Irish Rep And Fishamble Announce Inaugural Readings For 2022-23 Transatlantic Commissions Program

Irish Repertory Theatre (Charlotte Moore, Artistic Director and Ciarán O'Reilly, Producing Director) and Fishamble: The New Play Company (Jim Culleton, Artistic Director) announced today the inaugural readings for their first collaboration, the 2022-23 Transatlantic Commissions Program, an endeavor that aims to address head-on the historical inequalities in representation that have existed in the theatrical canon.

Together, Fishamble and Irish Rep commissioned four Black Irish artists and writers of color to work with a mentor over the past year to create new works that will be workshopped and presented in public readings by Fishamble in Dublin, Ireland and Irish Rep in New York City this spring.

The inaugural cohort is comprised of Felispeaks, Kwaku Fortune, Jade Jordan and CN Smith. These writers have spent the past year working under the mentorship of the Obie Award-winning playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith (Yellowman, Until the Flood).

The New York readings will take place at Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd St) on Monday March 20 and Tuesday March 21, 2023 at 7pm. The readings are free, with advance registration required at irishrep.org. Additional readings will take place in Dublin at The Project Arts Center on Wednesday March 15, 2023; in San Francisco at The Public Library on Thursday March 23, 2023; and in Los Angeles at The Public Library on Sunday March 26, 2023.

The New York cast will include Alana Raquel Bowers (What to Send Up When It Goes Down), Roger Casey (CasablancaBOX), Felispeaks (Wake) and Aida Leventaki (Belfast Girls).

The Dublin cast will feature Siobhán Callaghan ("Vikings: Valhalla"), Felispeaks, Kwaku Fortune ("Normal People"), Clinton Liberty ("Normal People"), Esther Ayo James (Wallpaper) and Jade Jordan ("The Catch"). Casting for the San Francisco and Los Angeles readings will be announced at a later date.

Fishamble and Irish Rep are proud to foster a supportive creative environment for this cohort, and to promote and celebrate under-represented voices in Irish theatre.

This commission was supported in part by Colleen Murphy and Culture Ireland.

Fishamble discovers, develops and produces new plays of national importance with a global reach. It has toured its productions to audiences throughout Ireland, and to 19 other countries. It champions the role of the playwright, typically supporting over 50% of the writers of all new plays produced on the island of Ireland each year. Fishamble has received many awards in Ireland and internationally, including an Olivier Award.

Fishamble is funded by the Arts Council, Dublin City Council, and Culture Ireland.

IRISH REPERTORY THEATRE, co-founded by Producing Director Ciarán O'Reilly and Artistic Director Charlotte Moore, is now in its 33rd season after first opening its doors in September 1988 with Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars. Irish Rep is currently the only year-round theatre company in New York City devoted to bringing Irish and Irish American works to the stage. Recognized with the Jujamcyn Theatres Award, a special Drama Desk Award for "Excellence in Presenting Distinguished Irish Drama," an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Achievement, and the Lucille Lortel Award for "Outstanding Body of Work," Irish Rep celebrates the very best in Irish theatre, from the masters to the new generation of Irish and Irish American writers who are transforming the stage. Nearly 50,000 audience members annually attend productions at Irish Rep's theatre located in the heart of New York's Off-Broadway community. Once here, they witness Irish Rep's engaging perspective on the Irish and their unique contributions to the world of drama.

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