CAST

 

Melissa Gilbert (Gretta): Professional theater credits include: Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, Laura in Glass Menagerie, Elma Duckworth in Bus Stop, Melissa Gardner in Love Letters, Rose White in A Shayna Maidel, Ma in Little House on the Prairie: The Musical, M’Lynn in Steel Magnolias, Mrs. Astorcott in If Only and Rachel in My Brilliant Divorce. TV and film credits include: Little House on the Prairie, The Miracle Worker, The Diary of Anne Frank, Sweet Justice, Secrets and Lies, One Smart Fellow, Tenure and Guest Artist. Melissa sends love and gratitude to her friends, family, and most especially, to her beloved Timmy.

Heather Martin Bixler is a classical violinist and Irish fiddler whose playing has been described by critics as "emotionally riveting" and "astonishingly musical and sweet". As a recording artist Heather was a featured soloist on the GRAMMY nominated CD Forty Acres and a Burro (Zoho Music, 2011). A graduate of Indiana University, The Juilliard School, and the University of Memphis where she received a DMA degree, she continues to perform throughout the world. Pursuing her interest in studying the effect that music has on the brain, Heather is currently a degree candidate in neuroscience at Columbia University.

Kimberly Doreen Burns (Mary Jane) is thrilled to return to the Irish Rep in this marvelous show! Previous IRT credits include The Dead: 1904, and the critically acclaimed revival of Finian’s Rainbow. Other New York City credits include: Austen’s Pride, What Do Critics Know?, Wuthering Heights, Sondheim at Seven Gala (soloist at Town Hall). Selected Regional: Our Town directed by Hunter Foster, Ragtime (Mother), My Fair Lady (Eliza Doolittle 3 times-Broadway World Award), Camelot (Guenevere), Sunday in the Park With George-Carbonell Award Winner (Dot), Guys and Dolls (Sarah Brown), South Pacific (Nellie Forbush), all at various theatres including the Riverside Theatre, Pittsburgh Public, Finger Lakes/Merry-Go-Round,etc. Internationally she has performed in Japan and Taiwan with Disney On Classic (Disney Records/Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra) and at Tokyo Disneyland (lead singer). Kimberly also played Sandy in the National Tour of Grease starring Frankie Avalon. MFA from San Diego State University and BFA from Ithaca College. She teaches private lessons in NYC. kimberlydoreenburns.com

Ciaran Byrne: Previous Irish Repertory Theatre: “The Freedom Of The City,” “Juno And The Paycock.” Regional: “Moment” (Helen Hayes Nomination: Best Production), Studio Theater D.C. “The Night Alive,” City Theater, Pittsburgh . “Observe The Sons Of Ulster Marching Towards The Somme,” Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre (PICT). Film & Television: “The Second Sun” (Haymarket Annex & Michael Mailer Films), Official Selection Hollywood Film Festival, Manhattan Film Festival (Winner: Best Period Feature). Festival de Cannes. John Buffalo Mailer’s “DieRy” (2019), Jennifer Gelfer Director, Martin Tuchman Producer. “Public Morals” (TNT), Edward Burns Director, Produced by Steven Spielberg.  

Rufus Collins (Gabriel) Broadway: The Royal Family, To Be or Not To Be, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, An Ideal Husband, The Homecoming.  Off-Broadway: The Quare Land, The Road to Damascus, The Seagull, Aristocrats, Orson’s Shadow, House and Garden.  Regional highlights: Sherlock’s Last Case (Huntington),Othello (Shakespeare Theater of DC), Venus in Fur (Goodman), My Fair Lady and Gypsy (Sharon Playhouse), Seminar (Philadelphia Theatre Co.) Michael Von Seibenburg Melts Through the Floorboards (Humana Festival), The Old Masters (Long Wharf), The Autumn Garden and Dissonance (Williamstown), The Real Thing (Huntington),In This Corner (Old Globe), Dinner with Friends, Hedda Gabler, Indian Ink, The Ruling Class, Macbeth.  Film: “After The Wedding”,  “The Geezer”, “Wanted”, “Joshua", “Milia”.  Television: “The Deuce”, “Madam Secretary”, “Elementary”, “Mysteries of Laura”, “Forever”, “Mozart in the Jungle”, “Law & Order” (All versions), “All My Children”, “The Guiding Light", “One Life to Live.” 

Peter Cormican (Mr. Brown): Previously at Irish Rep:  The Yeats Project, Prisoner of the Crown, The Rivalry, Donnybrook, The Emperor Jones, The Dead, 1904, Streets of New York.  Broadway:  Follies with Roundabout. In London:Lady In The Dark (National Theatre) and The Phantom of the Opera. Regional: Sondheim Celebration 2002 (Kennedy Center), Goodspeed, Papermill, Ivoryton, Leicester Haymarket, Westchester Broadway, Portland Stage. Off Broadway: The Brightness of Heaven (Cherry Lane),  Devil Boys from Beyond(NWS). Film and TV:  "Girls" (HBO), "She's Funny Like That" with Peter Bogdanovich, "Secret Lives of Dentists", "Seeing Things" (CBC), "Behind The Mask" (CBC).

Terry Donnelly (Mrs. Malins): Member of both the Abbey Theatre Dublin and  the British National theatre London. Among many plays at the Irish Rep: The Dead, 1904 (2016, 2017), Three Small Masterpieces, Juno and the Paycock,Transport -the musical, Honor Molloy's  Crackskull Row,Grandchild of Kings directed and adapted by Harold Prince. Frank McCourt's The Irish and How they got that way in both Boston and New York companies, The Shaughraun , Sive , Bailegangaire ,the Yeats Project ,The Colleen Bawn and many more. Regionally she has played several  leading roles in Dancing at Lughnasa , and the Streets of New York at the Westport Playhouse. Film and television: A Hungry. Feeling (BAC  Films), The Irish and How they got the Way (PBS), Law and Order,Law and Order C.I. (NBC), The Silver Tassie (BBC), The Crezz (ITV)

Meg Hennessy (Lily): An Irish Actress born in Manhattan, she is thrilled to join the cast of The Dead, 1904 (Off-Broadway debut). Meg moved to New York from Limerick in 2016 to deepen her craft in acting and is currently studying the Meisner technique at the Maggie Flanigan studio. Notable roles include Alice Ayers in Closer, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Helena in A Midsummer Nights Dream and Hanna Lambroke in The Veil. She is very grateful for this wonderful opportunity.

Patricia Kiggarriff (Kate Morkan): Broadway: Steel Magnolias, Tartuffe, Night Must Fall, A Delicate Balance, A Small Family Business, La Bete, Lettice and Lovage, Shirley Valentine, Noises Off, The Man Who Had Three Arms. Off-Broadway: Time and Again, Kindertransport, The Art of Success, The Fatal Weakness, Mary Broome, Beckett/Albee, Spread Eagle, London Suite, All’s Well That End’s Well, Counting The Ways, Footfalls. Film/TV: “The Muppets Take Manhattan”, “The Real Blonde”, “The Mysteries of Laura”, “The Good Wife”, “Law & Order”, “Law & Order SVU”, “All My Children”, “Second Honeymoon”, “Loving”, “Ryan’s Hope”.

Robert Mack (Bartell D’Arcy): Opera: The Marriage of Figaro (Don Basilio); Porgy and Bess (Sportin-Life); Off-Broadway: 3 Mo’ Tenors, National/International Tour: Smokey Joe’s Café. And roles at NYCO, Houston Grand Opera, and Opéra Bastille.

Aedín Moloney (Molly Ivors): Aedín released an unabridged recording "Reflections of Molly Bloom” (Ulysses by James Joyce), a collaboration with Paddy Moloney (The Chieftains). Available on ITunes. Recording is being adapted for a live production June 2019.  NYC Theatre highlights include nine productions with Irish Rep. Airswimming (Fallen Angel), Women Without Men (Mint), A Most Dangerous Woman (Best Actress 2013 NJfootlights), The Alchemist (STNJ), Under Milk Wood (Hartford Stage). TV: "The Exorcist", "The Knick", "The Bill", "The Moth", "Ballykissangel", "Law & Order". Film: "Nora" (Eva Joyce), "Far & Away", "Agnes Browne". Producing artistic director of Fallen Angel Theatre.

Patti Perkins (Aunt Julia): Broadway: Billy Elliot, The Full Monty, Shakespeare's Cabaret (Tony nominated for best score), All Over Town (directed by Dustin Hoffman). Lincoln Center: A Man of No Importance. Off-Broadway: The Vineyard Theatre, Manhattan Theater Club, UBU Rep. Regional: Triad Stage, The Guthrie, The Old Globe, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, The Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, Godspeed Opera House, Two River Theatre, Walnut Street Theater, Meadowbrook Theater, Merrimack Rep, Capitol Rep.

 

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Paul Muldoon and jean Hanff Korelitz (co-adaptors)

Paul Muldoon, winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Moy Sand and Gravel, is the author of 15 major collections of poetry, and the former poetry editor of The New Yorker magazine. He holds the Howard G.B. Clark '21 chair in the Humanities at Princeton University.

Jean Hanff Korelitz is the author of nine novels, including The Latecomer (adaptation coming from Campout Productions/Fifth Season), The Plot (adaptation starring Mahershala Ali coming from Hulu Onyx), Admission (adapted for film as Admission (2013) starring Tina Fey), You Should Have Known (adapted as HBO’s The Undoing, starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant and Donald Sutherland). New novel in 2024!

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Ciaran O'Reilly (director)

O'Reilly has helmed Irish Rep's productions of Shining City; The Weir (Lucille Lortel and Callaway Award nominations); The Emperor Jones (Callaway Award; O'Neill Credo Award; Drama Desk, Drama League and Lucille Lortel Award nominations); The Hairy Ape (Drama Desk, Drama League and Callaway nominations); Philadelphia, Here I Come! (Drama Desk nomination); the world pre­miere of Banished Children of Eve; as well as the recent productions of Sea Marks, Port Authority, and The Quare Land, among others. As an actor, he has been seen in the Irish Rep productions of Da, Juno and the Paycock, Dancing at Lughnasa, Molly Sweeney, Aristocrats, A Whistle in the Dark, The Shaughraun, and The Irish and How They Got That Way. He also appeared in the Roundabout Theatre Company's production of A Touch of the Poet with Gabriel Byrne at the Abbey Theater in Dublin; and made his Broadway debut in The Corn is Green. He has been honored three times by Irish America Magazine with the Irish America "Top 100 Irish" Award.

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THE DEAD, 1904 is produced by Dot Dot Productions (Nina Korelitz Matza and Jean Hanff Korelitz), Laurie Eustis and Kathleen Begala in association with the American Irish Historical Society