Dervla Kirwan Stars as 'Valerie' in Donmar Warehouse's THE WEIR, Opening Tonight

Dervla Kirwan stars as 'Valerie' in Donmar Warehouse's revival of Conor McPherson's The Weir, directed by Josie Rourke. Kirwan is joined by Brian Cox, Peter McDonald, Risteard Cooper and Ardal O'Hanlon. The show will open tonight, April 18, 2013.

The Weir follows four friends in a rural Irish pub who are joined by Valerie, a newcomer who, as Kirwan tells the Mail, is "an incredibly wonderful mixture of intense fragility and great courage".

The Weir, slated to run through June 8, won the Evening Standard, Critics' Circle and Olivier Award for Best New Play in its 1997 premiere and established McPherson's place as one of our greatest living playwrights. Josie Rourke's production marks the first major London revival of this modern classic.

The Donmar Warehouse is a 250-seat subsidised (not for profit) theatre located in the heart of London's West End which under the artistic leadership of Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and now Josie Rourke has a reputation as one of the UK's leading producing theatres. It has presented some of London's most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical acclaim at home and abroad.

Kirwan is currently filming for the movie Silent Hour. She is known for her roles on television in Ballykissangel and Goodnight Sweetheart, as well as Troubles, The Lilac Bus, Casualty, and more.

One of Kirwan's first stage roles was 'Linda' in A Handful of Stars at the Bush Theatre in London, where she starred in Billy Roche's Wexford Trilogy. Other theatre credits include Water Music at Cockpit Theatre, Hush at the Royal Court, An Absolute Turkey at the Globe in London, Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Bristol Old Vic, Aristocrats and Exiles at The National Theatre, Betrayal at Donmar Warehouse, Uncle Vanya at the Chichester Festival and many more.

Pictured: Dervla Kirwan at James Joyce's Exiles in London, 2006. Photo by Nigel Norrington/Camera Press/Retna Ltd.

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