Charlotte Moore and Ciarán O’Reilly: “Smitten With Magic of the Theatre”

“Charlotte Moore and Ciarán O’Reilly: ‘Smitten With Magic of the Theatre’” focuses on the background of the Irish Rep’s co-founders, Artistic Director Charlotte Moore and Producing Director Ciarán O’Reilly. The chapter explores their upbringings, families, education, how they became interested in the theatre, and why they each decided to move to New York City. The chapter describes Moore and O’Reilly’s professional careers as actors, including their extensive stage work, and their film and TV work. The chapter also discusses how Moore and O’Reilly met, during a 1980 Off-Broadway production of Hugh Leonard’s Summer. The chapter concludes by describing O’Reilly and Moore’s preparations for founding the Irish Repertory Theatre Company in 1988, and their decision to stage Sean O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars as their premiere production, which opened in September 1988 at the 18th Street Playhouse in New York City, with Moore directing, and O’Reilly acting.