The second annual Eugene O’Neill Festival of Theatre in New Ross, called “One Festival, Two Countries,” in partnership with the US Festival celebrating Eugene O’Neill has been an international success. The first half of the festival, was the 20th Annual Eugene O’Neill Festival in Danville, California, was held throughout September, and the second half, the Eugene O’Neill International Festival of Theatre, was held in New Ross, with visitors from all over the US attending the second annual Irish festival.

The six-time Mayor Mr Newell Arnerich of Danville California was in attendance and spoke at the official opening at the Brandon House Hotel. He looked around the room and asked all of those who were in attendance from the US to raise their hand, which turned out to be almost half of the room full of people. Newell then commented; “And this will grow and grow. We want the Irish and US festival to grow, we want you to visit and we want our US festival visitors to enjoy this wonderful Irish Festival too. We want to do this in perpetuity.”

A variety of theatrical events, plays, readings, talks, a festival reception evening, lunchtime plays, and panel discussions took place at venues across New Ross town with a full house declared at almost all of these events. A full symposium took place at Waterford Institute of Technology with experts on Eugene O’Neill’s work present from all across the globe.

The Festival took advantage of the Dunbrody, the full-scale replica of a Famine ship anchored in New Ross, to present a site-specific production of O’Neill’s Glencairn cycle of one-act sea plays. Prior to the showcase in New Ross the St Michael’s Theatre production showcased aboard 1886, square-rigger Balclutha, staged at one of the world’s most iconic visitor attraction at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco Bay during the 2019 US Eugene O’Neill Festival. 

A full US production of Long Days Journey Into Night was staged on both Thursday and Friday evening’s at St. Michael’s Theatre.

A staged reading of ‘Strange Interlude’, the Pulitzer Prize-winning experimental play of nine acts were presented as a professional Irish production and directed by Ben Barnes, the production was a huge success, the audience was entranced for the full staging and Cathy Belton was outstanding in her lead role. The four-hour production offered guests dinner at the evening interval at the Dunbrody Visitor Centre.

Closing the festival on Sunday evening and nurturing the talent of the local modern-day playwright saw the staging of The Diary of Maynard Perdu written and directed by the award-winning Wexford playwright Billy Roche and starring the acclaimed actor and musician Peter McCamley who delivered a brilliant performance.

Co-Chair of the Festival Sean Reidy said; “Our second annual festival has been a great success. We are delighted to have grown audience numbers and visitors since last year and indeed to have enjoyed a rich cultural programme with many standing ovations declared at a number of productions.

“I would like to thank a number of groups and people for their hard work in making this festival a success. The one-act readings of New Ross Drama Workshops, Edward Hayden, Carol Stacey, Directors of the One Act Plays Peggy Hussey and Margaret Rossiter and all of the members whose contribution to the festival through their staging of the Eugene O’Neill one-act plays at Spiders brought a new angle to the festival, it ensured the festival reached everyone in New Ross and these productions were such a great success.”

The Irish festival took place in partnership with the successful festival in California named after the playwright, whose family hail from the New Ross district. It is co-chaired by Sean Reidy, former CEO of the Kennedy Trust, together with Dan McGovern, President of The Eugene O’Neill Foundation, with Tomás Kavanagh as Festival Director, Dr Richard Hayes of WIT as Academic Adviser and Alice O’Neill McLoughlin, one of Eugene O’Neill’s remaining Irish relatives from Tinneranny just outside New Ross, from where James O’Neill emigrated from in 1851.