THE LOVED ONES

By Erica Murray

February 14 – March 2, 2025

North American Premiere Production.

Directed by Kyle LoConti.

Love, loss, and the true nature of birds.

Embark on an unforgettable journey of love, loss, and unexpected connections with the North American Premiere of The Loved Ones by Irish playwright, Erica Murray. Fresh from its success at the 2023 Dublin Theatre Festival, this captivating play, originally co-produced by Rough Magic and The Gate Theatre, Dublin, takes audiences on a poignant exploration of grief and healing.

Join Nell and Orla as they navigate the complexities of loss while hosting Cheryl-Ann, an American visitor seeking solace in the serene landscapes of West Clare. When an unexpected guest arrives, their weekend plans take a surprising turn, revealing the power of human connection in the face of adversity.

Don’t miss this exquisite blend of comedy and tragedy, expertly crafted by one of Ireland’s most promising playwrights. 

Additional Programming:

Open Rehearsal (for Subscribers Only): Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at 6:30pm

Community Matinee Preview ($12/Ticket): Thursday, February 13, 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, February 14, 2025 at 7:30pm

Pay-What-You-Will Performances*: 
Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 2:00pm
Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 7:30pm
Saturday, February 22, 2025 at 7:30pm
Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 7:30pm
(*Purchase in-person at the Box Office on the day of the performance. Seating subject to availability.)

Speaker Series & Special Event Reception: Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 1:30pm
Featuring Distinguished Speaker: Erica Murray, Playwright.

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, February 13, 2025 at 10:00am
Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 7:30pm
Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 7:30pm

Open Captioned Performance: Saturday, February 22, 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.) 

About the Playwright:

Erica Murray is a playwright originally from County Limerick. She has a BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an MFA in Playwriting from The Lir Academy. She is a previous member of the Six in the Attic scheme with the Irish Theatre Institute, the Soho Theatre New Writers course and the Lyric Theatre New Playwrights Programme. Her first play, The Cat’s Mother, toured to London, Edinburgh and the Dublin Fringe Festival in 2018 where it won the Fishamble Award for Best New Writing and was nominated for the Stewart Parker Award. In 2019 she was the Channel 4 writer-in-residence at The Lyric Theatre, Belfast where her play All Mod Cons premiered. She also received the Sonia Friedman Award for her new play The Magnificent. 

About the Director:

Kyle LoConti is delighted to be returning to ICTC where she last directed the 2023 production of Belfast Girls. Directing favorites include Stellaluna (Artvoice Artie Award – Outstanding Direction of a Musical 2017-18) at Theatre of Youth, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (Artie Award – Outstanding Direction of a Play 2020) at The Kavinoky Theatre, the virtual production of The Year of Magical Thinking at Irish Classical Theatre Company, and Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express for All For One Productions (Artie Award – Outstanding Production of a Play 2023.)  LoConti is a retired Professor Emerita from Niagara County Community College where she served as Chair of the Division of Arts, Media & Technology. Big thanks to Keelie and the ICTC team for this opportunity.

About the Cast:

Eileen Dugan (Nell) has performed with many of Buffalo’s theater companies, including ICTC, Jewish Repertory Theatre, Buffalo United Artists, and more than 40 roles at the Kavinoky Theatre. She has also worked as an actor and director for Shakespeare in the Park over many years, and will direct Twelfth Night for next summer’s 50th anniversary season. Eileen has won multiple Artie Awards for acting and directing. She is a long time instructor at Canisius University, and has directed some 50 shows there.  Eileen is the co-artistic director of Red Thread Theatre. 

Rebecca Elkin (Orla) is thrilled to be making her ICTC debut with this team of powerful women. After 15 years in NYC where she worked as a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist, she recently returned to Buffalo to raise her children, maintain her private practice, be close to family, and reengage with this city’s vibrant theatre scene. Rebecca received her BFA in Acting from Syracuse University and her MA in Drama Therapy from New York University. Over the years she has returned to Buffalo to perform with Shakespeare in Delaware Park, Theatre of Youth, Buffalo United Artists, and the Jewish Repertory Theatre. Favorite credits include: Hamlet (Ophelia), Othello (Desdemona), King Lear (Cordelia), and Love’s Labour’s Lost (The Princess of France) with SDP, Kindertransport (Faith) and Beau Jest (Sarah) with JRT, and The Little Dog Laughed (Ellen) with BUA. Rebecca sends out endless love and gratitude to her family whose support makes this work possible (emotionally and logistically) and above all to her incredible husband Bryan for his deeply generous and loving partnership. She dedicates her performance to the tiny loves of her life, Elliot and Esme.

Smirna Mercedes (Cheryl-Ann) is extremely excited for her debut here at Irish Classical Theatre. She has been a registered nurse for more than 20 years, but her real passion has always been performing on stage.  She is a proud disabled Army veteran. Among her favorite roles: Luisa (Botanica), Ho (Hell Hole Honeys), Estela (Real Women Have Curves), Norma (La Gringa), Luz (La Luz de un Cigarrillo), Abuela Claudia (In The Heights), Buffalo Quickies (2020, 2021, 2023). She has also written a play and performed in the ten minute plays of Desde el Puente. You may also have seen her in several local commercials. She has done costume designing for several shows, too!

Ember Tate-Steele (Gabby) holds a BFA in theatre performance from Niagara University. She has worked on productions such as Violet (Music hall singer), Disenchanted! (Princess Who Kissed the Frog), Cookin’ at the Cookery (Young Alberta), Twelfth Night (Ensemble), Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Little Eva/Shirelle) and Crowns (Wanda) at MusicalFare; she has also done Stew (Nelly) and 12 Mo’ Angry Men (Juror 6) at Ujima, and more. She is extremely grateful for the opportunity to work at Irish! She would like to thank her family and especially her Husband Sean for loving and supporting her.