PUMPGIRL Is Extended For Two More Weeks

Irish Repertory Theatre (Charlotte Moore, Artistic Director and Ciarán O'Reilly, Producing Director) announced today a two-week extension for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize winning-play Pumpgirl, by Abbie Spallen (Strandline), directed by Nicola Murphy (Stop/Over). Pumpgirl began performances in the W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre (132 W 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011) on November 7 and opened November 14. Originally set to close on December 29, 2019, it will now play an extended run through January 12, 2020.

In a gas station in Northern Ireland, barely north of the border, Pumpgirl gets few customers beyond lecherous men and cruel women who remark on her tomboyish appearance. Otherwise guarded, she has struck up a friendship with "no helmet Hammy" - an amateur stock-car racer who prefers to spend time with his unsavory buddies over his wife and children. As Hammy's wife, Sinead, stays home alone, she simmers with rage over her isolated, disappointing existence. On Hammy's birthday, their lives become perilously intertwined, leaving them face to face with a desperate future.

Irish Repertory Theatre is proud to present this heart wrenching original story of rural life in Northern Ireland by Abbie Spallen, a multi-award-winning Irish playwright making her Irish Rep debut. Originally presented by the Bush Theatre, Pumpgirl premiered in 2006 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and made its New York debut at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2007. It won the 2007 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Stewart Parker Trust Award, and was nominated for the Irish Times Best New Play.

The cast of Pumpgirl includes Hamish Allan-Headley (The Belle of Belfast) as Hammy, Labhaoise Magee (Dancing at Lughnasa) as Pumpgirl, and Clare O'Malley (The O'Casey Cycle) as Sinead.

Pumpgirl features scenic design by Yu-Hsuan Chen (Nomad Motel), costume design by Molly Seidel (The Woodsman), lighting design by Michael O'Connor (Little Gem), and sound design by Fan Zhang (Our Dear Dead Drug Lord). Properties are by Sven Henry Nelson (Dublin Carol). Ciaran Byrne (The Dead, 1904) serves as dialect coach.

The performance schedule for Pumpgirl is as follows: Wednesdays at 3pm and 8pm; Thursdays at 7pm; Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm; and Sundays at 3pm. Exceptions: There will be additional performances on Monday, December 23 at 7pm; Friday, December 27 at 3pm; Monday, December 30 at 7pm; and Tuesday, December 31 at 3pm. There will be no performances on Wednesday, December 25 and Wednesday, January 1.

Tickets to Pumpgirl range from $45.00 - $50.00 and are available through Irish Rep's box office at 212-727-2737 or online at www.irishrep.org.

Beginning performances tomorrow on the Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage is London Assurance, written by Dion Boucicault (The Shaughraun) and directed by Charlotte Moore (The Plough and the Stars). Opening night is set for December 15, for a limited run through January 26, 2020.

IRISH REPERTORY THEATRE, co-founded by Producing Director Ciarán O'Reilly and Artistic Director Charlotte Moore, is in its 31st season after first opening its doors in September 1988 with Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars. 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," an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Achievement, and the Lucille Lortel Award for "Outstanding Body of Work," Irish Rep celebrates the very best in Irish theatre, from the masters to the new generation of Irish and Irish American writers who are transforming the stage.a??Nearly 50,000 audience members annually attend productions at Irish Rep's theatre located in the heart of New York's Off Broadway community. Once here, they witness Irish Rep's engaging perspective on the Irish and their unique contributions to the world of drama.