Special Thanks to Show Sponsors:

CROCODILE FEVER

By Meghan Tyler

May 30 – June 15, 2025

Directed by ICTC Artistic Director, Keelie A. Sheridan.

Sisterhood, social conflict, 80s anthems, and a chainsaw. 

Prepare to be plunged into the darkly comic and fiercely captivating world of Crocodile Fever by Meghan Tyler, praised by THE LIST as “brilliant, batshit and brutal.” Northern Ireland, 1989. A farmhouse window smashes, and rebellious Fianna Devlin crashes back into the life of her pious sister Alannah. Together in the unlovely family home for the first time in years following the death of their tyrannical father, the sisters are back at each other’s throats in seconds. And when Fianna discovers that the old reptile is in fact still very much alive, all hell breaks loose as they confront his hideous legacy. Fueled by Taytos, gin, 80s anthems and a chainsaw, it’s the Devlin sisters versus the world. It can’t end happily, but it can end gloriously. ICTC Artistic Director, Keelie A. Sheridan, helms this surreal and grotesque black comedy celebrating sisterhood whilst reminding us that the pressure cooker of The Troubles is closer than we imagine.

Additional Programming:

Open Rehearsal (for Subscribers Only): Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 6:30pm

Community Matinee Preview ($12/Ticket):  Thursday, May 29, 2025 at 10:00am
*This season, we’re merging our Community Matinee with our Preview Performance. For just $12/ticket, attend the final dress rehearsal at 10:00am.

Opening Night Reception: Friday, May 30, 2025 at 7:30pm

Pay-What-You-Will Performances*: 
Saturday, May 31, 2025 at 2:00pm
Saturday, May 31, 2025 at 7:30pm
Saturday, June 7, 2025 at 7:30pm
Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 7:30pm
(*Purchase in-person at the Box Office on the day of the performance. Seating subject to availability.)

Speaker Series: Sunday, June 8, 2025 at 1:30pm
Join Dialect & Speech Coach Megan Callahan for a conversation about what goes on behind-the-scenes with voice and character work. Megan will provide background on her process with actors and how she helps them to achieve a particular dialect or accent. She will also share about the evolution of dialect and speech work, how it enriches the creative experience for both actors and audience alike, and how dialects and accents are connected to their respective cultures. 

Talk Back Thursdays: Engage with the Creators! After every Thursday performance, stay for a free Talk Back where members of the creative team discuss their roles and answer your questions about their creative journey.
Thursday, May 29, 2025 at 10:00am
Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 7:30pm
Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 7:30pm

Open Captioned Performance: Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 2:00pm
(Open Captioned Performances: An LED captioning screen, located in the South East corner of the theatre displays the dialogue and any other audio portion of the production in text form in sync with the performance. For questions about reserving seating in view of the captioning signage, please contact ICTC’s Box Office at 716-853-4282 (voice), or email BoxOffice@irishclassical.com.)

Director’s Note by Keelie A. Sheridan

From the first read, I knew Crocodile Fever needed to be on the Irish Classical stage. Set in 1980s Northern Ireland, it hits so many of my favorite notes – dark comedy, sisterhood, revenge, legacy and moments that spiral into the cinematic and surreal. But more than anything, I was drawn to the permission this play gives us to cope with familial and societal dysfunction, trauma, and grief through absurdity and laughter.

Meghan Tyler is a brilliant Northern Irish writer still early in their career, and this play is a thrilling showcase of their voice. It examines a painful chapter of Irish history through a deeply human lens, balancing humor and horror in a way that feels both cathartic and beautifully defiant. Longtime ICTC patrons will recognize the sharp wit of Irish dark comedy here – but halfway through, this play takes a turn. Suddenly, we’re in a world that feels more like Tarantino than traditional theatre – complete with pop culture references, technicolor gore, grit, and unexpected tenderness. I’m especially drawn to texts that defy genre – just when you think you’ve settled into one world, the floor drops out. Crocodile Fever does exactly that, shifting from realism to grotesque surrealism in a way that challenges both its characters and audience.

We see the conflicts of the time played out on macro and micro planes, but at its core, this is a piece about family. I see so much of my dynamic with my own sisters reflected in this play – the friction, the fierce loyalty, the shared shorthand. There’s a raw beauty in the way these characters fight with and for each other. The bonds of sisterhood in this story are messy, brutal, hilarious, and ultimately, healing. As the years go on, I realize more and more how lucky I am to have my sisters – not because our relationship is perfect, but because through the chaos of life, we continually choose to reach for each other, walk alongside each other, forgive each other, and grow together.

Crocodile Fever is a play about rebellion – against family legacies, oppressive systems, ancient orders, and the roles we’ve been assigned in our lives, our communities and our societies. In pursuit of truth and reconciliation, the Devlin sisters have to shed the weight of their past to forge a path forward. I hope you leave this play feeling a bit lighter, freer, and more empowered to face your own demons, lean on your allies, and write your own narrative.

About the Playwright:

Meghan Tyler is an award-winning actor and writer from Newry who trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. They are currently appearing in the lead role of ‘Cora’ in Aurora which was shown at The Mac, Belfast and next at Projects Arts Centre Dublin, directed by Emma Jordan. Other recent stage credits include the role of Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Lyric Theatre, The Gap Year playing multiple roles, the role of Woman in Variant, Elizabeth Bennet on a UK Tour of the Royal Lyceum Theatre’s Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of). Previous to this they played Stella in the critically acclaimed Lyric Production of A Streetcar Named Desire directed by Emma Jordan. Other theatre credits include Medicine for Off the Middle at the Hope Theatre, King Keich, The Perisians, The Weir Sisters for Oran Mor with Traverse Theatre, The Merchant of Venice at Shakespeare’s Globe, The Crucible at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Two Gentlemen of Verona for Guilford Shakespeare Company, Hamlet for Citizen’s Theatre in Glasgow, Secret Show 1 for Blood of the Young at the Tron Theatre, Lovers, Look Back in Anger for the Cumbernaud Theatre, and Nothing to be Done at Setkani/Encounter, Neu/Now Festival and Edinburgh Festival. Screen credits include Almost Never and Shetland for the BBC, The Toll for Western Edge Pictures, Everything will be Okay for BBC Northern Ireland and Scot Squad for Comedy Unit at the BBC. Meghan is an acclaimed writer. Awards include: 2019- Channel 4 Playwrights Bursary, a New Playwrights Award with Playwrights’ Studio Scotland, 2019 – Stewart Parker Award for their play Crocodile Fever which was staged at The Lyric Theatre and Traverse Theatre later in the same year, Meghan was one of the writers on the New Playwrights Programme at The Lyric Theatre and part of the 2022 Convergence cohort at Short Circuit. Writing credits include Medicine, The Persians, Golden Arm Theatre Project, and Nothing to be Done which was awarded the MARTA Award for Best Script.

About the Director:

Keelie A. Sheridan is an award-winning actor, director, choreographer, and filmmaker. She has performed primarily in world premieres of new plays and devised physical theatre and dance pieces at venues including NYC’s The Public Theatre, 3LD, JACK NY, Teatro Circulo, Classic Stage Company and South Oxford Space.  Keelie’s debut feature film, planet b234, received international acclaim and is now available to stream on Amazon Prime. MFA Acting- Brooklyn College. MFA Directing- Trinity College Dublin/ RADA’s The Lir Academy (US Ireland Alliance George J. Mitchell Scholar). AEA & SDC. KeelieSheridan.com

About the Cast:

Cassie Cameron (Alannah Devlin) A multidisciplinary theatre-maker, Cassie works as an actor, designer, and producer. Cassie’s ICTC acting credits include Belfast Girls (Ellen), The Mai (Beck), Golden Boy (Lorna Moon), The Night Alive (Aimee), James Joyce’s The Dead (Lily), The Playboy of the Western World (Pegeen Mike), Blood Brothers (Linda), Lovers (Maggie), The Cavalcaders (Nuala). Recent Buffalo credits include Second Generation Theatre’s Cabaret (Sally Bowles); Road Less Traveled Productions’ The Antipodes (Sarah), The Illusion (Melibea); Kavinoky Theatre’s The Woman in Black (The Woman); All For One Productions at Shea’s 710 Theatre’s The Three Musketeers (Queen Anne); and Buffalo United Artists’ Straight (Emily).

Christopher Guilmet (Peter “Da” Devlin) Locally he has been seen at Ujima, The Kavinoky, Torn Space, Shakespeare in Delaware Park, and ArtPark. He has been seen in productions nationally and internationally in his 30+ years as a professional actor. Favorite Buffalo roles include Mark in People, Places and Things; Scott in American Son, and several roles in Equivocation. He’s also enjoyed playing a vacuum cleaner, Petunia the Dancing Bear, a gorilla, and a trickster coyote. Christopher has been a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional stage actors, for over 25 years.

Jake Hayes (British Soldier) Favorite credits include: ICTC: Hamlet (Guildenstern); Kavinoky: King James; MusicalFare: Ragtime; Curtain Up Productions: The Beauty and the Beast (Beast); RLTP: Little Women Now (Laurie), Superior Doughnuts (Franco); O’Connell & Company: Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey II, Artie Nominated); ArtPark: The Odyssey (Telemachus); Buffalo Boys Productions: Once In My Lifetime (Ty); Raíces Theatre Company: Barcelo on the Rocks (Jaston); SDP: As You Like It (Oliver). 

Anna Krempholtz (Fianna Devlin & Scenic Artist) Anna is a Buffalo-born actor, fight director, and scenic artist. She was previously in ICTC’s productions of ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore as Annabella, Hamlet as Ophelia, and Design for Living as Helen Carver. Other recent WNY credits include The Hobbit (Theatre of Youth), The 39 Steps (Kenan Center), Hundred Days (MusicalFare), Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Woolf (Alleyway), and Tribes (Road Less Traveled Productions). Anna is an Advanced Actor-Combatant with Fight Directors Canada, a stunt performer, and an intimacy coordinator. She is also a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 IATSE and has painted sets in The Andrew’s Theatre since 2017, including this season’s Dorian, The Fitzgeralds of St. Paul, and this production of Crocodile Fever. BFA Niagara University, annakrempholtz.com