Henry Wishcamper will direct the 3 PM reading, which includes Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris (Evita, Assassins, Sweeney Todd), Reyna de Courcy (Off-Broadway's Burning), Jonathan Hogan (The Homecoming, Irish Rep's Molly Sweeney) and Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins (Jelly's Last Jam; Caroline, Or Change).
In The Birds, according to Irish Rep, "strangers Nat and Diane take refuge in an isolated, abandoned house from the unnerving masses of birds that attack everyone around them. They find relative sanctuary but not comfort or peace: there’s no electricity, little food and the birds always return. And they worry about a nearby neighbor, who may or may not still be alive and watching them. Soon another refugee, the young, attractive Julia, arrives with some news of the outside world, but her presence also brings discord. The uncertain survival of the three becomes even more doubtful when paranoia creeps into their little refuge, adding an internal threat to match the external threat of the birds."
Playwright McPherson's other works include Rum & Vodka, The Good Thief, This Lime Tree Bower, St. Nicholas, The Weir, Dublin Carol, Port Authority, Shining City, The Veil and the Tony Award-nominated play The Seafarer. The first production of his adaptation of The Birds took place at the Gate Theatre in Dublin in 2009. The Guthrie Theater produced The Birds earlier this year.
The Irish Repertory Theatre's 2007 production of Stuart Carolan's Defender of the Faith and 2010 world premiere of Kelly Younger's Banished Children of Eve were alumni of the Irish Rep Reading Series.
The Irish Repertory Theatre, founded by Ciarán O'Reilly and Charlotte Moore in 1988, brings works by Irish and Irish-American masters and contemporary playwrights to American audiences, to provide a context for understanding the contemporary Irish-American experience, and to encourage the development of new works focusing on the Irish and Irish-American experience. Currently on the Irish Repertory Theatre's mainstage is George Bernard Shaw's Man and Superman, a co-production with Gingold Theatrical Group through July 1, directed by David Staller. Read more about the production.
The Irish Repertory Theatre is located at 132 West 22nd Street. For more information and to make a reservation, call (212) 727-2737 or visit IrishRep.org.
