Mint Theater's EnrichMINT Events Series Continues 9/13

This Sunday, September 13th, the Drama Desk, Lortel and Obie Award-winning Mint Theater Company continues its EnrichMINT Events, an exciting series of post and pre-show discussions throughout the Mint's current engagement of Lennox Robinson's Is Life Worth Living? starring JorDan Baker and Kevin Kilner.

Professor Christopher Morash will be in residence for a week, conducting the following post-show discussion, a pre-show lecture and a lecture off-site at the Glucksman Ireland House, co-presented by the Mint and NYU. Christopher Morash is the Head of the School of English, Drama and Media Studies at National University of Ireland, Maynooth. He is the author of A History of Irish Theatre 1601-2000, winner of the 2002 Theater Book Prize. He is currently working on a history of the media in Ireland, commissioned by Cambridge University Press.

Sept. 13th Post-show discussion
"These Plays Began to Put Ideas Into Our Heads"
Is Life Worth Living? is a rarity in Irish theatre of the 1930s. It is a play that acknowledges, somewhere off in the wings, the greats of modern drama: Ibsen, Chekhov, and Strindberg. However, it does so with Robinson's characteristically level gaze. Robinson's play manages not only to provide its audiences with a finely crafted theatrical experience; it prompts us to ask about what that experience means for the way we live our lives.

The upcoming lineup of EnrichMINT Events includes:

Sunday September 20th after the matinee
"Do Plays Have Consequences?"
Professor Martin Meisel
In Is Life Worth Living?, Robinson shows the powerful influence that the theater has over the inhabitants of Inish, a small seaside town in Ireland. Does he exaggerate the power and influence of the theater and the arts in general over our daily lives? Professor Martin Meisel will explore this provocative question.

Martin Meisel is Brander Matthews Professor Emeritus of Dramatic Literature, Columbia University and author of How Plays Work.

Saturday September 26th after the matinee
"Lennox Robinson and The Abbey Theatre"
Professor John P. Harrington
Robinson played an important role at The Abbey Theatre for nearly his entire professional life, beginning in 1909 when he was made manager of the company at the tender age of 23-and in turn, the work of the Abbey played a critical role in Robinson's development as a playwright. Robinson wrote the first history of the Abbey, covering the first 50 years.

John P. Harrington is the author of The Irish Play on the New York Stage and editor of the Norton Anthology of Modern Irish Drama. He is Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Fordham University.

Saturday October 3rd, 12:00 prior to the matinee
"I Hate Leprechauns"
Amy Stoller, dialect designer and coach
Join Amy Stoller and director Jonathan Bank at The Irish Rogue (356 W. 44th St.) for a delicious Irish breakfast and an enligtening discussion on the use of Irish dialect in the production. Call 212-315-0231 for more information.

Professor Christopher Morash
Christopher Morash is the Head of the School of English, Drama and Media Studies at National University of Ireland, Maynooth. He is the author of A History of Irish Theatre 1601-2000, winner of the 2002 Theater Book Prize. He is currently working on a history of the media in Ireland, commissioned by Cambridge University Press.

Professor Morash will be in residence for a week, conducting the following post-show discussion, a pre-show lecture and a lecture off-site at the Glucksman Ireland House, co-presented by the Mint and NYU.

The Mint Theater's rare revival of Is Life Worth Living? is directed by Jonathan Bank. Performances began August 19th and opening night is set for this Monday, September 14th.

"Legit repertory troupe comes to a small village in Ireland and, after a week or so of Ibsen, Chekhov and Strindberg, the town is off its nut." That, in a nutshell, is the story of Is Life Worth Living? -- a gloriously goofy comedy that imagines the impact a steady diet of serious drama might have on the amiable residents of the seaside town of Inish. "I suppose you would call it farce," Robinson told The New York Times in 1933, "But I'd rather not call it that because well - you know what people think you mean when you call a play farce." Is Life Worth Living? played on Broadway three times in the 1930's but has not been seen in New York since. Brooks Atkinson wrote, "You are permitted to respect the theme of Mr. Robinson's play and to like every character who is in it. If that is not pure comedy, what is?"

Also featured in the cast are Leah Curney, Margaret Daly, Bairbre Dowling, John Keating, Jeremy Lawrence, Erin Moon, Grant Neale, Paul O'Brien, John O'Creagh and Graham Outerbridge.

Performances for Is Life Worth Living? are Tuesday through Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $45 (through Sept. 20) and $55 (Sept. 22 - Oct. 11). The Mint Theater is at 311 W. 43 St., Third Floor, between Eighth & Ninth Ave. To purchase tickets, or for more information, call 212-315-0231 or visit www.minttheater.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.