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January 7, 2014
Irish Repertory Celebrates 25 Years

hqdefaultCiaran O'Reilly and Charlotte Moore are a match made in theater heaven. The two have been bringing their unique talents to productions of classic and contemporary theater by Irish and Irish-American writers since 1988, when they founded the Irish Repertory Theatre. With a permanent home in Chelsea, the Irish Repertory Theatre is the only year-round theater company in New York bringing exclusively Irish and Irish-American works to the stage.

Most recently, this dynamic duo has received high praise for their production of Sean O'Casey's "Juno and the Paycock", now extended until January 26th due to audience demand. The play, which our theater critic called "one of the must-sees of the season," examines the effects of the Irish Civil War on the country's working class. (Read our full review here.)

StageBuddy had the chance to chat with the pair about their beginnings in theater, what they believe O'Casey is saying in "Juno", and why the play remains relevant today.

StageBuddy: How did you get your start in theater?

Charlotte Moore: I had a genius and inspired university teacher who told me that I was good enough to have a career in the theater, and I believed him. I started off as an actor, never dreaming that I would direct anything, and I had many years in the theater [and in] television, right up until Ciaran and I started the Irish Repertory Theatre.

Ciaran O'Reilly: I began theater here in New York way back doing a Brian Friel play, "Freedom of the City". After that I went back to Ireland, where I was with the Abbey Theatre in Dublin for about a year and I did plays both in Irish and the English language. And I got back to New York and sometimes worked at the Irish Art Center; and then Charlotte and I founded the Irish Repertory Theatre 25 years ago, and I've been doing that ever since.

imgresSB: Why is "Juno and the Paycock" the perfect play for Irish Repertory Theatre?

CO: "Juno" is one of the great classic Irish plays of all time. The first show that we ever did at the Irish Repertory Theatre was Sean O'Casey's "The Plough and the Stars" and we've revived it [in the 1996-97 season]; it's also our second revival of Juno. We just have such a connection with Sean O'Casey at the Theatre. We're very good friends with his daughter Shivaun, and we feel when we put on an O'Casey play on the stage at The Irish Rep that O'Casey has come home; he's amongst friends. I think we speak his voice.

SB: What do you think O'Casey is saying in the play?

CO: Someone mentioned to me that the play was very indicative of what happened to Ireland in the boom years of the '90s and into the early part of the 21st century, where everybody was borrowing money left, right, etc. -- buying new houses and new furniture -- and then suddenly the banks collapse and everything goes sour. There's now ghost estates all over the country, and that's a bit like how this play almost ends: as if O'Casey was offering a forewarning of things to come. People who come to the play seem to identify with it so much that the statement makes it almost a contemporary play.

CM: I think the message for "Juno" is tolerance for other people's ideas, respect and love for your fellows.

SB: What was your rehearsal process like?

CO: Charlotte is not huge about sitting around and talking about the play; we read through the play a couple of times. We sit around, get a feel and sense of the history, and then she wants to get it on its feet and have people looking at one another in the eyes and start staging -- the repetition of just actually running through it. We all begin to acquire our characters that way, rather than talking about it too much.

SB: Charlotte, what was your first experience directing?

CM: The first play I directed for the Irish Rep, rather the first play I ever directed in my life, was "The Plough and the Stars" by Sean O'Casey, a very difficult play. I had no idea what I was doing and the cast didn't have any respect for me -- in fact they hated me and rightly so; they treated me brutally. So I thought I'd better learn what I was doing and do an intensive study of Irish literature and drama very quickly.

imgres-1SB: Ciaran, are you similar to your character (Captain Jack Boyle) in the play?

CO: [Joking] I'm a drunk wasteful myself.

The poor guy, he's a dreamer who has his own reality and I think he often really does believe the things that he says. When he talks about having sailed half the countries of the world, he really believes it; he's jumped so far off with his delusions of himself that he actually just believes it. I myself am pretty rational.

SB: Advice to an aspiring artist in the industry?

CO: I think the one important thing is to not be so choosey in the beginning about what you do; just do it. Get on the stage no matter what it is, especially if you're just starting out. People will say, 'that's really not such a great play' or 'I don't know who that director is.' Just do it. There is nothing like having stage experience.

I'd also say people shouldn't wait around for others to hire them; if you're really passionate about it, find a way, find the money, rent the theater, buy a property and produce your own play. Be very pro-active; don't wait around for stuff to happen.

CM: People who achieve instant success are few and far between, and it doesn't always last very long. Stick to it, learn what you're doing, respect your choices.

(This interview has been edited and condensed.)

Performances of "Juno and the Paycock" continue through January 26th. Check out our full event listing here, and make sure to enter our contest to win free tickets by January 9th.

StageBuddy interviews Irish Repertory's Ciaran O'Reilly and Charlotte Moore.

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Written by: Glenn Quentin
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