The play is inspired by the relationship between Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir, founders of the Gate Theatre in Dublin. Gates of Gold had its world premiere at the Gate Theatre in Dublin in 2002. The work is said to explore the magic of theatre and the imagination — and address questions of sexuality, gender confusion and human mortality.

The staging, opening Jan. 27, 2009, according to a spokesperson, will be produced by Artists Theatre Group, Sally Jacobs and Warren Baker.

Casting has not been announced.

McGuinness (Broadway's Tony Award-nominated Best Play Someone Who'll Watch Over Me and the Tony-winning Best Revival of A Doll's House) is currently represented in New York City with the world-premiere adaptation of Ibsen's The Master Builder, commissioned by Irish Repertory Theatre.

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McGuinness was born in Buncrana, County Donegal, and now lives in Dublin and lectures in English at University College, Dublin. His plays include The Factory Girls, Baglady, Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme, Innocence, Carthaginians, Mary and Lizzie, The Bread Man, Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, The Bird Sanctuary, Dolly West's Kitchen and Gates of Gold. His translations include Ibsen's Rosmersholm, Lorca's Yerma, Peer Gynt, Chekhov's Three Sisters, Brecht's The Threepenny Opera, Hedda Gabler (Roundabout Theatre, Broadway, 1994), Uncle Vanya, A Doll's House, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Sophocles' Electra, Ovstrovsky's The Storm, Miss Julie, Euripides' Hecuba, his adaptation of Du Maurier's Rebecca, and his version of Phaedra.

His latest play There Came a Gypsy Riding was produced by the Almeida Theatre in 2007.