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The NOLA Project Show ArchiveThe Cripple of Inishmaan The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh Directed by James Tripp August 2005: Nims Blackbox Theatre, NOCCA|Riverfront (run completed at the HERE Arts Center in NYC in October 2005) Alex Martinez Wallace: Johnnypateenmike Andrew Larimer: Cripple Billy Angela Vitale: Kate Janet Shea: Eileen Kathlyn Tarwater: Helen Pete McElligott: Babbybobby Sean Glazebrook: Mammy Will Connolly: Bartley Michael Cahill: Doctor McSharry Gary Solomon, Jr.: Lighting Design Jenni-Lee Crewe: Set Design Mignon Charvet: Costume Design Peter McElligott: Sound Design Nick Frederick: Sound Design; Technical Director Richard Alexander Pomes: Prop Master; Publicity; Production Assistant Whitney Thompson: Stage Manager; Production Assistant Erica Carlson: Crew Nathan Thomas: Crew David Robinson: Crew Elliot Hatheway: Crew Andrew Larimer: Producer Michael P. Cahill: Production Assistant Kathlyn Tarwater: Production Assistant As word arrives that the Hollywood director Robert Flaherty is coming to the neighboring Irish island of Inishmore to film MAN OF ARAN, the one person who wants to be in the film more than anybody is young Cripple Billy, if only to break away from the bitter tedium of his daily life. awards 2006 Stoorer Boone Award for Best Drama 2006 Stoorer Boone Award for Best Actress in a Drama: Janet Shea 2006 Marquee Award for Best Drama some personal history… The Cripple of Inishmaan, or simply ‘Cripple’ as company members have come to know it, was our first production and our introduction to the great city of New Orleans. Coming down to a decision between the Robert E. Lee and Jerome Lawrence-penned The Night Thorough Spent in Jail and Cripple in early spring of 2005, the company voted to produce Cripple given its black comic appeal, colorful character roles, and ultimately touching humanity. While rehearsing and performing Cripple at NOCCA|Riverfront, the entire company, save for established local actors Janet Shea and Michael Cahill, lived in the confines of the Larimer homes owned by Artistic Director Andrew Larimer’s parents, Cathy and Robert. Mattresses and beds filled rooms, dinners were eaten together, and a love affair with New Orleans was quickly established. The production itself was met with an extremely enthusiastic reception, hailed by Times Picayune Theatre Critic David Cuthbert and enthusiastically supported by Irish songster Danny O’Flaherty whose bar the company frequently attended after rehearsals and performances. Sadly, the run was cut one week short by the emergence of Katrina. Though we completed the run at the HERE Arts Center in NYC, with both Janet and Michael traveling north to reprise their roles, the company’s future remained unclear. As we sped away from the gathering storm in various directions that August, none of us understood the magnitude of change we were about to experience. Nor did we know when we would ever see New Orleans again. |
