Irish Repertory Theatre

The Irish Repertory Theatre was founded by Ciarán O'Reilly and Charlotte Moore, which opened its doors in September 1988,[1] with Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars. The mission of the theatre was and remains:

to bring 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, as well as a range of other cultures.

In 1995, they made their permanent home in Chelsea on three completely renovated floors of a former warehouse, allowing for both a Main Stage theatre and a smaller studio space, the W. Scott McLucas Studio. The Irish Repertory Theatre is currently the only year-round theatre company in New York City devoted to bringing Irish and Irish American works to the stage.

The theater has been recognized with a 2007 Jujamcyn Award, a special Drama Desk Award for "Excellence in Presenting Distinguished Irish drama," and the Lucille Lortel Award for "Outstanding Body of Work." Its productions draw more than 35,000 audience members annually.[1]

In 2014, The Irish Repertory Theatre started a renovation of their home in Chelsea. For the 2014-15 season, Irish Rep's performances were held at the DR2 Theater near Union Square. [2]

During the holiday seasons of 2016 and 2017, the American Irish Historical Society headquarters on Fifth Avenue was home to the Irish Repertory Theatre's production of The Dead, 1904.[3] The show was an adaptation of James Joyce's The Dead, adapted by novelist Jean Hanff Korelitz and her husband, Irish poet, Paul Muldoon. For The Dead, 1904, the building had 57 guests at a time, who for part of the performance joined the cast for a holiday feast drawn from the original novella.[4]

In 2017, the company received an Obie Grant from the Obie Awards presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Village Voice.[5]

The mission of Irish Repertory Theatre is to provide a context for understanding the contemporary Irish-American experience through evocative works of theater, music, and dance. This mission is accomplished by staging the works of Irish and Irish-American classic and contemporary playwrights, encouraging the development of new works focused on the Irish and Irish-American experience, and producing the works of other cultures interpreted through the lens of an Irish sensibility.


“New York’s finest Off-Broadway theatre” – Terry Teachout, The Wall Street Journal, 2019

Founded by Charlotte Moore and Ciarán O’Reilly in 1988, Irish Repertory Theatre opened its doors with Sean O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars. In 1995, Irish Rep found its home at 132 W 22nd Street, on three floors of a former warehouse. With help from friends and family, Charlotte and Ciarán built the theatre from the ground up, creating two performance spaces: The Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage and The W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre. The space was renovated to its current design in 2016.

In its more than 31 seasons, Irish Repertory Theatre has presented over 190 productions and worked with more than 500 company members. Irish Rep has continued to be a home for Irish and Irish-American theatre-makers, theatre audiences, and excellence in theatre. More than 50,000 audience members annually attend productions where they experience the company’s engaging perspective on the Irish and their unique and extraordinary contributions to the world of drama. Irish Repertory Theatre is the only year-round theater company in New York City devoted exclusively to bringing Irish and Irish-American works to the stage. In 2019, Irish Rep was named Company of the Year by the Wall Street Journal.

Over the years, Irish Repertory Theatre has been recognized with dozens of awards, including:

The 2019 Irish Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad for Charlotte Moore and Ciarán O’Reilly, awarded by President Michael D. Higgins
Irish America Hall of Fame, Charlotte Moore and Ciarán O’Reilly
The 2013 Outer Critics Circle Special Achievement Award
A special Drama Desk Award for “Excellence in Presenting Distinguished Irish Drama”
The Lucille Lortel Award for “Outstanding Body of Work”, 2005
Below is a wonderful video produced by TDF featuring founders Ciarán O’Reilly and Charlotte Moore discussing the “native understanding” that is the heart & soul of the Irish Rep.