Tom Murphy Panel Discussions Added to Lincoln Center Festival Program 7/11

A highlight of Lincoln Center Festival will be DruidMurphy, three plays (Conversations on a Homecoming, A Whistle in the Dark, and Famine) by Tom Murphy, staged by Garry Hynes for Druid Theatre Company from July 5-14 in the Gerald W. Lynch Theater. To complement these performances, Fordham University's Institute of Irish Studies, The Galway University Foundation, and the National University of Ireland, Galway will host an all-day symposium on July 11 from 1-6:30 PM at Veronica Lally Kehoe Studio Theatre, Fordham University at Lincoln Center, 113 W. 60th Street at 9th Avenue.

Scholars and theater experts will discuss the enormous influence of Tom Murphy on Irish and American cultural memories of immigration and of famine. The afternoon of lectures and panels will culminate in an on-stage interview with Druid Theatre founders, Garry Hynes and Marie Mullen.

1 PM "Tom Murphy and Irish Drama: Voicing the Voiceless" with Nicholas Grene, Trinity College, Dublin.

Moderated by Lucy McDiarmid, Professor, and Marie Frazee, Baldassarre Chair, Montclair State University.

2 PM "Druid and Tom Murphy: A Theatre of Miracles" with Patrick Lonergan, NUI Galway.
Moderated by Chris Cahill, Director, American-Irish Historical Association of New York.

3:30 PM "Famine, Immigration, and Modern Ireland" with Maureen Murphy, Hofstra University, Mary Burke, University of Connecticut, and Shelley Troupe, NUI Galway.
Moderated by John P. Harrington, Fordham University.

5 PM Garry Hynes and Marie Mullen In Conversation
Moderated by Patrick Lonergan, NUI Galway

The event is free and open to the public. Seating is first come, first served. There are no reservations.

DruidMurphy - Plays by Tom Murphy, July 5 –12

Twelve performances at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College:
Conversations on a Homecoming: July 5 at 7:30 (preview); July 8 and 14 as part of full-cycle days at from 1PM until 10 PM; July 10 at 7:30 PM

Cast: Beth Cooke, Garrett Lombard, Aaron Monaghan, Marie Mullen, Rory Nolan, Marty Rea, Eileen Walsh

A Whistle in the Dark: July 6 at 7:30 (preview); July 11 at 7:30; and as part of July 8 and 14 full-cycle days from 1 PM until 10 PM

Cast: Niall Buggy, Gavin Drea, Garrett Lombard, Aaron Monaghan, Michael Glenn Murphy, Rory Nolan, Marty Rea, Eileen Walsh

Famine: July 7 at 7:30 (preview); July 12 at 7:30; July 8 and 14 as part of full-cycle days from 1 PM until 10 PM.

Cast: Niall Buggy, Edward Clayton, Beth Cooke, Brian Doherty, Gavin Drea, Garrett Lombard, Aaron Monaghan, Marie Mullen, Michael Glenn Murphy, Treasa Ní Mhiollain, Rory Nolan, John Olohan, Frank O'Sullivan, Marty Rea, Eileen Walsh, Joseph Ward

Galway's Druid Theatre Company and its Tony Award-winning Artistic Director Garry Hynes, "the foremost interpreter of Irish drama in the world today" (The New York Times), return for the third time to Lincoln Center Festival with DruidMurphy, a major celebration of one of Ireland's most influential playwrights, Tom Murphy. The plays will be performed by an ensemble cast of 16 actors, namely: Niall Buggy, Edward Clayton, Beth Cooke, Brian Doherty, Gavin Drea, Garrett Lombard, Treasa Ní Mholláin, Aaron Monaghan, Marie Mullen, Michael Glenn Murphy, Rory Nolan, John Olohan, Frank O'Sullivan, Marty Rea, Eileen Walsh, and Joseph Ward. The productions are designed by Francis O'Connor, with movement by David Bolger, costumes by Joan O'Clery, lighting by Chris Davey, sound by Gregory Clarke and music by Sam Jackson.

Played over the course of three evenings or together in an entire cycle on one day, DruidMurphy promises to be one of the theatrical events of 2012. Crossing oceans and spanning decades, DruidMurphy covers the period from The Great Hunger of the 19th century to the 'new' Ireland of the 70s, exploring what we mean when we call a place home.

Conversations on a Homecoming (1985) is set in County Galway in the 1970s. Even the humblest of small-town pubs can be a magnet for dreamers. Over a long drinking session, Michael – recently returned from New York after a ten year absence – has a reunion with old friends in that same pub,

"The White House." Faced with the changes the years have wrought, and not a few pints, they begin a process of self-discovery as illusions are unmasked and shed.

A Whistle in the Dark (1961) is Murphy's first play, set in Coventry, England, in 1960. Michael Carney is an Irish emigrant living in Coventry with his wife, Betty. He has given lodgings to his three brothers as they adapt aggressively to life in an English city. Now the imminent arrival from Ireland of his father and younger brother cause tensions to boil over.

Famine is set in 1846 in County Mayo in the West of Ireland. In Glanconnor village, the second crop of potatoes fails. The community now faces the real prospect of starvation. John Connor, head of the family, leader of the village, son of glorious forefathers, is surrounded by starvation and poverty. He will do the right thing – by himself, by God and by his family.

Directed by Garry Hynes, the production features Set design Francis O'Connor Costumes by Joan O'Clery Lighting design Chris Davey Sound design Gregory Clarke Movement David Bolger Music Sam Jackson With Niall Buggy, Edward Clayton, Beth Cooke, Brian Doherty, Gavin Drea, Garrett Lombard, Treasa Ní Mholláin, Aaron Monaghan, Marie Mullen, Michael Glenn Murphy, Rory Nolan, John Olohan, Frank O'Sullivan, Marty Rea, Eileen Walsh, and Joseph Ward.

Tickets start at $40 for individual performance and $120.00 for full-cycle days.

As previously announced, Lincoln Center Festival 2012, which runs from July 5 through August 5, will offer 67 performances by artists and ensembles from seven countries.

For more information and to buy tickets visit LincolnCenterFestival.org or go to the Avery Fisher or Alice Tully Hall box offices, or call CenterCharge, 212/721-6500.

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