Ciarán O'Reilly, BANISHED CHILDREN OF EVE is presently running at Irish Repertory Theatre, through December 5.

Literary Manager Kara Manning hopes that the reading series will "give playwrights, both emerging and more established, the invaluable opportunity to develop their new work in a supportive, safe
environment and will also introduce some Irish playwrights, especially those who might not yet have the New York recognition they merit, to an American audience." The Irish Repertory Theatre's 2007 production of Stuart Carolan's DEFENDER OF THE FAITH was an alumnus of the 2006 New Works Reading Series.

Charlotte Moore is Artistic Director of the Irish Repertory Theatre Company; Ciarán O'Reilly is Producing Director.

The 2010-2011 New Works Reading Series is underwritten in part by Alexis Doyle, Patricia Smith, and the members of our Patron's Circle.

The NEW WORKS READING SERIES has upcoming readings on December 17 and January 29. There is no November, 2010 reading scheduled.

Tickets to the NEW WORK READING SERIES presentation of Ken Urban's THE ABSENCE OF WEATHER on Friday, October 29 at 3pm at Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd Street) are free and the reading is open to the public. Seating is limited. RSVP online at www.irishrep.org or by
calling The Irish Repertory Theatre Box Office at (212) 727-2737. For more information visit www.irishrep.org.

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