January 15, 2016
REGIONAL PREMIER OF “THE WEIR” TO OPEN AT THE GHENT PLAYHOUSE JANUARY 22
The award-winning play, “The Weir,” by playwright Conor McPherson, will mark its regional premier when it opens at the Ghent Playhouse on January 22 and runs through February 7. Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday matinee performances at 2:00 p.m.. The production will be directed by Aaron Holbritter.
The drama, set in a rural Irish pub, revolves around reminiscences, and the kind of banter that comes from men who have a shared upbringing. Four friends sharing drinks and stories of their personal experiences and those of others in the area, in an attempt to impress a pretty newcomer to the area named Valerie. Soon their conversations, combined with more than a few drinks, turn to stories with a supernatural twist, arising from the popular preoccupations of Irish folklore: ghosts, faeries and mysterious happenings. But when Valerie tells her own story: the reason why she has left Dublin, her undoubtedly true and melancholy tale shocks the men who soon become softer, kinder and more real, leading to salvation and an eventual happy ending for two of the characters.
“The Weir” made its Broadway debut in April of 1999, after first being produced at the Royal Court Theatre in London, England in 1997. It won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play of 1997-1998, with Conor McPherson winning the Critics’ Circle Award as the most promising playwright in 1998 as a direct result of the play’s success.
The cast at the Ghent Playhouse consists of Donald Dolan as Jack, Jerry Greene as Brendan, Neal Berntson as Jim, John Wallace as Finbar and Monica Brady as Valerie. Gabrielle Smachetti is the Assistant Director and Stage Manager. Cathy Lee-Visscher is the Producer and set design is by Robert Walker.
Tickets are $20 each, $17 for Friends of the Playhouse and $10 for Students with ID. Tickets may be reserved by calling 1-800-838-3006 or going to the website atwww.ghentplayhouse.org.