14th Annual 1st Irish Festival: Irish History, Fantasy, & Reality on Stage

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Parent Category: Other Festivals

Category: Theater

Published on Friday, 07 January 2022 10:28

Written by Brad Balfour

Encompassing Irish theater and cinema, the 1st Irish Festival runs January 9th to the 31st, 2022. The festival is put on by the Origin Theatre Company, which promotes European theater in New York. The festival is held online as well as at the Irish Arts Center (726 11th Ave, New York, NY 10019) and other locations.

Bloody Sunday: Scenes from the Saville Enquiry is a reading of a play based on direct testimony, marking the 50th anniversary of this seismic turning point in the history of Northern Ireland.  Rising, a film by Fallen Angel Theatre’s Aedín Moloney, was shot during COVID and contemplates the question, “what does rising from the dark into the light mean to you right now?” 

Boann and the Well of Wisdom is a more modern spin on an Irish myth as a young girl contemplates what to do with her family’s pub she stands to inherit. In A Bolt from D’Blue (in his New York acting debut) at 1st Irish, David Gilna recounts his electrifying story of being hit by lightning on a beautiful sunny day in Boston. Performed at the Irish Rep, A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing, based on Eimear McBride’s highly acclaimed novel, stars Jenn Murray following the inner narrative of a girl from birth to the age of 20, as she navigates the crushing Catholicism and hardship of her childhood with astonishing intelligence.

For those looking to mingle but unable to come to the theater, there’s  Origin's 2nd, "1st Irish" Zoom mixer. An opportunity to connect with artists from Newry to New York. This free event will take a look at "Working from Home". It is hosted by Vivant Global Talent Development manager Christine McKenna-Tirella & AboutFace Ireland Co-Artistic Director Anna Nugent.

To learn more, go to: https://www.origintheatre.org/

1st Irish Festival
January 9 - 31, 2022

Various Locations & Online