Druid Theatre announced last week that DruidO’Casey, their new play cycle of Sean O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy, will tour the United States later this year, visiting New York and Michigan.
The world premiere of DruidO’Casey will take place in Galway this July, and will then be performed in Dublin and Belfast. Following the Irish shows, the production will cross the Atlantic to play NYU Skirball in New York City (presented in partnership with the acclaimed Public Theater ) and the Power Center for the Performing Arts in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
DruidO’Casey has already broken box office records for the theatre company’s Irish tour; the Galway run is sold out (waiting lists are available via Town Hall Theatre ) and a number of the Dublin performances are also sold out.
Druid has a long history of touring in the United States, playing in cities across the nation including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Ann Arbor, Miami, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Charleston, and New Haven. Druid’s tours of the United States have earned the company critical acclaim and numerous awards, including four Tony Awards for its 1998 Broadway run of Martin McDonagh’s The Beauty Queen of Leenane.
Garry Hynes, Director of DruidO’Casey and Artistic Director of Druid Theatre: ‘I am so delighted that Druid will be crossing the Atlantic again this year for our first American tour since the pandemic. It’s our honour to present Sean O’Casey’s great works of Irish theatre to American audiences. I am grateful to be welcomed back to New York by The Public Theater and NYU Skirball, and to Ann Arbor by University Musical Society. I also wish to thank Culture Ireland for their significant support of our international touring.’
DruidO’Casey is the latest play cycle by the Galway theatre company. Its previous play cycles have received critical acclaim across the world. On DruidShakespeare in 2015, The Irish Times and The New York Times described it as ‘pure exhilarating theatre’ and ‘ripping entertainment’ respectively. DruidMurphy (2012 ) was praised by The Irish Times as ‘the story of a nation … essential’. The Scotsman declared DruidSynge (2005 ) to be a ‘colossal achievement’ while The Irish Times said it was ‘one of the greatest achievements in the history of Irish theatre’.
