McDonagh's THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN to Play at Annenberg Center, 5/19 - 22

The six-month-long Philadelphia Irish Theatre Festival draws to a close this weekend as the Annenberg Center of the Performing Arts presents Martin McDonagh's THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN. The plays tells the  tale of an eccentric rural space changed by a Hollywood film crew in the 1930s. The 41-year-old London-born Irish playwright, known for funny, savage texts like The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Lonesome West and The Pillowman (all Tony Award nominees), has had three plays in this Philly festival alone. This time, McDonagh collaborated with Ireland's Druid Theatre of Galway, which has premiered three of McDonagh's plays since the troupe started in 1975.  The Annenberg run is the first time the Irish company has performed in Philadelphia.  

"I made a brief trip to Philly in March with Garry to take part in a panel discussion on Druid and Cripple... in a room full of Philly's theater community," Druid's general manager Tim Smith tells citypaper.net. "All I can say is, wow, what energy," 

Druid's principal mission is to make adventurous theater all over the globe. Whether in the rural setting of Galway or other far-reaching locations. Says Smith, "Our founders believed that audiences should not be denied access to professional theater because of their geographical location."

For Cripple, Druid is teaming up with New York's Atlantic Theater Co. Both troupes have a history of staging McDonagh's work, so it seemed natural to collaborate. Smith believes McDonagh's works offer audiences a humorous, unique experience. "... the plays he writes concern modern characters. You're seeing an invention, you're seeing a story being told, but that story is essentially revealing something about us as people, and I think that's why the reaction to his work is so instant - and why it's so universal."

THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN is playing at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts at 3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia.

For more information, please visit:  annenbergcenter.org

 

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