Little Thing, Big Thing and Quare Land Take Prizes at 2015 1st Irish Festival

Origin's 1st Irish Festival has announced the winners of its Top Jury Prizes for the 2015 season. Awards were handed out earlier this evening at a ceremony cohosted by Geraldine Hughes (Translations) at Scandinavia House. This year’s blue-ribbon panel of judges included TheaterMania managing editor Andy Lefkowitz, former Fox News senior producer Marvin Himelfarb, and Doug Reside, curator of the Theater Division at the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. The festival, which celebrates of the best of Irish theater, runs through October 4 at various venues around Manhattan, including 59E59 Theaters and the Irish Arts Center.

Below is the complete list of nominees and winners (marked by an asterisk).

Best Actress
*Sorcha Fox (Little Thing, Big Thing)
Genevieve Hulme-Beaman (Pondling)
Robin Leslie Brown (Stoopdreamer)

Best Actor
*Myles Breen (Language Unbecoming a Lady)
Jack O'Connell (Stoopdreamer)
Donal O'Kelly (Little Thing, Big Thing)
Pat Shortt (Selfie)

Best Director
*Ciarán O'Reilly (The Quare Land)
Jim Culleton (Little Thing, Big Thing)
Kira Simring (Stoopdreamer)
Paul Meade (Pondling)

Best Playwright
Myles Breen (Language Unbecoming a Lady)
Genevieve Hulme-Beaman (Pondling)
Pat Fenton (Stoopdreamer)
*John McManus (The Quare Land)

Best Design
Little Thing, Big Thing
Pondling
*The Quare Land

Best Production
*Little Thing, Big Thing
Pondling
Language Unbecoming a Lady
Stoopdreamer

The festival's Special Jury Prize went to Peter Maloney (last year's Best Actor winner for Port Authority) for his unique contributions to New York theater over many decades, and, in particular, for current performance in Irish Rep's The Quare Land, scheduled to run at the DR2 Theatre through November 15. In addition, Pat Shortt won the festival’s Origin Award for his performance in Selfie.