ICTC will present virtual Yeats poetry concert to celebrate CD release
Filmed concert starring Vincent O’Neill, Mary Ramsey, will raise money for Company
The Irish Classical Theatre Company will present In Performance & Conversation – W.B. Yeats Poems: Words & Music, an intimate virtual concert event, to celebrate the official release of the spoken word album of the same name.
A collaboration between Vincent O’Neill, ICTC Artistic Director Emeritus; Mary Ramsey, lead singer/songwriter of 10,000 Maniacs; and Joseph Hassett, Yeats Scholar and Author, the album and concert will feature O’Neill’s artful recitations of Yeats’ poetry intertwined with Irish music and song by Ramsey and contextual narrations by Hassett. The performance will be filmed onstage at The Andrews Theatre and be available to stream June 4-27.
On June 4, to celebrate the album release and opening night of the concert, ICTC will host a live and interactive, virtual "Watch Party.” This premiere event will be hosted by ICTC Executive Artistic Director, Kate LoConti Alcocer, and will include commentary from the Artists, and a Q&A session, in addition to a viewing of the filmed performance.
“We are thrilled to host a special event to release this album of beautiful Irish poetry and music,” said Kate LoConti Alcocer, Executive Artistic Director of ICTC. “It is a project a few years in the making, and we look forward to sharing it with our audiences as a celebratory end to this Season.”
Patrons will have access to three ticket options: the live one-night-only fundraiser Watch Party, the filmed poetry concert, or the recording of the fundraiser Watch Party. The second two options can be streamed on-demand from June 4-27 to benefit the Irish Classical Theatre Company. Closed Captioned viewing options will also be available. Tickets start at $45 and go on sale Friday, May 14.
In 1985, two Dublin-born brothers, Vincent and Chris O’Neill, internationally acclaimed actors and former members of Ireland’s celebrated Abbey Theatre, found themselves in Buffalo, New York performing Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot in the dining room of a local hotel. They were enthusiastically embraced by Western New York audiences and critics and, together with fellow Dubliners Josephine Hogan and the late Dr. James Warde, formed the Irish Classical Theatre Company. Performing on various rented stages until a permanent home was established at the Calumet Arts Café, ICTC became the fastest growing theatre in the region and led to the building of its new home, The Andrews Theatre, which opened its doors in January of 1999 in Buffalo’s Theatre District.