Gúna Nua Readings in The U.S.A.

Artistic Director Paul Meade attends readings of 2 plays in New York and Philadelphia

Gúna Nua Artistic Director

Artistic Director Paul Meade

Paul Meade, artistic director of Gúna Nua is travelling to New York and Philadelphia next week to attend readings of two of his latest plays.

On the 28th of January Inis Nua theatre company in Philadelphia in association with the world famous Mutter Museum will present Begotten Not Made. Originally commissioned by the Irish Council for Bioethics, Meade’s play has already been performed in Farmleigh, The Dail, the Law Society, for Dublin City of Science and on RTE radio.  A winner of the Jim McNaughton bursary at the Business to Arts Awards and specially commended at the Prix d’Italia radio awards Begotten Not Made receives its U.S. premiere this January.  Dealing with extremely topical issues such as assisted suicide and IVF this play is a window into the world of Irish life for American audiences. Begotten Not Made 6.30pm 28th of January in The College of Physicians Philadelphia (Mutter Museum).
Visit Inis Nua Website Here

It’s a busy weekend for Paul Meade as he will also be taking in a public workshop reading of his latest play, Faith with Origin Theatre Company in New York.  Origin has a reputation for presenting the best of Irish work at its 1st Irish Festival and have used their expertise to help Meade to develop Faith which is an exploration of one man’s response to the current economic crisis.  Originally commissioned by the Civic Theatre in Tallaght this contemporary take on depression, religion and family has been developed thanks to an Arts Council bursary scheme.  Origin Artistic Director George Heslin says, ‘Origin is delighted to facilitate the development of New irish writing in this context.  Its an exciting event for our audience and our artists to get involved in.’ Origin’s workshop reading will take place at 3pm on January 26th at Art New York 520 Eighth  Ave.

Visit Origin Theatre Website Here

Begotten Not Made deals with three bioethical issues in their most human form, in three interwoven strands:

  • The first strand tells the story of Gavin and Louisa who are struggling to conceive a child via IVF. Having exhausted all legal options, the couple must decide how far they are willing to go to have a baby.
  • In the second, we meet Brian and Dorothy who are travelling to Switzerland for an assisted suicide. During this story, their faith in God, their decision to opt for assisted suicide and their love for each other are all tested.
  • The third narrative relates to brother and sister John and Susan. John was born as a “saviour sibling” for Susan and his cells were used to save his sister’s life. We watch as the pair sift through their past and attempt to resolve their differences.