“These three plays explore the realities, complexities, and challenges of life in the 21st Century. They celebrate the vast diversity that is the new face of Ireland, revel in the differences, and face the underbelly and lack of comprehension that still exists—the clinging to tradition that persists despite enormous progress. In pitting outmoded concepts of the past against the culturally transformed landscape we now inhabit, our season casts a light on life in the U.S. today and in our own city of Portland.” – Gemma Whelan, Founding Artistic Director.
How to Keep an Alien
by Sonya Kelly
Directed by Gemma Whelan~
at New Expressive Works, 810 SE Belmont St. Portland
Apr 12 – May 5, 2019
Thu – Sat 7:30pm, Sun 2pm
Run time is approximately 80 minutes with no intermission.
“…funny, quirky, and the perfect romantic antidote to the dreary Portland weather.” “(Sara Hennessy) perfectly captures the exhilaration and the terror of falling in love with a foreigner.” Krista Garver, Broadway World
“Hennessy is a pro and it shows.” “…she builds beautifully toward the fairy tale ending.” “(Amy Katrina Bryan) is a gem…” Dennis Sparks
“How to Keep an Alien is like a champagne cocktail—fizzy and pink and luscious—until Sonya ramps it up with the Irish government. She is hilarious. She is a bulldog.” Judy Nedry Theatre Reviews
“It’s a big, brash, challenging role, playing Sonya … and Sara Hennessy meets the challenge … with a wryly comic conviction …” Bob Hicks, Oregon ArtsWatch
Irish Sonya and Australian Kate meet and fall in love, while working on a Russian play with English accents in an Irish castle. Together, they embark on a global odyssey to prove that they have a right to live together in Ireland. How to Keep an Alien is a tender and hilarious story attesting to the perils and obstacles of emigration, and the transformation that Irish society has undergone in recent times. This is a story about falling in love and proving it to the government.
CAST: Sara Hennessy* (Sonya Kelly), Amy Katrina Bryan (as herself, the stage manager)
CREATIVE TEAM: Amy Katrina Bryan (Stage Manager/Production Manager, Actor), Trevor Sargent (Set and Light Design), Summer Olsson (Costume Design), Phillip Johnson (Sound Design), Chanell Magee (Props Design)
EVENTS:
Talkbacks with director, actors, and designers after shows on April 14, 18, 26, 27, and May 3
LGBTQ night Friday, May 3 (pre-show reception @ 6:30pm, and post-show talkback)
ASL Interpreted Performance and talkback: Saturday, April 27 @ 7:30pm.
* Member of Actors Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers
~ Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
All performances are held at New Expressive Works, 810 SE Belmont St. Portland
or mail a check to Corrib Theatre, 3736 SE Salmon St, Portland OR 97214
Season Sponsored by Ronni Lacroute
with additional support from:
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Contact us:
(503) 389-0579 | info[at]corribtheatre.org