The Theater
News and Updates
Cincinnati now has an AWARD WINNING THEATER COMPANY... the Irish American Theater Company. We just got back from Chi Town ... Twelve actors and crew made the 6 hour drive to Chicago to participate in the Acting Irish International Theater Festival performing John B. Keane's harlious comedy, Moll.
This young company took two first place awards and was nominated for two others at this Acting Irish International Theater Festival! The company has only been to one other such Festival. This year Cincinnati's IATC personnel were nominated for Best Show, Best Actress and two Best Supporting Actor Awards. The Festival is comprised of 10-11 perfromances, each produced by a different invited company over a week long period. Shows must be about Ireland or be written by Irish Authors.
This year's invitees came from Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto, Canada, Chicago (2), Rochester, NY, Boca Raton, FL, Milwaukee and Cincinnati in the USA and from Dublin, Ireland (2). The Fest was held at the Irish American Heritage Center 4626 Nort Knox St, Chicago, IL, from May 17th-23rd. Each year the festival is held in a different city - next year the festival will be held in Calgary Canada; the following year, 2012, in Dublin, Ireland. Someday the Festival will come to Cincinnati.
This is an 'invitation only' Festival where all participants are selected by a Board, based on quality of the company's past performances. The participants may come from the US, Canada and Ireland, and must not include any professional actors or directors. The Festival is about high quality community theater!
Barbara Kennedy Kenny and Tim Murphy, both active members of Cincinnati's Irish American Theater Company won awards for Best Actress and Best supporting Actor. The Company was nominated for Best Show and a second nomination for Best Supporting Actor went to Mick McEvilley of the IATC as well! All were thrilled to be nominated , but to win 2 out of the 6 awards presented was tremendous. Irish American Theater Company was up against a Dublin Ireland group which won Best Show and Best Actor, & a very strong Toronto group that has existed for 35 years . Toronto won best supporting actress,and an Adjudicators' Award for best ensemble.
Everyone is proud from the Cincinnati Company - in fact they are flying. Honestly, having the Irish Heritage Center as the new home for the Irish American Theater Company was a big help. All the performances were full and the actors and crew got great feeback. Even after six local shows, the actors and crew continued to work on the script, timing of delivery, and maintaining energy. They were really pushed and polished - running lines right through the day of the show before both acts. All the hard work and rehearsals paid off!
The entire Company thanks all of its suporters; those who gave monetary donations, those who bought tickets or ads for the program, those who attended the parking lot sewed curtains, sold drinks and snacks, etc, etc.
Coming soon, the IATC will perform a Larry Kirwan play - Blood, (Yes this is the same Larry Kirwan of the Irish Music group, Black 47). Blood is a one act play, presenting the playwright's take on what may have occurred prior to the start of the 1916 Easter Rebellion in Dublin to mold three great men - now 1916 heroes, to a common purpose, despite their substantially different views of a post-British rule government. The IATC play will be presented in the Millennium Hotel Ballroom during the Ancient Order of Hibernians National Convention on July 8 at 6:45 P.M. and again at the Irish Heritage Center on July 29th!
Anyone interested in becoming a member of this exciting theater company, auditioning, helping behind the scenes, reading, or contributing by funding, talent, or treasures, please contact the Artistic Director Maureen A. Kennedy at irishamericantheaterco@fuse.net or call her at 513-225-6915.
Our greatest current need is for lighting - equipment, design and technical crew.
Maureen
IrishAmericanTheaterCo@fuse.net