Irish Arts Center Unveils Exciting Lineup for Fall 2023 Season

Irish Arts Center (IAC), based in New York City and renowned for presenting dynamic, inspiring, collaborative experiences of the evolving arts and culture of Ireland and Irish America in an environment of warm Irish hospitality, announces its Fall 2023 season. Drawing on the organization’s many dual interests and strengths—vanguardism and tradition, art that challenges as well as comforts, the history and future of Irish art—IAC makes use of the many corners of its state-of-the-art new building to offer experiences both intimate and expansive. 

Among the season’s long awaited highlights is the completion of a trilogy of solo works by acclaimed theatre artist Mikel Murfi, presented in rotating repertory. Following the Center’s large-scale hit musical Good Vibrations, with a 12-person cast of singer-actor-musicians, which concluded a five-week sellout run last Sunday, the Murfi plays showcase the new Center’s flexibility to provide New York audiences with profoundly intimate theatre work performed by some of Ireland’s most virtuosic and entertaining actors.

The season’s many programs—also including 40+ classes both in person and online, monthly café concerts, and more—invite and engage with the abundant Irish hospitality for which the organization has become known, and which it has held as a key tenet as it has grown into a vital, bustling hub for international artistry. Fall 2023 showcases IAC’s multidisciplinary and kaleidoscopic vision of a vast, rich, ever-changing and always-growing artistic legacy. See full programming schedule and descriptions in the section below. 

As the organization’s new theater continues to allow IAC to expand what’s possible as a presenting organization, this season welcomes back Murfi to likewise challenge expectations as he animates a town in County Sligo with just his body and voice. The Man in the Woman’s Shoes and I Hear You and Rejoice, the first two works in his trilogy centering the life of small-town cobbler Pat Farnon, both made their acclaimed, New York Times Critic’s Pick U.S. premieres at Irish Arts Center. This season, he returns to present both works alongside the U.S. premiere of The Mysterious Case of Kitsy Rainey, the final installment in the trilogy (October 24–November 18). The New York Times praised the “inexhaustibly multifarious writer, director and sole performer” for “body language as precise, condensed and evocative as Morse code” in his works “in which an entire town is summoned into being.” 

Seán Curran Company and Darrah Carr Dance’s Céilí, featuring a score of live contemporary folk and traditional music by Dana Lyn and Kyle Sanna, speaks to the core of IAC, as it takes a bold, contemporary choreographic approach to the titular Irish social dance tradition. Commissioned by IAC, it premiered in the new building in September 2022. The work returns this season, December 14–17, following its further outing at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival this summer, offering audiences another experience of the thrill of the collisions of forms and collaborative artistic visions IAC sparks in the lead-up to the winter holidays.

Numerous events convene illustrious artists from various fields and parts of the world at IAC. Women of Note, curated by Aoife Scott, gathers accomplished women artists working in Irish trad, folk, and roots with their international counterparts for two exhilarating concerts (October 11–12; artists include Aoife Scott, Altan’s Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, and Lumbee/Tuscarora singer-songwriter Charly Lowry). The 14th Annual PoetryFest (December 1–3), curated by Nick Laird, “brings together writers from both sides of the Atlantic to discuss, read from and generally cheer on the enduring poetic community of Ireland” (Time Out New York). IAC’s beloved series Muldoon’s Picnic, curated by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and songwriter Paul Muldoon, is a lively salon, each time inviting new influential voices in music, literature, theatre, and more into performance, reading, conversation, song, and whatever else might arise (September 11, October 30, November 13). Some of this season’s guests include legendary actor and clown Bill Irwin, author Louise Kennedy, and Alex Edelman, whose stand-up comedy show Just for Us is currently on Broadway.

IAC has long been a hub for the exchange of ideas through its literary events and talks—deepening readers’ relationships to writers’ work and allowing for the critical conversations within their texts to leap off the page. Man Booker Prize-winning author Anne Enright will celebrate the publication of her latest novel, The Wren, the Wren—praised in Publisher’s Weekly for its “prose [that] fizzes with wit and bite”—with a party in the cozy Devlin Café at Irish Arts Center, featuring a reading and Q&A (September 28). Acclaimed Irish Times columnist and We Don’t Know Ourselves author Fintan O’Toole presents a special public lecture, Q&A, reception, and book signing, surrounding the probing questions he’s asked about contemporary Irish identity (November 6). 

At IAC, discussion grows from many forms: while numerous events create discourse and community around literature, film—namely, the 2023 Academy, BAFTA, and IFTA Award-winning short An Irish Goodbye—also becomes a jumping-off point for rich conversation. On October 18, IAC will screen the film, with audiences getting to hear from actor James Martin and directors and writers Tom Berkeley and Ross White in a post-screening talkback. 

As its studios are filled with classes, its theater morphs to create the perfect atmosphere for countless performances, and its cafe bustles with song and conversation, the new Irish Arts Center’s walls also teem with art. Throughout the season, IAC will be home to two exhibits of works by Belfast-born artist Colin Davidson, curated by Kim Mawhinney. Installed in the flexible theatre is Silent Testimony, the large-scale portrait series that reveals the stories of eighteen people who are connected by their individual experiences of loss through the Troubles – a turbulent 30-year period in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s onwards (September 16–October 8). Selected Paintings and Drawings (September 16–December 17) includes new work from Davidson, one of Northern Ireland’s most accomplished artists. In conjunction with these exhibitions, IAC will unveil a newly commissioned Davidson creation to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement: a portrait of Senator George Mitchell, the special envoy to Northern Ireland who co-chaired the talks leading to the historic peace agreement.  The Irish Arts Center commission of Senator Mitchell’s portrait is made possible by Robert J. McCann and Kea Capel, and Loretta Brennan Glucksman.

The Autumn season at Irish Arts Center is made possible through major seasonwide support from Culture Ireland, the agency of the Irish government under MInister Catherine Martin supporting the export of Irish arts and culture around the world; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; Howard Gilman Foundation; the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation; and supporting season partner Tourism Ireland.  Support for the Irish Arts Center Access ticket program, where a supply of premium tickets for every program and performance is capped at a price of $25, is provided by the Genworth Foundation.

Irish Arts Center Fall 2023 Programming

[LITERATURE AND HUMANITIES]

Muldoon’s Picnic

September 11

The Kennedys, rock duo 

Lucy Caldwell, author 

Alex Edelman, comedian (Just For Us) 

October 30

Bill Irwin, performer, theater maker

Amy Rigby, singer-songwriter 

More to be announced 

November 13

Laura Cantrell, singer-songwriter 

Louise Kennedy, author 

Elaine Equi, poet

A rotating roster of world class poets, writers, and musicians convene in this delightfully unpredictable artistic feast curated by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and songwriter Paul Muldoon, and featuring house band Rogue Oliphant (Chris Harford, guitar and vocals; Ray Kubian, drums and vocals; David Mansfield, guitar; Cáit O’Riordan, bass and vocals; and Warren Zanes, guitar and vocals).

[VISUAL ART]

Colin Davidson 

Silent Testimony and Selected Painting and Drawings, Curated by Kim Mawhinney

Silent Testimony 

September 16–October 8

An exhibition of large-scale portrait paintings by the renowned Belfast- born artist Colin Davidson, Silent Testimony reveals the stories of eighteen people who are connected by their individual experiences of loss through the Troubles. This exploration of common humanity is a powerful response to a conflict that has had, and continues to have, a profound impact on thousands of individuals— the injured and killed, their families, and the wider community.

Selected Paintings and Drawings

September 16–December 17

Irish Arts Center will be showing a curated selection of Davidson’s more recent work. From his portraits of some of Ireland’s cultural heroes or figure life paintings to urban interpretations of his home city, Belfast, this exhibition gives background to some of the themes that have dominated the celebrated artist’s practice for decades.

[LITERATURE & HUMANITIES]

Anne Enright: The Wren, the Wren Book Party

September 28

IAC celebrates the latest novel by Anne Enright, one of Ireland’s most renowned writers, with a party in the Devlin Café at Irish Arts Center. The evening will feature a reading from The Wren, the Wren, a story of three generations of women contending with the inheritance of trauma, wonder and love, followed by a Q&A with the Man Booker Prize-winning author, and the Cafe’s signature food and drink.

[MUSIC]

Big City Folk Song Club

Curated by Niall Connolly

September 29, October 13, December 8

For more than 16 years, Big City Folk Song Club has offered New Yorkers up-close performances from musicians including Lana Del Rey, Anaïs Mitchell, Lucius, Mundy, Mick Flannery, Susan O' Neill, and hundreds more. Founder, curator, and “not-to-be-missed songsmith” (Chicago Tribune) Niall Connolly brings another season of this free series to IAC. 

[MUSIC]

Women of Note

A Celebration of Women in Trad, Folk and Roots Music

Curated by Aoife Scott

October 11–12

Women artists from the worlds of Irish trad, folk, and roots join their international counterparts for a New York showcase of a TradFest Temple Bar institution. This performance will feature series founder and curator Aoife Scott, Altan’s Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, and Lumbee/Tuscarora singer-songwriter Charly Lowry.

[MUSIC]

Traditional Irish Sessions

Curated by Anna |UnwinColliton 

September 22, October 27, November 17, December 15

Renowned bodhrán player Anna |UnwinColliton curates this season's series, inviting a cast of local trad luminaries into rousing sessions in  the Devlin Café at Irish Arts Center, with food and beverage by Ardesia Wine Bar. On select dates, veteran IAC fiddle teacher James Cleveland leads beginners in a slow session to kick off the evening. 

[FILM]

An Irish Goodbye

Wednesday, October 18

Winner: Best Short Film, 2023 Academy Awards, 2023 BAFTA Film Awards, 2023 IFTA Awards

On a farm in rural Northern Ireland, estranged brothers Turlough and Lorcan are forced to reunite following the untimely death of their mother. But when the pair discover an unfulfilled bucket list belonging to their late mum, their pained reunion takes an altogether different course.

Event features actor James Martin and directors and writers Tom Berkeley and Ross White, including screening*, talkback, and reception.

*Runtime: 23 minutes

[THEATRE]

Mikel Murfi Trilogy

The Man in the Woman's Shoes

I Hear You and Rejoice

The Mysterious Case of Kitsy Rainey (U.S. Premiere)

Written and performed by Mikel Murfi 

From Loco & Reckless Productions

October 24–November 18

Following his critically-acclaimed one-man shows The Man in the Woman’s Shoes (IAC, 2015) and I Hear You and Rejoice (IAC, 2018) comes the premiere of Mikel Murfi's The Mysterious Case of Kitsy Rainey, completing the masterpiece trilogy chronicling his beloved Sligo through the wanderings of small town cobbler Pat Farnon.

Each story stands on its own, or take the journey with Pat and see all three.

The Mysterious Case of Kitsy Rainey

Having married in his later years, Pat finally decides to "lift the lid” on the life lived by his Kitsy prior to their union, all while facing down his own reckoning.

Tender, heartfelt, and joyously funny, The Mysterious Case of Kitsy Rainey completes Pat Farnon’s journey in a most unexpected way. U.S. premiere.

The Man in the Woman's Shoes

Meet Pat

Just outside of town, cobbler Pat Farnon lives on his own, contentedly aging in the cottage in which he was reared. Join him as he walks the five miles into his “metropolis,” populated with no-necked water diviners, sporting savants, loudmouths, and preachers.

"Astonishing...this is a high-top performance"—New York Times Critic’s Pick

I Hear You and Rejoice

Meet Kitsy

“Once in a lifetime, a woman the likes of Kitsy comes along and when she does, the universe has to expand to accommodate her.”

From the football field to the chapel floor, Kitsy always has the final word. By turns moving and hilarious, her friends and neighbors celebrate the impact Rainey has made on her community.

“It’s impossible to resist the gale theatrical force as Mr. Murfi presents his heroine through a multi-angled prism, with body language as precise, condensed and evocative as Morse code”—New York Times Critic’s Pick

[FAMILY & COMMUNITY]

An Irish Halloween / Oíche Shamhna 2023

October 29

At this year’s Oíche Shamhna, IAC invites participants to come on a trick-or-treat adventure, play age-old Irish Halloween games, make arts and crafts, and enjoy spooky performances in the organization’s theatre.

[LITERATURE & HUMANITIES]

What’s Irish Now?

An Evening with Fintan O'Toole

November 6

Ireland has changed at a dizzying pace. Many of the old touchstones of Irish culture—rural folkways, powerful religious identities, a strong sense of being oppressed and marginalized—have lost their grip. Yet, for Irish people both at home and in the diaspora, the idea of belonging to a common culture still has a powerful meaning. What is that meaning? Do we need to have a single answer? How does tradition shape our sense of ourselves in a transformed world? And why do spaces like Irish Arts Center matter?

One of the world's most admired columnists and critics, Fintan O'Toole, author of We Don't Know Ourselves, returns to IAC for a special public lecture and Q&A. Reception and book signing to follow. 

"A rich, nuanced picture of Irish life" — The Guardian on We Don’t Know Ourselves 

[LITERATURE & HUMANITIES]

14th Annual PoetryFest 

Curated by Nick Laird

December 1–3

A step away from the din of Midtown—and a haven from devices and other distractions— PoetryFest sets its own pace for an exchange of emotions and ideas through the words of bards from both sides of the Atlantic. In this engaging “literary revelry” (New Yorker) curated by Nick Laird, we configure our flexible theatre into its most intimate setting for readings and conversations that celebrate the poet’s capacity to sculpt words into breathtaking visions of our world.

2023 festival participants include Sara Berkeley, Elisa Gonzalez, Thomas McCarthy, Mary Noonan, Padraig Regan, Tom Sleigh, and others TBA.

"PoetryFest brings together writers from both sides of the Atlantic to discuss, read from and generally cheer on the enduring poetic community of Ireland" — Time Out New York

[DANCE]

Céilí: Seán Curran Company and Darrah Carr Dance

December 14–17

Commissioned and produced by Irish Arts Center for our opening season, Céilí merged contemporary choreography with Irish tradition for a joyful new interpretation of Irish social dance. Seán Curran and Darrah Carr now bring their collaborative vision and ensemble back to IAC to close out the year with a reprise of this sold out celebration.

Score and live music by “top-notch fiddle-and-guitar duo” (New York Times) Dana Lyn & Kyle Sanna.

“A joyous reunion of companies, movement vocabularies, performers, and audiences” — Dance Enthusiast 

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