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Origin Theatre Company to Revive New-Play Reading Series MONDAYS IN MAY at Beckett's Bar and Grill
Plays begin with “The Asshole Guidebook” by Emma Cooney, directed by Mick Mellamphy (May 2).
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Apr. 26, 2022
After a two-year break, Origin Theatre Company is reviving its popular new-play reading series, "Mondays in May," with staged readings of new shows read every Monday in a month packed with Mondays - five in all! Taking place in the second-floor banquet rooms of the Financial District's popular Beckett's Bar and Grill, 81 Pearl Street, the series is curated by Origin's artistic director Michael "Mick" Mellamphy, now in his first full season at the helm of Origin. Origin Theatre, which launches its 20th season in the fall, introduces impactful plays from Europe to New York audiences, and is the producer of the highly acclaimed Origin 1st Irish Theatre Festival (the 14th edition of which took place in January).
The plays in sequence are as follows:
"The Asshole Guidebook" by Emma Cooney, directed by Mick Mellamphy (May 2)
"Daniel" by Catherine Higgins Moore, directed by Olivia Songer (May 9)
"Purgatory" by Colm Summers & Ciara Ní Chuirc, directed by Summers (May 16)
"Peace and Love in Brooklyn" by Eamon O'Tuama, directed by John Keating (May 23)
"Extremophiles" by Fergal O'Byrne, directed by Tim Ruddy (May 30)
All readings are at 7:30pm and are free (reservations are essential). Drinks and food are available for consumption before and during the readings. To reserve visit www.origintheatre.org
"Origin has been an important incubator for new work in New York, especially for the Irish diaspora theatre community," Mellamphy notes. "The focus was started by George Heslin [Origin's founder] who felt strongly that a festival that presents both acclaimed work from Ireland and homegrown projects started independently in New York could be a winner with audiences and artists alike. As a theatre artist myself who in the past has been a beneficiary of Origin's incubating role, I'm committed to supporting and even deepening this role for Origin. To that end, 'Mondays in May' can be an important proving ground for new work, and one of the many steps we take to support the whole creative process for contemporary writers and artists."
The "Mondays in May" reading series is supported by The Irish Consulate in New York. The May 23 reading of "Peace and Love in Brooklyn" is presented by Origin in association with Irish American Writers and Artists.
Beckett's Bar and Grill, 81 Pearl Street off Hanover Square, in the heart of the Stone Street Historic District, derives more than a passing identification with the theatre through its namesake, the great Samuel Beckett. Both Beckett's principal owner Ronan Downs and his wife Carletta Downs are committed supporters of New York theatre.
Origin Theatre Company is currently producing the American premiere of the critically acclaimed Dutch play, "A Kid Like Rishi," by leading Dutch playwright Kees Roorda. The morally intense docu-play about a notorious racial profiling police killing in The Hague, is directed by Erwin Maas, and features a New York-based cast: Sung Yun Cho, Atandwa Kani, and Kaili Vernoff. The show runs at the cell theatre from May 27 to June 19.
Tickets are FREE. For reservations and info visit www.origintheatre.org
Founded in 2002, Origin Theatre Company, whose overall mission is to present impactful new works by writers from across Europe to New York audiences, has introduced plays by over 300 playwrights from such countries as the Netherlands, Sweden, Romania, Macedonia, Norway, Italy, Greece, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The company's 15th annual Origin 1st Irish Theatre Festival is planned for January 2023. Details about Origin's annual Bloomsday Breakfast, now the "Bloomsday Revel," are to be announced soon.
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