Irish Rep to Stage World Premiere of Larry Kirwan's REBEL IN THE SOUL

Irish Repertory Theatre will present the world premiere of REBEL IN THE SOUL, a new play by Larry Kirwan (Liverpool Fantasy). Directed by Charlotte Moore (Finian's Rainbow), REBEL IN THE SOUL begins performances on April 12, 2017 at Irish Rep Theatre (132 West 22nd Street) in the W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre and officially opens on April 18, running through May 24, 2017.

Dr. Noël Browne was elected to the Irish Parliament in the general election of 1948. Handsome, intense, arrogant, and unpredictable, he was only 33 years of age, with few political skills but a burning ambition to rid Ireland of the scourge of tuberculosis which had wiped out most of his family. Upon the introduction of his "Mother and Child Scheme", a plan to provide free post-natal care to women and all children under the age of 16, he quickly found himself at odds with the "Man of Destiny", party leader and ex-Irish Republican Army chief Seán McBride, and the ruthless, obsessive tactician, Archbishop of Dublin, Dr. John Charles McQuaid.

Larry Kirwan's REBEL IN THE SOUL closely examines the maneuvering of these three charismatic people and the ensuing crisis that brought down the government and changed Irish life forever.

Full casting and creative team for REBEL IN THE SOUL will be announced soon.

The performance schedule for REBEL IN THE SOUL is as follows: 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 matinee performance on Wednesday, April 19.

Tickets to REBEL IN THE SOUL are priced at $50.00, are general admission, and are on sale now through Irish Rep's box office by calling 212-727-2737, or online at www.irishrep.org.

Larry Kirwan (Playwright) was the leader of the Irish political rock band Black 47 for 25 years. A playwright and novelist, an Irish Echo columnist and host/producer of Celtic Crush on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, he has written 16 plays and musicals, three novels, a memoir, and A History of Irish Music. He is president of Irish American Writers and Artists.

Charlotte Moore (Director). Recent directing assignments include Finian's Rainbow, Da, Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory, and Juno and the Paycock. New York stage appearances include Major Barbara, A Perfect Ganesh, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Perfect Party, Morning's at Seven, Private Lives (with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton), and many performances with the New York Shakespeare Festival. Ms. Moore has directed all of the Annual Broadway Benefit Galas. She has received two Tony Award nominations, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, the Drama League Award, the Irish America Top 100 Irish Award, The Eugene O'Neill Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2008 Irish Women Of The Year Award. She is the recipient of the St. Patrick's Committee in Holyoke's John F. Kennedy National Award, and has thrice been listed as one of the "Top 50 Power Women" in Irish America Magazine. Charlotte was named "Director of the Year" by The Wall Street Journal in 2011.

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.