Irish Repertory Theatre to Host Memorial for Playwright Brian Friel Next Week

The Irish Repertory Theatre will honor the life and legacy of the great Irish playwright Brian Friel (January 9, 1929 - October 2, 2015) with a memorial celebration to be held on Monday, December 7th, 2015 at Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th Street, New York City. Doors will open at 3:30 PM and the celebration will begin at 4:00 PM. This event is open to the public but attendees must RSVP to friel@irishrep.org and indicate number of attendees.

The program will include remembrances and readings from colleagues and friends including Gabriel Byrne; Loretta Brennan Glucksman; Barry Grove; Gregory Harrington; Doug Hughes; Todd Haimes; Geraldine Hughes; Irish Consul General, Barbara Jones; John Keating; Emily Mann; Lynne Meadow; Charlotte Moore; Paul Muldoon; Ciaran O'Reilly; Bill Whelan; and more to be announced.

Brian Friel is widely recognized as one of the greatest contemporary dramatists writing in the English language. A prolific writer, who produced more than 30 plays in a career spanning six decades, his best-known works were Philadelphia, Here I Come! (1964), The Freedom of the City (1973), Aristocrats (1979) Faith Healer (1979), Translations (1980, 2007) Dancing at Lughnasa (1990) Molly Sweeney (1993), Give Me Your Answer Do (1997) and The Home Place (2005). In these and other plays he showed a fascination with pushing the boundaries of theatrical possibility.

Irish Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Charlotte Moore says, "Brian Friel was our hero. He was as generous as he was gifted and gave our company life and breath and golden words. Adds Irish Rep's Producing Director Ciarán O'Reilly, "In numerous collaborations over a quarter of a century, we have been honored to stage more of Brian's plays than any other author. Both the man and his work were one-of-a-kind. He will be missed."

Manhattan Theatre Club Artistic Director Lynne Meadow says, "Brian Friel, one of the great playwrights of the modern age, brought 20th century Ireland onto world stages, finding in Irish culture aspirations and experiences common to all mankind. I knew when I first read Translations in 1981 that it was the work of a genius, and MTC was honored to produce both the American premiere in 1981 and the Broadway premiere in 2007 as well as his brilliant Aristocrats in 1989. Brian was one of the great humanists and artists of our time who will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him."

The event is made possible by the generosity of the Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director, Barry Grove, Executive Producer.