In the grey, sea-battered landscape of the Aran Islands, full of mist and wild rain, hearth is home and storytellers regale with tales by the fire. When John Millington Synge traveled to these remote islands upon the advice of WB Yeats in 1898, he discovered a bleakly primitive, mystical land that would inspire him for the rest of his life, leading to canonical works in Irish theatre, including The Playboy of the Western World and Riders to the Sea.
The Aran Islands: A Performance on Screen is a haunting and visceral experience built around “a hypnotic performance” by Brendan Conroy, one of Ireland’s finest actors, as he captures the spirit of Synge in Joe O’Bryne’s theatrical adaptation of Synge’s early work, “The Aran Islands.” This play has been reimagined for digital presentation, transporting audiences to a distant world.
The Aran Islands: A Performance on Screen was filmed primarily at The New Theatre in Dublin, with additional footage from the Aran Islands and Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre. Irish Repertory Theatre presented the stage production of The Aran Islands in association with Co-Motion Media in 2017.
Reservations are free but required to access this digital event. A donation of $25 is suggested for those who can afford to give.