The Irish Players of Rochester is a program of the Rochester Community Players.  Since 1997, the Irish Players have presented plays of particular interest for those who love Irish theater.

Our Spring 2010 production of the Irish Players of Rochester was The Cripple of Inishmaan, by Martin McDonagh. Rochester performances were at MuCCC, the Multi-use Community Cultural Center, 142 Atlantic Avenue.   We have one more performance scheduled, but you have to join us out of town!  we will be performing Friday night, May 21, at the Acting Irish International Theatre Festival in Chicago.

Pictured above, left to right: T. Bohrer (The Doctor); Joan VanNess (Mammy) and David Runzo (JohnnyPateenMike)

About the play:

"Ireland must not be such a bad place, so, if the Yanks want to come here to do their filming."  So says Bartley, one of the young characters in Martin McDonagh's comedy, The Cripple of Inishmaan.  The story is a take on the local reaction to an actual event, the filming in 1934 of a Hollywood movie, Man of Aran.  The movie was shot on the Island of Inishmore in the rugged, isolated, wind-swept Aran islands, located in Galway Bay off the West Cost of Ireland. McDonough imagines the reaction to this entertaining intrusion of the residents of tiny nearby Inishmaan Island.

The title character of the play, Cripple Billy, is a young orphan who, inspired by the nearby movie-making, dreams of Hollywood stardom. His aunts and the other residents laugh at his pretensions; they have treated him all his life as a useless romantic, deformed since birth.  Only saucy young Helen takes him seriously, and only a little. And exactly how did Billy come to be orphaned anyway?  Perhaps JohnnyPateenMike, the island's professional gossip knows.  JohnnyPateen takes pride in the quality of his "news", trading tidbits of local scandal for food or drink, always lurking around, eavesdropping for more.  If only his ancient mother would leave him in peace, she who is still mourning her husband, dead fifty years now; surely a little whiskey with her breakfast, there's no harm in that at all, no matter what that fool doctor says.

And so it goes.  An ancient community upended by the intrusions of the Twentieth Century, and not just American.  As Bartley keeps saying, Ireland must not be such a bad place, if (fill in the blank) wants to live there.  The young folks want to do what young people always want to do: explore life, make love, see the world; the elders are as elders always are, shocked and amused by the naivete of youth. 

Our talented cast includes one long-time Rochester Community Player's performer - very very very long time.  David Runzo first performed with RCP when he was a high school student; he played Schlemmer a sailor in our production of the World War Two play Mr. Roberts in October 1961. Forty-nine years later, he returns to RCP to portray gossipy JohnnyPateenMike.  He has acted and directed with RCP and all the other major theater groups in Rochester during his career, and we are especially pleased to have him back performing with his first company after all these years.

Cast list for The Cripple of Inishmaan:

Kate:                      Kathy Dauer
Eileen:                    Mary Quinlan
Johnnypateenmike:  David Runzo
Cripple Billy:            Andy Cowen
Bartley:                  Jamal Abdunnasir
Helen:                    Sarah Rathbun
Babbybobby:            Ken Dauer
Doctor McSharry:   Tom Bohrer
Mammy:                 Joan Van Ness

The Cripple of Inishmaan is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

The Irish Players of Rochester program is a member of the Acting Irish International Theater Festival (AIITF) and hosted the Festival in May 2008 (See Acting Irish page.)  For links to other members of the AIITF, please see our links page.