About

Milwaukee Irish Arts (Cumann Ealaín Éireannach Milwaukee)s a group dedicated to the initiation, presentation and promotion of Irish and Irish American arts in the Midwest with emphasis on theatre, film and the visual arts. We have offered an ongoing program of cultural events since 1983 when we first introduced theatre performance as part of Milwaukee Irish Fest.

Over the past 17 years Milwaukee Irish Arts has brought to the local stage over one hundred works from the canon of Irish and Irish American drama. Our production of The Wake at Milwaukee’s Performing Arts Center brought Steve Allen to town for what he termed a “masterful creation” of his play. We imported the Abbey Theatre’s Ray Yeates to direct Philadelphia, Here I Come, which provided an early opportunity for young actor Barry McEvoy, who has gone on to star on Broadway with Jason Robards and Blyth Danner. We brought the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland to the Pabst Theatre for a spectacular concert that the local press called “the cultural bargain of the year.” Our presentation of Belfast actress Maggie Cronin’s A Most Notorious Woman played to full houses and rave reviews.

Milwaukee Irish Arts produces the Theatre Tent at Irish Fest in Milwaukee, one of the largest Irish festivals in the United States if not the world. In addition to arranging performances from around the country as well as from Ireland, it mounts its own productions for this event. In the last few years, the group has presented “Bedtime Story” by Sean O’Casey, “Lovers: Loser” by Brian Friel, “Thirst” by Flan O’Brian.

Milwaukee Irish Arts is one of the founders of the Acting Irish International Theatre Festival.

We thank you, the Milwaukee Irish Community and Milwaukee Irish Arts patrons, for helping us to continue to act as a springboard for new writers and performers.

Go néirí an t-ádh linn!

John Gleeson
Artistic Director

Past Productions

2022	Dean Man’s Bells Bring Your A Game Casey at the Bat Casey Bats Again Melody Julia Elizabeth Thirst	Méabh de Brún Méabh de Brún Ernest Lawrence Thayer Grantland Rice Deirdre Kinahan James Stephens Flann O’Brien
2021	Fred and Jane Forgive Me, Father Casey at the Bat	Sebastian Barry Kelly Younger Ernest Lawrence Thayer
2019	Bloomsday** The Quiet Land	Steven Dietz Malachy McKenna
2018	The Good Father** A Couple of Blaguards	Christian O’Reilly Frank and Malachy McCourt
2017	Little Gem** Fred and Jane	Elaine Murphy Sebastian Barry
2016	The Plough and The Stars**	Sean O’Casey
2015	Moment**	Deirdre Kinahan
2014	Halcyon Days**	Deirdre Kinahan
2013	Eclipsed**	Patricia Burke Brogan
2012	White Woman Street** Melody	Sebastian Barry Deirdre Kinahan
2011	Lover: Losers Thirst	Brian Friel Flann O’Brien
2010	Bedtime Story Oscar Wilde	Sean O’Casey Michael Kane
2009	In High Germany	Dermot Bolger
2008	The Blowin of Baile Gall*	Ronan Noone
2007	From These Green Heights*	Dermot Bolger
2006	An Irish Play*	Dan O’Brien
2005	O Parnassus*	Hugh Carr
2003	The Weir* Lady Gregory Presents The Spraying of John O’Dorey Backwater Michelin and The Workhouse Ward Mistaken Identity: Two Scenes The Rising of the Moon Amazon In the Shadow of the Glen Did Your Mother Come from Ireland *Eclipsed	Conor McPherson Margaret Rogers John B Keane John B Keane Lady Gregory Lady Gregory Lady Gregory Susan Knight J M Synge P Clerkin/L O’Connell Patricia Burke Brogan
2002	Molly Sweeney** Julia Elizabeth Lady Gregory’s Ghost A Galway Girl Last Epiaph of a Wise Man Watchdog Brace Yourself Bridget The Londonderry Aire A Pound on Demand *Da	Brian Friel James Stephens Margaret Rogers Geraldine Aron Dennis Regan Tara Maria Lovett Josephine Craven/Frank Gleeson Rachel Field Sean O’Casey Hugh Leonard
2001	The Cavalcaders* George M Cohen – A Tribute Maeve’s Party	Billy Roche John Gleeson Margaret Rodgers
2000	Once Upon a Bloom The Au Pair Man* The Brown Man Thirst	Denis Regan Hugh Leonard Vincent Woods Flann O Brien
1999	Riders to the Sea Faint Voices Clancy Close-Up The Nightingale Not the Lake J The Midnight Court In the Shadow of the Glen The Gold Beyond the Sea The Country Boy**	J.M. Synge John McKenna Liam Clancy Jennifer Johnston Inishfree Arts J.M. Synge Eamonn O’Neill John Murphy
1998	Who Fears to Speak A Little Cloud The Marlboro Man Letters of a Matchmaker The Wife of the Red Haired Man Cathleen ní Houlihan The End of the Beginning Greatest Hits Blood Guilty	Ceoltori an Aonaigh Joyce/O’Meara Clare Dowling J.B. Keane Christine Lawton W.B. Yeats Sean O’Casey
1997	Purgatory Ceolchoirm Oireachtais Mheiricea Shaw 2 Beckett It’s Like this, Mr. Rosenstock Laohraigh Loingseach Spreading the News Closing time Landing on the Moon Deirdre The Broken Jug**	W.B. Yeats G.B. Shaw Samual Beckett Denis Regan Tadgh O’Rudai Lady Gregory Peter Finlay Dunne Joe Gahagan W.B. Yeats John Banville
1996	Island Wedding Agalaimh Bheirte Blood Molly and James Skalpeen Feeney Hughie Na Laethanta Atá Thart Maggie Murphy’s Home Harrigan, Moll**	Charlie Lennon Joe Steven O’Neachtain Larry Kirwan Shelia Walsh Josephine Craven Eugene O’Neill Ceoltoirí an Aonaigh Harrigan, Gleeson & Williams J.B. Keane
1995	The Tinker’s Wedding Tactics Sidewalks of Amerikay Like the Sun Trocaire Famine I, Do Not Like Thee Dr. Fell**	Synge Moylan Gleeson Warkentin Snopek Murphy Farrell
1994	Jerry Finnegan’s Sister In the Deep Heart’s Core Myles of Laughter O’Flaherty, V.C. Words and Music Landscape with Rose The Death of Cuchulainn Scoiriocht The Poker Session**	Jack Neary W.B. Yeats Flann O’Brien George Bernard Shaw Samuel Beckett Denis Regan W.B. Yeats Irish Folk Cabaret Hugh Leonard
1993	Philadelphia, Here I Come! In High Germany Siamsa Connemara The Cat and the Moon Riders to the Sea Teresa’s Creed The Quest One Hell of a Do	Brian Friel Dermot Bolger Clann Mealoid W.B. Yeats J.M. Synge Michael Cook Iomha Ildanach Production Kenny/Short
1992	The Wake The Tenor and the Troubadour Beckett on a Bench Bon Voyage Brendan It’s My Shout A Pound on Demand	Steve Allen Gleeson Beckett/O’Meara Mulhern Kenny/Short O’Casey
1991	Fare thee Well Sirens Fugue The Bawd and the Beautiful Joyicity Skin of a Crocodile	Gleeson Snopek/Rogers O’Neill Joyce/O’Connor Keane/O’Meara
1990	A Pint of Playin A Common Home The Road to Garnabaher Being Behan Beckett, Joyce et Beckettesque *Da	Gleeson Handleman McCarthy Lynskey Denis Regan Hugh Leonard
1989	Frankly Speaking Behan at Large Lovers Importance of Being Oscar Borderlands Mongan’s Frenzy Many Young Men of Twenty	O’Connor/O’Neill Lynskey Friel McLiammoir/O’Meara McGuiness Gleeson J.B. Keane
1988	A Dublin Saunter On the Outside Mr. Joyces’s Dublin Encounters Thirst A Full Moon in March Juno and the Paycock	Gleeson Murphy Regan O’Brien Yeats O’Casey
1987	They Feed Christians to Lions Around Here, Don’t They? The Wearing of the Green Spreading the News A Noble Call Sive	Harvey Griffin Lady Gregory Regan/Gleeson J.B. Keane
1986	Chance and Circumstance The Excursion Stout Shapes Anniversary Day in the Committee Room	Regan/Gleeson Rogers Gleeson Regan/O’Meara
1985	The Shadow of a Gunman In the Shadow of the Glen Twenty-Five – A Losing Hand	O’Casey J.M. Synge Lady Gregory
1984	Bedtime Story On the Outside	Sean O’Casey Tom Murphy
1983	The Death of Cuchulainn	W.B Yeats

** Performed by Milwaukee Irish Arts at the Acting Irish International Theatre Festival