“Corktown ’57” by John Fazakerley

LOS ANGELES - March 5, 2015 - PRLog -- An Irish-American family is ripped apart by divided loyalties in this powerful new drama. Emotions run high and battle lines are drawn when familyand political allegiances collide in the Philadelphia community known as “Corktown,” a hotbed of pro-Irish activity that reached its climax in the late 1950s — a time when Irish Republican Army splinter groups had begun to advocate violence against civilian targets as a strategy to drive Britain out of Ireland

“The play is a fiction, but it’s inspired by memories of my family,” says playwright Fazakerley, who was motivated by a shoebox of old photographs he discovered after his father died – including a 1948 photo of his grandfather holding him as a baby. That photo is now the poster for this production.

“My grandfather was an unrepentant Irish Republican who wouldn’t give up the fight,” the playwright continues. “In his last days, he came to live with us, and I became his caretaker. He would regale me with stories of the family coming to America. Though I knew he was highly political, I never realized what that meant until I began to question family elders, who would entertain me with stories of Grandpop.”

Corktown ’57 features Nate Tate (Space: 1999, Sons and Daughters) as the family patriarch who, when told he has six months to live, hatches a scheme to regain his status in the eyes of the Irish Republican movement. Irish-born actors Andrew Connolly and Kevin P. Kearns (previously seen in Milam-directed productions of The Lieutenant of Inishmore and Poor Beast in the Rain) take on the roles of Mike’s eldest son, John (regarded as a turncoat to the family because he joined the reviled British military) and his son-in-law, Ciaran, an IRA activist. The story takes place in the remodeled basement of youngest son Frank and his wife Janice, played by John Ruby (Touch – winner Best Actor, Studio City Film Festival) and Eve Danzeisen (numerous productions at The Old Globe including The Winter’s Tale, Macbeth, Uncle Vanya, Lobby Hero and more); their son, Johnny, is performed by 12-year old Jonah Beres. Mike’s daughters, Kaitlin, a devout sympathizer to the Irish cause, and Marie, are played respectively by Rebecca Tilney (The Dinosaur Within at The Theatre @ Boston Court) and Belen Greene (Wedding Band, The Curse of Oedipus and Peace In Our Time at Antaeus). Rounding out the cast is Josh Clark (Peace In Our Time, Oedipus, The Autumn Garden and Tonight at 8:30 with Antaeus) who plays Tim Flynn, a family cousin and the local IRA commander.

Corktown ’57 opens for press on March 28 and continues through May 3. Performances take place Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. There will be two preview performances, on Thursday, March 26 and Friday, March 27, both at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 on Fridays and Sundays and $30 on Saturdays; previews are $15. The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, 90025. For reservations and information, call (323) 960-5770.