Laoisa Sexton's THE PIGEON IN THE TAJ MAHAL Set for Irish Repertory Theatre's 'New Works Series'

Irish playwright and actress Laoisa Sexton's new play THE PIGEON IN THE TAJ MAHAL has been selected by the Irish Repertory Theatre for inclusion into it's esteemed Fall 2015 New Works Reading Series and will run on Friday, October 2 , 2015 at 3 pm at the DR2 Theatre, 103 East 15th Street in Union Square. The reading will be free of cost and open to the public but reservations are requested and strongly advised. Call 212-727-2737 to RSVP.

Somewhere in the rural West of Ireland, in a remote in-between place in the middle of nowhere a mentally impaired outsider is banished to live on an abandoned dilapidated campsite. Cut off from his community and the modern world, he lives a solitary existence until late one night, he finds a stranded bride-to-be from the mean streets of Limerick, who has been separated from her bachelorette party. It's clear these two must find a way to communicate, so they can help each other find the way home.

Ms. Sexton has returned to her roots with THE PIGEON IN THE TAJ MAHAL - a dark comedy that takes place in the rural West of Ireland near where she grew up. Laoisa's family moved constantly when she was a child between Clare, Limerick, Ennis and Dublin. She wanted to write something within this landscape, having experienced both urban and rural culture in small villages and big cities in Ireland. The play is all about home, trying to get home, the idea of home and what home is, and means to some people, but most of all- how it is to belong. The play takes place in the course of one night, when chaos ensues in a small caravan parked on the outskirts of a seaside town. The two main characters clash mentally, culturally and socially, and during this long night must learn how to communicate with each other in order to find the way home. Hilarious and irreverent, it touches on themes of unrequited love, the search for home and belonging in a fast modern world that waits for no man... what we mean to each other at any given moment is probably all we have.

The cast of THE PIGEON IN THE TAJ MAHAL also features Irish Rep regular and favorite John Keating (Boardwalk Empire, Nurse Jackie, John Adams), Dónall Ó Héalai ( Traders, My Name is Emily), Jo Kinselle(For Love) and Sean Gormley (Person of Interest, Treme)

Laoisa Sexton is an actress/writer originally from Ireland, she splits her time between Dublin and New York. Her debut play, For Love which she also performed in was produced by The Irish Repertory Theatre in 2013. It garnered critical acclaim across the board including a Critics' Pick from the New York Times and The Times (UK) said it "reflects a form of female emancipation and is pro-active in the liberation of the theatre." The play was invited to the City of Culture Festival in 2013, and went on to a successful tour of Ireland incorporating Derry, Belfast, Waterford, two venues in Dublin and Galway. Laoisa has since adapted the play into a TV series and is currently working with veteran film producer Paul Heller (Withnail & I, In the Name of the Father) for a production in Dublin. Her second play The Last Days of Cleopatra premiered in 2014 in New York, it received rave reviews and critical acclaim. The play will be produced in Canada and Dublin in 2016. She has also written the screenplay for the feature film of The Pigeon in The Taj Mahal and is currently looking to shoot in Ireland. As an actress, Laoisa has performed all over Ireland, the UK, and the US, some highlights include The Last Days of Cleopatra, For Love, Long Days Journey into Night at The Guthrie directed by Joe Dowling, Oh The Power directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman for LABryinth, The Prophet of Monto (Winner of Best Actress Award for 1st Irish Theatre Festival), Gaslight directed by Charlotte Moore for Irish Rep, and the Award-winning Ladies & Gents, site-specific show that was performed in the public toilets in Central Park for Irish Arts Center. She has performed in over 19 independent films in the US and on TV in Ireland.

Founded by Ciarán O'Reilly and Charlotte Moore, The Irish Repertory Theatre 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 the theatre's Patron's Circle.

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