Irish Theatre of Chicago to Launch 2016-17 with THE WEIR This Winter

Irish Theatre of Chicago will launch its 2016-17 Season with Conor McPherson's haunting and humorous Irish classic THE WEIR, directed by Siiri Scott, who helmed last season's critically acclaimed one-woman show My Brilliant Divorce.

THE WEIR will play December 15, 2016 - January 22, 2017 at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.irishtheatreofchicago.org. The press opening is Friday, December 16 at 7:30 pm.

THE WEIR features ensemble members Brad Armacost*, Jeff Christian*, Dan Waller* and Sarah Wellington*, with guest artist Brad Smith.

An enigmatic young woman from Dublin finds herself the center of attention at a local pub. Pints in hand, the local barflies recount ghostly yarns of the supernatural to impress and entertain her, but it is the visitor herself who relates the most unsettling story of all. McPherson wrote the hauntingly beautiful and humorous play The Weir at the age of 26, winning the Olivier Award for Best New Play, and the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright.

The production team for THE WEIR includes: Merje Veski* (scenic design), Aly Renee Amidei (costume design), Cat Wilson (lighting design), Joe Court (sound design) and Jen Bukovsky (stage manager).

Conor McPherson (Playwright) is one of Ireland's premier contemporary playwrights, currently produced worldwide, in London's West End and on Broadway to both critical and audience acclaim. His other plays include The Veil (premiered at the Royal National Theatre October 2011, directed by the author), Shining City, The Seafarer, Port Authority, St. Nicholas, Dublin Carol and The Night Alive.

Siiri Scott (Director) most recently directed ITC's critically acclaimed production of the one-woman show My Brilliant Divorce last season, which garnered a Jeff Nomination for Best Solo Performance for the star of the show, ensemble member Barbara Figgins. Ms. Scott is the Head of Acting and Directing at the University of Notre Dame in the Department of Film, Television and Theatre, where she has taught acting, voice and movement and directed shows for the last 18 years. She currently focuses on preparing students for professional training. She worked with the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival for six years, both as an actor (Queen in Cymbeline) and as their voice and dialect coach. Recently Siiri moved back to Chicago to continue her professional work and commutes back to Notre Dame to teach. A graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul, she has worked locally with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and Lifeline Theatre and hosted the KidsWB Network for WCIU. Regional work includes a stint in Los Angeles where she appeared on City of Angels; Milwaukee, where she performed in The Kentucky Cycle and co-directed Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry; and Seattle, where she worked with Theatre Babylon, Book-it Repertory Theatre and Seattle Children's Theatre. In 2009 she joined Theatre Nohgaku, an international Noh theatre company, as a performing member.

Irish Theatre of Chicago (formerly Seanachaí Theatre Company) is supported in part by The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council and The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs: City Arts Program.

Pictured: The cast of Irish Theatre of Chicago's production of THE WEIR (left to right) ensemble members Brad Armacost, Jeff Christian, Dan Waller and Sarah Wellington with guest artist Brad Smith.

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