Inis Nua Theatre presents the American Premiere of A HOLY SHOW by up-and coming Irish playwright Janet Moran. The Irish phrase “a holy show” means to embarrass or make a spectacle of oneself, the perfect title for this whirlwind comedy based on the true story of a disgraced Australian monk who hijacked a passenger jet using nothing but holy water. A HOLY SHOW takes place in 1981 as Aer Lingus flight 164 to London is about to board. We meet passengers like Tina and Joe who are on their honeymoon, Bun who is off to meet her new granddaughter, Mary who is nervously flying for the first time, and Downey who is on a mission to learn the Third Secret of Fatima at any cost. The production will be directed by Barrymore Award-nominated director and Inis Nua Founder and Artistic Director Tom Reing. Previews begin Wednesday, October 6, with opening night on Friday, October 8. The show runs through October 24, 2021 for a total of 15 performances. All performances will take place at the Louis Bluver Theatre at the Drake, 302 South Hicks Street. Tickets are $15 - $30. For reservations, visit inisnuatheatre.org.

A HOLY SHOW first premiered in 2018 as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival directed by its writer, Janet Moran. It played a sell-out run at the Peacock Theatre of the world renown Abbey Theatre before transferring to Edinburgh Fringe, CCI Paris, and completing a sold out Irish National tour in 2020, again directed by Moran. A HOLY SHOW was also adapted for RTE Radio Drama on One. Inis Nua is excited to bring A HOLY SHOW to Philadelphia audiences for our first live show in 19 months.

The Edinburgh Reporter said of the A HOLY SHOW’s 2019 Fringe run “this is a very funny script that really really entertained the audience who lapped up this original piece of work.” The List called it a “gloriously comic and unexpectedly thoughtful show….A Holy Show is, among other things, a time capsule of an earlier Ireland, that illuminates the distance between the past and its certainties, and the uncertain present,” comparing it to the real event on the Aer Lingus flight it depicts, they say “it carries you off to places you didn’t think it would go.” The Irish Times said the play “seizes every opportunity for embellishment, from earthy comic turns to absurd religious visitations.”

A HOLY SHOW brings not only humor to a dramatic event, but also gives light to humanity in the face of grave danger. It tells both the real and imagined stories of people on Flight 164. Passenger by passenger, a cast of travelers entertain with bits of their life stories. Once former monk, Laurence Downey, reveals his plan to take over the plane as leverage to discover the truth to a religious fable, everyone on the flight is taken along for the ride. The pilots, flight attendants, and passengers begin to discover what is happening and each undergoes the unexpected turn from a perfectly normal flight to a moment when they must face their own mortality. Amidst the chaos they pause to consider what matters most in that moment and how they want to live their lives going forward. The play invites the audience to do the same, while enjoying a good laugh, of course. Founder and Artistic Director Tom Reing is excited that Inis Nua is presenting this play as an American Premiere, saying, "This comedy shows off the best Irish Theatre can offer. Not taking yourself too seriously. And this really happened!"

Reing’s familiarity with Moran’s work piqued his interest in the A HOLY SHOW. “Playwright Janet Moran is a good friend who I met at the Corn Exchange Theatre in Dublin,” adding after seeing the play’s original Fringe production, “I could see that company's influence in the style of A Holy Show."

The production casts the play’s two performers in more than 20 different characters. The range of distinct and sometimes rapidly shifting characters poses a particular challenge. Rachel Brodeur rose to a similar challenge in Inis Nua’s 2019 production of BOX CLEVER. Liam Mulshine’s background in Commedia dell'arte and improv help in his work on the almost clown-like nature of this script. The production warrants a Movement Director–Dan Higbee–who will help bring uniqueness to the physical performance of each of the many characters including, of course, the Virgin Mary herself.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT:

Janet Moran is an actor, playwright and director based in Dublin. A HOLY SHOW marks Moran’s first solo-written play on top of an impressive resume as an actor and deviser in Irish theatre. Her previous work includes collaborative projects with the Corn Exchange Theatre Company including as an original collaborator on and performer in DUBLIN BY LAMPLIGHT with which long-time fans of Inis Nua will be quite familiar. Previously, she co-wrote and performed in the hit play SWING which toured both nationally and internationally between 2013 and 2016. In 2019 she directed MY ROMANTIC HISTORY at the Viking Theatre for Verdant productions. In 2020 she co-wrote and directed LOOKING FOR AMÉRICA which played at the Mermaid Arts Centre as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival and at assembly Rooms in Edinburgh Fringe 2021. In October 2021 her new play QUAKE will have a development showing as part of Dublin Theatre Festival. In November 2021, PURE MENTAL which she co-wrote and directed will tour Ireland.

Janet is a participant of the 2021 Six in the Attic programme at the Irish Theatre Institute. Selected acting work includes ULYSSES, THE PLOUGH & THE STARS (Lyric Hammersmith and Abbey), JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK (National Theatre, London/Abbey Theatre co production), TRANSLATIONS, NO ROMANCE at the Abbey Theatre, CAR SHOW, DUBLIN BY LAMPLIGHT, EVERYDAY, FREEFALL and DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS for Corn Exchange Theatre Company.

ABOUT THE TEAM:

Inis Nua Founder and Artistic Director Tom Reing helms A HOLY SHOW, his 32nd mainstage production for the company. Reing has made a career directing Irish and UK theatre in Philadelphia including recent Inis Nua credits HOW TO BE BRAVE; THE NIGHT ALIVE; and BOX CLEVER. With Inis Nua, he has directed twenty American premieres, as well as eleven Philadelphia premieres. Reing was the recipient of an Independence Fellowship in the Arts, a MidAtlantic Arts Fellowship, and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Playwriting Fellowship.

Inis Nua welcomes back two returning performers for A HOLY SHOW, Liam Mulshine and Rachel Brodeur. The play is a two-hander which calls for Mulshine and Brodeur to take on a range of characters.

Rachel Broduer was most recently seen in her 2-time Barrymore nominated role in BOX CLEVER. Other Inis Nua shows include HOOKED! and DUBLIN BY LAMPLIGHT (2016). Her other Philadelphia credits include HAMLET, THE SEAGULL, THREE MUSKETEERS, DIARY OF A MADMAN (Quintessence Theatre Group), THE CAPTIVE (Philadelphia Artists Collective), DIVIDED AMONGST THEMSELVES (Theatre Ariel).

Liam Mulshine has previously been seen in two of Inis Nua’s Irish plays—2018’s OUR FEW AND EVIL DAYS and 2017’s LEPER + CHIP as well as the 2020 virtual reading of NO KIDS. Mushine’s other recent stage credits include FALLEN ANGELS (Mauckingbird Theatre Co.), A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Walnut Street Theatre), and MARIE ANTOINETTE (Curio Theatre Co.). He is a founding member of Tut'Zanni Theatre Company, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary.

This production sees many previous artistic and technical collaborators returning. Eleni Delopoulos will Costume Design, having previously designed THE NIGHT ALIVE and LOVE, LIES AND TAXIDERMY for Inis Nua. Delopoulos is also an actor and has been seen on the Inis Nua stage in THE MONSTER IN THE HALL and RADIANT VERMIN (Barrymore Award Nomination – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play) and in OLIVER! at Quintessence Theatre Group. Longtime Inis Nua collaborators Flannel and Hammer serve as Production Manager (Lauren Tracy) and Technical Director (Joe Daniels). Avista Custom Theatrical Services returns for their 9th season and will design props including a set of full size airline seats as part of a the scenic design by Inis Nua returner Marie Laster (UNTITLED). Amanda Jensen (A HUNDRED WORDS FOR SNOW; THE MONSTER IN THE HALL) provides lighting design for her 7th Inis Nua production. Janelle McGovern (CIPHERS; PENELOPE) returns to revive found footage from the real-life event and expand the story through projection. And Leonard Kelly (THE MONSTER IN THE HALL; OUR FEW AND EVIL DAYS; BOX CLEVER; among many other Inis Nua credits) returns as Dialect Coach. Inis Nua also welcomes Barrymore-nominated audio engineer and composer, Chris Sannino as sound designer and newcomer Liz Gleason as stage manager.

A HOLY SHOW opens Friday, October 8, 2021 at 7pm, with preview performances Wednesday, October 6 and Thursday, October 7, at 7pm. The show runs for a total of 15 performances through Sunday, October 24, at 2pm. All performances will take place at the Louis Bluver Theatre at the Drake, 302 South Hicks Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102. South Hicks Street is next to The Drake apartment building at 1512 Spruce Street.

The Takeaway – special post-show exploration of the play’s themes and relevant events by guest scholars and theatre practitioners – will be held after the 7pm performances on Wednesdays, October 13 and 20. On October 13, The Takeaway will feature a conversation on clowning and physical comedy with Tara Demmy. On October 20, The Takeaway will explore the unique and exciting challenges of this play with members of its cast and production team.

Tickets are on sale for $15-$30 by calling (215) 454-9776 or visiting inisnuatheatre.org/tickets. To learn more, please like Inis Nua Theatre Company on Facebook and follow @InisNuaTheatre on Twitter and @inisnuatheatre on Instagram.

COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY:

Due to continuing concern regarding COVID-19 variants, Inis Nua will require audiences to be fully vaccinated in order to attend indoor performances as part of a new initiative led by Theatre Philadelphia. Venues in the Philadelphia region joining in this streamlined COVID-19 vaccination policy are following in the footsteps of the New York and Chicago theatre sectors who have already implemented these practices. The aim of the policy is to follow local guidelines to ensure the health and safety of audiences and theatre workers and to help audiences determine what is needed to attend theatre.

Inis Nua will require proof of vaccination for all audience members for ALL 15 PERFORMANCES of A HOLY SHOW and for its November 8th reading of FOR ONCE. An updated policy for the remainder of their 2021-2022 Season (FINDING FASSBENDER, FOLK, and readings of NINE NIGHT and WHAT WE KNOW) will be announced early next year. Following the current policy of the City of Philadelphia, Inis Nua will also require patrons to be masked at all times for performances of A HOLY SHOW..

Audience members with a valid ticket must show proof of vaccination along with photo ID at their time of entry into the venue. "Fully vaccinated" means the performance date must be at least 14 days after the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna), or at least 14 days after a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson). Proof of vaccination may be presented as follows: Original Paper Vaccination Card, Electronic Copy, Photocopy, Photo, through the Bindle App.

ABOUT INIS NUA THEATRE COMPANY:

Inis Nua’s mission is to produce contemporary, provocative plays from Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales which reflect those cultures’ new identities in today’s world. Inis Nua also seeks to cultivate and produce contemporary, provocative work from American playwrights who deal with the Irish-American, Welsh-American, Scottish-American and Anglo-American experiences.

To date, Inis Nua has produced one world premiere, twenty-three American premieres and fourteen Philadelphia premieres. The Company has also had nine playwrights visit during production of their shows plus a virtual appearance from playwright Sîan Owen for the 2021 virtual production of HOW TO BE BRAVE. Inis Nua Theatre Company has been the recipient of grants from the William Penn Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, Independence Foundation, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Charlotte Cushman Foundation, MKM Foundation, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, JMC Fund of the Chicago Foundation, Connelly Foundation, and the Virginia Brown Martin Fund and The June 16 Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation.