Inis Nua Theatre Presents the American Premiere of Lovesong by Welsh Playwright Abi Morgan

-Courtesy of Aversa PR & Events

Inis Nua Theatre Company premieres the final mainstage production of their 20th Anniversary season with the American premiere of Lovesong, written by the Welsh playwright and screenwriter, Abi Morgan. Lovesong will be directed by Inis Nua Artistic Director KC MacMillan and features Mary Martello, winner of five Barrymore Awards; veteran stage and film actor Kirk Wendell Brown whose career has spanned 35 years; as well as newcomers Gabe Moses (Arden, People’s Light, PA Shakespeare) and Taylor Congdon (Bridge Street Theatre, Centenary Stage, PA Shakespeare).

Lovesong plays with time in creative ways: Martello and Brown play a couple in their ’70s; Congdon and Moses play the same couple, 50 years earlier.  When past and present start to collide, Maggie and Billy encounter their younger selves in vivid, living memories. Lovesong runs now through June 23rd for a total of 17 performances.

“Lovesong has been on my bucket list–it’s a play I’ve been passionate to direct for years,” says Inis Nua Artistic Director and show Director KC MacMillan. “As I curated my first full season as Inis Nua’s Artistic Director, it was clear to me that it was a great fit for our company. Lovesong is a funny, beautiful Welsh play, and it’s an expression of the kind of work audiences will see from Inis Nua under my leadership. After our last mainstage production in March, Once Upon a Bridge, was such a huge success, I’m eager to show Inis Nua’s new and growing audiences the range of what we can do!”

Lovesong by Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady, TV’s The Hour) is a soaring, intimate love story spanning the marriage of English couple Maggie and Billy, from the grand romantic gestures of their young love to the aching silences 40 years on. When past and present start to collide, Maggie and Billy encounter their younger selves in vivid, living memories. Remembrances lead to meaningful reconnections, reminding us that ultimately, with love, we need to take the leap.

The play was originally developed between Abi Morgan and the physical theatre company Frantic Assembly. This multidisciplinary project has significant technical demands–it’s an intimate play with an ambitious scope, incorporating choreography and movement, special scenic effects, and virtuoso acting from two generations of performers. Choreographer K. O’Rourke, who has trained in the Frantic Assembly method, will lead the ensemble through aspects of their choreographic method. This approach to theatre-making has been described by Frantic Assembly as “essentially, direction through movement and promotes an acute physical awareness that can be implemented in moments of stillness just as it can be in the physically spectacular.”

The set will be designed by longtime Inis Nua collaborator Meghan Jones; NY-based designer Barbara Delo will design costumes. Christopher Chambers, a lighting designer who works internationally, particularly in dance performance, is joined by Damien Figueras, a frequent collaborator of our director’s, who is designing sound. Meghan Winch is the show’s dramaturg; K. O’Rourke is the choreographer, and Len Kelly is the dialect coach.

Special events during the run will include wine nights every Friday and Saturday evening, featuring a reception with conversation with the show’s artists and complimentary wine. Back by popular demand is the Takeaway special post-show exploration of the play’s themes, production and relevant events by guests and theatre practitioners, held after 2pm performances every Sunday, June 9, 16 and 23. The Takeaway will explore the unique and exciting challenges of this play with members of its cast and production team. Reduced capacity performances on Wednesdays are mask-required and the capacity is reduced to 50%.

Tickets are $35 each for general admission and offered for $23 for seniors, with discounts offered for students and theatre industry professionals with ID. Tickets can be purchased by visiting https://inisnuatheatre.org/tickets or calling 215-454-9776.

Inis Nua will announce our 2024/25 season at a launch event on June 17. Opening next season in September 2024 will be the regional premiere of a new adaptation of The Playboy of the Western World, adapted by Nigerian playwright Bisi Adigun and beloved Irish writer Roddy Doyle.