Lyric Theatre’s Agreement to Debut at Irish Arts Center

Irish Arts Center (IAC), based in New York City and renowned for presenting dynamic, inspiring, collaborative experiences of the evolving arts and culture of Ireland and Irish America in an environment of warm Irish hospitality, has announced the cast of the North American premiere of Lyric Theatre Belfast’s Agreement, written by Owen McCafferty and directed by Charlotte Westenra, from April 11–May 12. This “searing new play” (The Irish Times, in a five-star review) “expertly conveys” (The Guardian) the volatile four-day process of peace negotiations in Northern Ireland that culminated in the Good Friday Agreement. McCafferty mines humor and humanity from the pressurized circumstances through which history was made.

The cast includes Ruairi Conaghan (Fire Below, All That Fall) as David Trimble, Chris Corrigan (Dockers, Cyprus Avenue) as Gerry Adams, Richard Croxford (Kiss Me Kate, Sweeney Todd) as George Mitchell, Dan Gordon (The Boat Factory, Frank Carson: A Rebel Without a Pause) as John Hume, Martin Hutson (God of Carnage, Small Island) as Tony Blair, Andrea Irvine (Sadie, Cyprus Avenue) as Mo Mowlam, and Ronan Leahy (Translations, Drum Belly) as Bertie Ahern. The creative team includes Conor Murphy (Set & Costume Design), Mary Tumelty (Lighting Design), Kate Marlais (Sound Design & Composition), Eoin Robinson (Video Design), Dylan Quinn (Movement Direction), Brendan Gunn (Dialect Coaching), and Ruairi Glasheen (Percussion).

Agreement is set in April 1998, as the main political parties in Northern Ireland, the British government and the Irish government, all under the watchful eye of Senator George Mitchell, try to hammer out a deal that could pave the way for peace in Northern Ireland. The production—a highlight of the civic events in Belfast to mark the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement—played to capacity audiences in Lyric Theatre, Belfast’s sold-out run earlier this year. It attracted international visitors and delegates to Belfast and to the Lyric including Senator George Mitchell, Secretary Hillary Clinton, members of the Women’s Coalition and the families of Gerry Adams, David Trimble, Mo Mowlam and John Hume.

The second collaboration between the Lyric and IAC in less than a year, this presentation of Agreement follows IAC’s hugely successful North American premiere of the Lyric’s Good Vibrations. The “charming” punk rock musical “portray[ed] music as a defiantly joyous refuge from ugliness and danger” (The New York Times, in a Critic’s Pick review) and, like Agreement, transported New York audiences to another charged Belfast milieu.

The presentation of Agreement—the type of large-scale production enabled by the Irish Arts Center’s recently constructed state-of-the-art, flexible theatre—heralds the dedication of the JL Greene Theatre at Irish Arts Center (726 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10019), following a $3 million gift from the Jerome L Greene Foundation. IAC joins a roster of some of New York’s most prestigious cultural institutions supported by the Foundation, including BAM, The Public Theater, Lincoln Center Theatre, and The Whitney Museum.

Agreement makes its North American premiere at Irish Arts Center April 11 - May 12: Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30pm, Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm.

Tickets are $25–75 (inclusive of fees) and can be purchased at irishartscenter.org. Running time is approximately 105 minutes, with no intermission.

Irish Arts Center, founded in 1972 and based in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, is a home for artists and audiences of all backgrounds who share a passion or appreciation for the evolving arts and culture of contemporary Ireland and Irish America. We present, develop, and celebrate work from established and emerging artists and cultural practitioners, providing audiences with emotionally and intellectually engaging experiences—fueled by collaboration, innovation, adventurousness, authenticity, and the celebration of our common humanity, in an environment of Irish hospitality. Steeped in grassroots traditions, we also provide community education programs and access to the arts for people of all ages and ethnic, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. In an historic partnership of the people of Ireland and New York, Irish Arts Center recently opened a state-of-the-art new facility to support this mission for the 21st century.