Kate Mulgrew to Star in THE BEACON at Irish Repertory Theatre

Irish Repertory Theatre revealed the first two productions of their Fall 2024 Season.
 
Irish Rep will present the North American Premiere of The Beacon, a new play by Nancy Harris (The Dry, BAFTA writing nomination 2023), directed by Marc Atkinson Borrull (Little Gem). The Beacon will star Kate Mulgrew and will begin previews September 11, 2024, with an opening night set for September 22, for a limited run through November 3, 2024, on Irish Rep’s Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage.
 
Additionally, Irish Repertory Theatre and Dot Dot Productions (Nina Korelitz Matza and Jean Hanff Korelitz), in association with The American Irish Historical Society will present the long-awaited return of The Dead, 1904 - an immersive adaptation of James Joyce’s classic story, “The Dead,” adapted by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Irish poet Paul Muldoon (Joy in Service on Rue Tagore) and novelist Jean Hanff Korelitz (The Plot, The Latecomer, HBO's “The Undoing”). Directed by Irish Rep co-founder Ciarán O’Reilly (Philadelphia, Here I Come!), previews begin November 20, 2024, at The American Irish Historical Society (991 Fifth Avenue), with an opening night set for November 26, for a limited run through January 5, 2025. 
 

THE BEACON

On the Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage
By Nancy Harris
Directed by Marc Atkinson Borrull
Starring Kate Mulgrew
Previews Begin September 11, 2024
Opening Night set for September 22, 2024
Limited Run through November 3, 2024
 
A tragic accident, a dead husband; accusations resurfaced by a true crime podcast. Everyone will have a different interpretation. When you look at it, what do you see?
 
Beiv, a renowned artist, has left her suburban Dublin home for a secluded cottage on a rugged island off the coast of West Cork, Ireland. Here, there is no escaping the rumors of her shadowy past, and Beiv lets everyone see right in. Her relative peace is disrupted when her estranged son, Colm, returns home with his new wife, searching for answers about his father’s mysterious death. Prying into the past comes with a cost, however, and returning to the island will leave some people searching for a light – and others avoiding its glare.
 
Commissioned by Druid in 2016, Nancy Harris's play The Beacon was co-produced at The Gate Theatre as part of the 2019 Dublin Theatre Festival. A staged reading was previously performed at Irish Rep as part of the New Works Fall Festival 2023.
 
The Beacon will star Kate Mulgrew (“Orange is the New Black”) as Biev.
 
The Beacon will feature set design by Colm McNally (Afternoon), costume design by Orla Long (Philadelphia, Here I Come!), lighting design by Colm McNally (Afternoon), sound design by Liam Bellman-Sharpe (The Smuggler), and properties by Nicole Rozanski (Philadelphia, Here I Come!).
 
Additional cast & creative team will be announced at a later date.
 
The performance schedule is as follows: Wednesdays at 2pm & 7pm; Thursdays at 7pm; Fridays at 7pm; Saturdays at 2pm & 7pm; Sundays at 3pm. Exceptions: there will be no 2pm performance on Wednesday September 11 and no performance on Sunday September 22.
 
Beginning October 15, the performance schedule is as follows: Tuesdays at 7pm; Wednesdays at 2pm & 7pm; Thursdays at 7pm; Fridays at 7pm; Saturdays at 2pm & 7pm; Sundays at 3pm. Exceptions: there will be no performances Thursday October 24-Saturday October 26. The performance on Sunday October 27 will be at 7pm.
 
Tickets to The Beacon begin at $55 and will go on sale to Irish Rep members on August 6. Tickets will go on sale to the public on August 13 and will be available at IrishRep.org. $25 tickets will be available to patrons under 40 years of age via Irish Rep’s GreenSeats membership.
 

THE DEAD, 1904

By James Joyce
At The American Irish Historical Society
Adapted by Paul Muldoon and Jean Hanff Korelitz
Directed by Ciarán O’Reilly
Previews Begin November 20, 2024
Opening Night Set for November 26, 2024
Limited Run through January 5, 2025
 
James Joyce’s novella, “The Dead,” describes a holiday gathering on January 6, 1904, the Feast of the Epiphany, in the Dublin home of two elderly sisters, Kate and Julia Morkan, and their niece, Mary Jane. At the party are students, friends, a celebrated tenor, a lost alcoholic, and the couple, Gabriel and Gretta Conroy. Over the course of an evening, there are conversations, music, dancing, and dining. There are speeches and disagreements – polite and impolite – and when it is all over Gabriel learns something about his wife that changes his sense of who she is and who they are to each other, of what it actually means to be alive, and to be dead.
 
This exquisite recreation of James Joyce’s haunting story was the most sought-after theatrical event of New York’s 2016-2018 holiday seasons. We relish the opportunity to welcome you again, or for the first time.
 
The Dead, 1904 is staged in the c. 1900 townhouse of The American Irish Historical Society (991 Fifth Avenue, New York) on the Upper East Side for an audience of just 48 people per night. The production travels over three floors of the building, which has been restored to period decoration. Rooms used include the lobby, parlor, dining room and upstairs library.  
  
A holiday meal, inspired by descriptions of the feast in Joyce’s story, has been created by Great Performances, one of the city’s most celebrated caterers, to be served to cast and audience alike in the townhouse’s elegant dining room. Wine, stout, and spirits will be served with the meal.  
 
The menu for The Dead, 1904, prepared on-site daily for each show by Great Performances, features: Roast Turkey Breast Stuffed with Sprigs of Parsley & Herbs; Beef Tenderloin with Fig & Cocoa Glaze; Mashed “Floury” Potatoes; Cranberry & Pineapple Relish; Dried Figs; Artisanal Raisins served on the vine & Smoked Almonds; and Bread & Butter Pudding with Vanilla Custard. 
 
The full cast & creative team for The Dead, 1904 will be announced at a later date.
 
The performance schedule for The Dead, 1904 will be as follows: Tuesdays through Fridays at 7PM, and Saturdays & Sundays at 5PM & 8:30PM. Exceptions: There will be no performance on Thursday November 28, Tuesday December 24, Wednesday December 25, and Wednesday January 1. There will be additional performances on Monday December 23 and Monday December 30 at 7PM.
 
Tickets to The Dead, 1904 include dinner and drinks. Four VIP premium tickets will be available at each performance, allowing audience members to be served dinner at the main table with the cast as they play the dinner scene-–a once in a lifetime experience for lovers of immersive theatre and James Joyce. Tickets will go on sale soon and will be available at IrishRep.org. The Dead, 1904 is also available for group bookings.