Deirdre Kinahan's "Bogboy" won three major awards, including best production, at the closing ceremonies of the fourth annual 1st Irish Festival, on Monday October 3, at Papillon Bistro & Bar, 22 East 54th Street. The haunting drama about a heroin addict's unlikely friendship with a reclusive farmer also scored for Sorcha Fox who won best actress and Jo Mangan who was named best director. But it was "A Night with George," a comedy from Belfast, that proved to be the audience darling, snapping up the award for Best Play in online voting. The award for Best Play was presented by the actor Gabriel Byrne, Ireland's cultural ambassador.
1st Irish 2011, the first and only festival in the world dedicated to Irish playwrights, presented the work of 18 contemporary Irish playwrights, of which eight had full productions in-competition. Of the eight, four were from America and four were from Ireland, with six American premieres and one New York premiere. New York's Origin Theatre Company (George C. Heslin artistic director) hosts and coordinates 1st Irish, which began on September 5 and took place at venues across the city.
Darren Healy, who starred in the American premiere of "Noah and the Tower Flower," which came to New York courtesy of Fishamble based in Dublin, won the award for Best Actor. The award for top production design went to the designers of Mabou Mine's "Lucia's Chapter's of Coming Forth by Day" - Jim Clayburgh (set), Julie Archer (projections) and Carter Burwell (music).
The festival's jury of five notable writers and theatre professionals added a new category this year, Best Ensemble, to recognize the achievements of the cast of "Dublin by Lamplight." The commedia del arte-inspired vaudeville concoction came to New York from Inis Nua Theatre in Philadelphia. The Special Jury Prize for a unique contribution to the Festival went to "Cirque de Légume," the vegetable circus from Sligo.
Edged out of the winner's circle was the Mint Theater's highly acclaimed "Temporal Powers," which had the most nominations of any show in the festival, but which must console itself with a two-week extension that runs through next Sunday.
Each of the four productions from Ireland - all part of Imagine Ireland, Culture Ireland's year of Irish arts in America - tasted victory. "I'm absolutely thrilled the overseas companies have benefited so much from both performing and networking at 1st Irish," said George C. Heslin, artistic director of the New York-based Origin Theatre Company, which produces the festival. "This year is yet another amazing example of how the Festival continues to be a gateway to North America for contemporary Irish playwrights." (Best Play winner "A Night with George" is from Brassneck Theatre Co. in West Belfast, and the Best Production winner, chosen by the jury -- "Bogboy" -- comes from Tall Tales of Navan).
The list of nominees is as follows: Best actress - Ruth Maleczech ("Lucia's Chapters"); Sorcha Fox ("Bogboy"); Donna O'Connor ("A Night With George"). Best actor - Steve Blount ("Bogboy"), Aidan Redmond ("Temporal Powers"); Darren Healy ("Noah and the Tower Flower"). Best Director - Jo Mangan ("Bogboy"); Jim Culleton ("Noah and the Tower Flower"); Jonathan Bank ("Temporal Powers"). Best Design - "Temporal Powers;" "Lucia's Chapters of Coming Forth by Day;" "Dublin by Lamplight." Best production - "Temporal Powers;" "Bogboy;" "Noah and the Tower Flower."
Serving on the 1st Irish 2011 jury were Jacqueline Davis, the executive director of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts; Playbill's Harry Haun; film and theatre critic and historian Bernard Carragher; the Irish theatre columnist Kate Kennon, and Sean Noonan, an executive at Mutual of America, where he serves as liaison to New York's professional theatre. The Awards Ceremony was coordinated by Ciaran Grant.
This year 1st Irish welcomed it newest title sponsor, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, which joins these other vital festival sponsors: the Irish Government, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht; the Northern Ireland Bureau; the Irish Consulate NY; Tourism Ireland; the Irish Arts Council - An Chomhairle Ealaíon; Imagine Ireland, Culture Ireland's year of Irish arts in America; the American Ireland Fund; Mutual of America; The Irish Examiner; McVicker & Higginbotham; NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and the NY State Council for the Arts.
For festival information and to learn more about the productions, visit
www.1stIrish.org
