Photos: Inside the Origin Theatre Company Closing Ceremony of ORIGIN 1ST IRISH 2023

Origin Theatre Company presented the Closing Ceremony of Origin 1st Irish 2023, at the Irish Arts Center, 726 11th Avenue, on Monday January 30. Go inside the ceremony in new photos below.

Hosted by the actor and voice-over artist Drew De Carvahlo, the evening was packed with performances and special treats, and on behalf of Origin Theatre, Artistic Director Michael "Mick" Mellamphy helped hand out several awards for excellence during the Festival.

Among the winners were:

1/ Shannon Daly, who earned the Breakthrough Artist Award for her work producing and appearing in the Harry Butler's edgy look at online dating, "Changing the Sheets."

2/ Portstewart Northern Ireland's Big Telly nabbed the Innovation Theatre Award for producing the US premiere of Zoe Seaton's widely praised "Frankenstein's Monster is Drunk and the Sheep Have All Jumped the Fences," which the NY Times called "a winsome cartwheel of a show."

3/ The Audience Choice Award, voted by audience members, went to actor and stand-up Kim Kalish, the writer and performer of "The Funny Thing About Death," which TheaterScene.org described as an "emotionally raw cascade of well-shaped memories and reveries, peppered with honed zingers and one-liners."

4/ The inaugural Origin's Femme First Award, which grew out of the Festival's first Femme First sidebar of new plays by women playwrights, was shared by Orlagh Cassidy for her work as playwright, producer and actor in "It's In The Play" (co-written piece with Kate Lardner), and "The Funny Thing About Death's" Kim Kalish for her work as playwright, producer and performer. The playwright Honor Molloy presented the award.

5/ And finally the actress Sarah Street received the Festival's prestigious Bairbre Dowling Spirit of The Festival Award, presented on behalf of Origin's board of directors, for her dedicated work co-curating Origin 1st Irish during the pandemic. The actress Brenda Meaney presented this award.

In the first all-in-person edition of the Origin 1st Irish since Jan 2020, the Festival fielded 21 separate events in venues across the city -- a mix of acclaimed productions from Ireland and new shows, readings and workshops produced locally by members of New York's extensive Irish diaspora theater community. Participating theatres and cultural organizations included 59E59 Theaters, the Irish Repertory Theatre, the Irish Arts Center, the cell, Ryan's Daughter and Symphony Space in Manhattan; the NY Irish Center in Queens, and An Beal Bocht in The Bronx.

Two rousing special appearances took place during the ceremony: The celebrated Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland -- in the midst of an all-Ireland tour prior to its Carnegie Hall concert on St Patrick's Day - appeared virtually from the University of Limerick Sports Arena. And live on the Irish Arts Center's Mainstage were 50 members of the Fairfield County Children's Choir, who offered "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" (prompting a thunderous standing ovation), and the Irish standard Mó Ghile Mear ("My Gallant Hero"), replete with a bodhrán, which prompted tears, gleeful applause and another standing ovation.

Also making an appearance were the cast of "Peace and Love in Brooklyn" by Eamon O'Tuama (of The Prodigals fame), which received a sold-out concert staging with live band two nights prior to the Closing Ceremony, there at the Irish Arts Center. Also making special appearances and offering remarks of congratulations were Helena Nolan, Consul General of Ireland to New York; Eamonn McConville, Deputy Director of The Northern Ireland Bureau to North America, and Paul Schipul, Deputy Consul General of His Majesty's Government of Great Britain to New York. Origin Board Chair Carletta Downs took the stage to thank all of the supporters and sponsors that made the 15th annual Origin 1st Irish 2023

Origin 1st Irish Theatre Festival is the only festival of its kind devoted to producing and presenting the theatrical work of contemporary Irish playwrights from around the world, galvanizing a mix of brand new and recently acclaimed productions from both sides of the Atlantic.

Photo Credit: Jimmy Higgins