At the Rep, Fest and Fair

Matthew Broderick set for Irish Rep. re-opening.

 

By Irish Echo Staff

New York’s Irish are being pulled this way and that this Saturday with events to attend from Peekskill to Coney Island and Manhattan between them.

Manhattan will be a place to be at noon to 4 p.m. when the newly refurbished Irish Repertory Theater opens its doors for a public celebration headlined as the “Kickoff Céilí.”

Actor Matthew Broderick, who recently starred in Irish Rep’s production of “Shining City,” will join local officials and Irish government representatives in the ribbon-cutting ceremony slated to commence at 12.30 p.m., this according to a release.

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Broderick will be joined by a host of stage talent including fellow Tony Award winners including

Melissa Errico and Trent Kowalik, Broadway’s Billy Elliot.

“With this renovation, Irish Rep now has a space that best represents the cultural richness of Irish and Irish-American theatre.

“This event is our way of saying thank you to everyone who has been along with us on this journey,” said Artistic Director Charlotte Moore.

“Our doors are open to everyone whom would like to come and celebrate with us.”

“The renovation of our theater is helping us embark on the next phase of our creative mission as an Irish theatre, particularly as we look ahead to our 30th anniversary next year,” said Producing Director Ciarán O’Reilly.

“And we are thrilled to continue to play our role in the cultural vitality and diversity of Chelsea and New York.

“We would not be where we are today without the incredible support of the City of New York, our board of directors, and all of our generous funders and donors. We look forward to having everyone join us on Saturday to mark this momentous day.”

The 22nd street block between 6th and 7th Avenues, home to Irish Rep for the past 21 years, will be closed to accommodate the festivities from noon to four.

The programming, said the release, will include pipers, poets, musicians, dancers, actors, magicians, face-painters, and singers on three stages, both indoors and outdoors.

“Cultural partners Origin Theatre and the Irish Arts Center will also be part of the afternoon’s events, bringing together New York City’s Irish creative community,” stated the release.

All programming is free and open to the public.

The Irish Repertory Theatre, co-founded by Ciarán O'Reilly and Charlotte Moore, opened its doors in September 1988 with Sean O'Casey's “The Plough and the Stars.”

As the celebrations proceed amid Manhattan’s concrete and asphalt, music and all things Irish will be the fare at both the Hudson Valley Irish Fest in Peekskill, Westchester County and the Great Irish Fair in Coney Island, Brooklyn.

The Fest, the eighth annual, is set for 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the Hudson River waterfront. More at www.hudsonvalleyirishfest.com

The Great Irish Fair can claim senior status among the three by virtue of the fact that this year marks its 35th celebration of all things Irish by the beach and the ocean.

The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and will be held in a new venue on the boardwalk, the Ford Amphitheater.

Details can be found on the Great Irish Fair of New York Facebook Page or on Twitter at @tgifnyc.

With so much outdoor activity in store the one vital ingredient that will be of interest no matter which of the three events is attended is the weather.

And all indications are that this first fall weekend will be glorious.

 

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