The McGowan Trilogy Wins Big at the 2014 1st Irish Festival
(courtesy of the production)
Origin Theatre Company's seventh annual 1st Irish Festival has announced the recipients of its 2014 awards.
Featuring a total of nine plays and productions by contemporary Irish playwrights in an array of styles, the 2014 productions vying for the tourney's jury-voted awards were from Belfast, Dublin, Los Angeles, and New York. This year's panel of voters included TheaterMania Managing Editor Andy Lefkowitz, Mint Theater Artistic Director Jonathan Bank, casting director Stephanie Klapper, and Fox News Senior Producer Marvin Himelfarb.
Seamus Scanlon's The McGowan Trilogy bested its competitors in three of the festival's seven competitive categories, including a Best Director award for Kira Simring, who took home the same award at last year's festival for McGoldrick’s Thread. The Irish Rep revival of Conor McPherson's Port Authority, meanwhile, took home the top prize of Best Production. Boys and Girls scribe Dylan Coburn Gray also earned some substantial bragging rights, winning the award for Best Playwright in a category that included legendary Irishman Samuel Beckett (the Yiddish version of his classic Waiting For Godot, translated by co-nominee Shane Baker, was one of this year's entries).
Take a look at the list of winners below:
Best Actress — Anna Nugent (The McGowan Trilogy)
Best Actor — Peter Maloney (Port Authority)
Best Director — Kira Simring (The McGowan Trilogy)
Best Playwright — Dylan Coburn Gray (Boys and Girls)
Best Design — The McGowan Trilogy
Best Production — Port Authority
Boys and Girls also earned a special jury prize for its ensemble cast of four, which included Claire O’Reilly, Maeve O’Mahony, Sean Doyle, and Ronan Carey. The award ceremony was held this evening at Papillon Bistro-Bar.
