The Irish Repertory Theatre is an Off-Broadway theatre company founded in 1988.

History

The Irish Repertory Theatre was founded by Ciarán O'Reilly and Charlotte Moore and 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." In 1995, the company moved to its permanent home in Chelsea on three completely renovated floors of a former warehouse, allowing for both a Main Stage theatre and a smaller studio space, the W. Scott McLucas Studio. The Irish Repertory Theatre is the only year-round theatre company in New York City devoted to bringing Irish and Irish American works to the stage. The theater has been recognized with a 2007 Jujamcyn Award, a special Drama Desk Award for "Excellence in Presenting Distinguished Irish drama," and the Lucille Lortel Award for "Outstanding Body of Work". Its productions draw more than 35,000 audience members annually. Irish American Writers & Artists Inc. honored the theatre with the Eugene O'Neill Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. In 2014, The Irish Repertory Theatre started a renovation of their home in Chelsea. For the 2014–15 season, Irish Rep's performances were held at the DR2 Theater near Union Square. During the holiday seasons of 2016 and 2017, the American Irish Historical Society headquarters on Fifth Avenue was home to the Irish Repertory Theatre's production of The Dead, 1904. The show was an adaptation of James Joyce's short story "The Dead", adapted by novelist Jean Hanff Korelitz and her husband, Irish poet Paul Muldoon. For The Dead, 1904, the building had 57 guests at a time, who for part of the performance joined the cast for a holiday feast drawn from the original novella. In 2017, the company received an Obie Grant from the Obie Awards presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Village Voice.

Season history

Awards

1992 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2002 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018