Jared Michael Delaney as "Frank and others." Photo by Katie Reing
If they can make it there, they can make it anywhere.
At least that’s what the folks at Philadelphia’s Inis Nua Theatre Company are hoping. But they’re going to need help from you.
More specifically, they’re hoping to take their acclaimed production of “Dublin by Lamplight” to the Big Apple as one of the featured plays in the 1st Irish Theatre Festival, which runs from September 7 to October 4. (See our review. We loved it. Or as we theatre reviewers say: It was “boffo.”)
“Dublin by Lamplight” is booked to run four weeks—24 performances in all— at the prestigious off-Broadway 59E59 Theatre.
Inis Nua, an extremely creative bunch, produces plays from Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. Their talent has not gone unnoticed, certainly not by local theatre goers. But someone else pretty important also noticed.
“Elysabeth Kleinhans, the artistic director of 59E59, came and saw the show (Dublin by Lamplight) during its last week,” says Tom Reing, Inis Nua’s founder and artistic director. 59E59 is one of the participating venues. “That’s when she offered us a slot. I think she had an idea we were interested in doing this, but I had no idea she was coming. She e-mailed me the day before. The last time we were in New York, we were in an off-off-Broadway house, but 59E59 is much more of a destination point for people.”
All pretty exciting. But before they get to New York City, the theatre company needs a little traveling money—$40,000 to be exact, of which they have raised $26,000. Moving the play to New York for an extended run is a costly proposition, involving everything from travel and housing costs for the cast and crew to piano rental.
What’s more, they need it no later than September 1. Inis Nua continues to raise larger amounts through some of the traditional non-profits, but just important are the smaller-scale grassroots efforts.
“We’re doing a multi-pronged way of raising money,” says Reing. “We’ll also be doing things like happy hours and other events. We’re basically taking a leap of faith that our supporters will help us out and we’ll be able to do this. It’s such a great opportunity.”
Reing is especially eager to present this particular play. “It’s one of the reasons I started this company,” he says. “When I first saw this play in Dublin in 2002, I was blown away by it. I would love to have directed it, but I didn’t have the money at the time. This past spring, I had the money to do it justice.”
You can help Inis Nua do the play justice in New York City. Navigate on over to the Kickstarter Web site to make a pledge. The company is attempting to raise $5,000 on Kickstarter, which bills itself as “a new way to fund and follow creativity,” of which $2,470 has been pledged as of today.
It’s easy to make a pledge, and it’s all in an extremely worthy cause. Please pledge today.
