WHO'S YOUR DADDY? to Open Off-Broadway 4/23

Irish Repertory Theatre, in association with Georganne Aldrich Heller and Jami Heidegger, presents the Off-Broadway premiere of WHO'S YOUR DADDY - a new play about a single man's struggle to adopt a son from a Ugandan orphanage - by actor and playwright Johnny O'Callaghan, seen in NYC in Conor McPherson's RUM & VODKA and on TV's "Stargate Atlantis," with previews set to begin April 17, prior to an official press opening Tuesday, April 23 in Irish Repertory Theatre Company's W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre (132 West 22nd Street). Tom Ormeny directs.

Johnny O'Callaghan's WHO'S YOUR DADDY is the uplifting and funny true story of his adoption of a Ugandan orphan. No one expected the single, gay, out-of-work actor to ever become a father - but a documentary shoot in Africa turns into an odyssey of the heart.

WHO'S YOUR DADDY had its world premiere at the Little Victory Theatre in Burbank, California, where it played an extended run, earning a GLAAD Media Award nomination for Outstanding LA Theatre and a LA Stage Alliance Ovation nomination for Playwriting of an Original Play. The Los Angeles Times called O'Callaghan "a charmer (think Denis Leary's puckish younger brother)," adding that the play's "infectious comedy and irreverent insights keep the evening sharp." LA Weekly praised the show: "It's a GO! A well-calibrated performance that elicits audience adulation." Last summer, WHO'S YOUR DADDY transferred to Edinburgh Fringe where it was a box office and critical hit with The Independent calling it "superb" and Scots Gay Magazine recommending it as "a powerful, moving piece of theatre."

Actor and playwright Johnny O'Callaghan was previously seen Off-Broadway at Irish Repertory Theatre in Brendan Behan's THE HOSTAGE, directed by Charlotte Moore. Other credits include the North American premiere of Conor McPherson's RUM & VODKA (later aired as a special presentation on HBO); Paul Walker's LADIES & GENTS; Mark O'Rowe's HOWIE THE ROOKIE; Marina Carr's BY THE BOG OF CATS; THE LIVE FULL MONTY; and Martin McDonagh's THE LONESOME WEST. He originated the role of Godzilla in Yasuhiko Ohashi's GODZILLA, one of the most successful plays ever produced in Japan. In addition to TV and film credits including the CBS series "The Agency," made-for-TV films "Deep in My Heart" and "We Were the Mulvaney's," and independent features "Slaughter City" and "The Serial Monogamist," O'Callaghan portrayed Naim in the popular science-fiction TV series "Stargate Atlantis." He also performs regularly with California's Artists Radio Theatre. WHO'S YOUR DADDY? marks O'Callaghan's playwriting debut. For more information, visit www.johnnyocallaghan.com.

Tom Ormeny is co-Artistic Director of the Victory Theatre Center in Burbank, California. He was instrumental in forming the Los Angeles Municipal Promotions (LAMP) and is President Emeritus of the Board of Governors of Theatre LA. He is a recipient of Theatre LA's James A. Doolittle Award for Leadership in Theatre. As a director, he received several Drama-Logue awards for the Victory's production of Lanford Wilson's THE MOUND BUILDERS, and he recently directed a world-premiere production for The National Theatre of Hungary. Other directing credits include the award-winning Olympic Arts Festival production of BACK TO BACK and the Victory's original production of VENUS IN ORANGE. He teaches acting at the Gobetti-Ormeny Acting Studio, Cypress College, and the New York Film Academy, and is a member of the Directors Guild of America.

The production features set design by Charlie Corcoran and lighting design by Michael O'Connor.

WHO'S YOUR DADDY is being produced by Irish Repertory Theatre, in association with Georganne Aldrich Heller and Jami Heidegger. Ms. Heller returns to Irish Rep where she was Associate Producer on MOTHER OF ALL THE BEHANS. Ms. Heller's other credits include the Off-Broadway run of REMEMBRANCE with Milo O'Shea and Francis Sternhagen; THE PROPHET OF MONTO (Ist Irish, UK Tour); LADIES & GENTS (Irish Arts Center); and among others, Marie Jones's NIGHT IN NOVEMBER and ROCKDOVES (Irish Arts Center).

Co-founded by Producing Director Ciarán O'Reilly and Artistic Director Charlotte Moore, The Irish Repertory Theatre opened its doors in September 1988 with Sean O'Casey's THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS. The mission of the theatre was and remains to bring works by Irish and Irish American masters and contemporary playwrights to American audiences; to provide a context for understanding the contemporary Irish American experience; and to encourage the development of new works focusing on the Irish and Irish American experience, as well as a range of other cultures. Ms. Moore and Mr. O'Reilly received the 2011 Eugene O'Neill Lifetime Achievement Award from Irish American Writers & Artists, Inc.

Off-Broadway performances of Johnny O'Callaghan's WHO'S YOUR DADDY? run April 17-May 12 at The Irish Repertory Theatre Company's W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre (132 West 22nd Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues): Wednesdays at 3pm and 8pm; Thursdays at 7pm; Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm; and Sundays at 3pm (with the following exceptions: opening night, Tuesday, April 23 at 7pm). Tickets are $45, and are available by calling 212-727-2737 or online at www.irishrep.org.

For more information, visit www.irishrep.org.

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