Irish Rep's Reading Series Continues With CHARLOTTE'S LETTERS, Starring Margo Seibert & More

The Irish Repertory Theatre, which "encourages the development of works focusing on the Irish and Irish-American experience, and produces works of other cultures interpreted through the lens of an Irish sensibility," continues the 10th season of the Irish Rep Reading Series. A staged reading of Jennifer O'Grady's play Charlotte's Letters will be held on Friday, January 29 at 3pm EST at the DR2 Theater, 103 East 15th Street (the Irish Repertory Theatre's temporary home during current renovations). The Irish Rep's literary manager, Kara Manning, will direct the reading. Tickets are free, and the event is open to the public. An RSVP to 212-727-2737 is suggested.

Charlotte's Letters intertwines novelist Charlotte Brontë's two years as a young woman at a girls' school in Brussels-where she became close to her married teacher and employer, Monsieur Heger-with her friend and biographer Mrs. Gaskell's struggle to salvage Charlotte's posthumous reputation and save her trailblazing novels. Linking the stories is the mystery of Charlotte's attraction to Heger, who encouraged her rare writing talent and that of her sister, Emily, while helping inspire scandalous books like Jane Eyre. Charlotte's Letters is a vividly theatrical and wryly humorous exploration of the boundaries between love and friendship and the making of art and identity.

Charlotte's Letters will be read by Bianca Amato (The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek, Macbeth), Colbie Minifie (Punk Rock, "Blue Angel"), Madeleine Rogers (Still, Arcadia at Juilliard), Margo Seibert (Rocky, The Undeniable Sound of Right Now) and David Christopher Wells (Mothers and Sons, The Coast of Utopia).

Jennifer O'Grady (Playwright) is an award-winning poet and playwright who was born and raised in New York City. Her other plays include Paranormal Love (Manhattan Theatre Works 2015 NewBorn Festival and a Finalist for the 2015 NEWvember New Plays Festival); Quasars, featured in The Best Women's Stage Monologues 2014 (Smith and Kraus) and Best Contemporary Monologues for Women 18-35 (Applause, 2014); and Juggling with Mr. Fields(nominated for The Kilroys List, 2015). Her ten-minute play Persephone was a Semifinalist for Little Fish Theatre's 2016 Pick of the Vine. Charlotte's Letters was shortlisted for Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company's (BETC's) 2015 Generations Award. Her poems have appeared in Harper's, The New Republic, The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor, American Poetry: The Next Generation and many other places, including her prizewinning book, White (Mid-List Press First Series Award for Poetry). She holds a BA from Vassar and an MFA from Columbia University and lives near New York City with her husband, son, and daughter. For more information: JenniferOGrady.net.

Kara Manning, Literary Manager, hopes that the reading series will "give playwrights, both emerging and more established, the invaluable opportunity to develop their new work in a supportive, safe environment and will also introduce some Irish playwrights, especially those who might not yet have the New York recognition they merit, to an American audience."

The Irish Repertory Theatre, founded by Ciarán O'Reilly and Charlotte Moore, opened its doors in September 1988 with Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars. The 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," and the Lucille Lortel Award for "Outstanding Body of Work," The Irish Rep has celebrated the very best in Irish theatre for over twenty years, from the masters to the new generation of Irish and Irish American writers who are transforming the stage. Nearly 38,000 audience members annually attend productions at our theatre located in the heart of New York's Off Broadway community. Once here, they witness The Irish Rep's engaging perspective on the Irish and their unique contributions to the world of drama.

The 2015-16 Irish Rep Reading Series is underwritten in part by members of our Patron's Circle.

The Irish Rep Reading Series readings are at 3 PM unless otherwise noted and during theater renovations are held at the DR2 Theater (103 East 15th Street).

Tickets are free and the reading is open to the public. Seating is limited. RSVP by calling The Irish Repertory Theatre Box Office at (212) 727-2737. For more information visit www.irishrep.org.

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