Irish playwright's work is a good fit for troupe
These days, Irish playwright Conor McDermottroe can be found in Dublin editing his feature film "Occi Versus the World," based on his one-act play "Swansong," which won strong reviews in New York, Edinburgh, and London.
"It's my first feature and I am absolutely thrilled," says McDermottroe by phone. "Things are happening."
He's also thrilled that the Boston-based Tir Na Theatre Company is presenting "Swansong" and a new one-act play by McDermottroe, "Bottom of the Lake," at the Boston Center for the Arts' Plaza Black Box theater through March 14.
"I read the play 'Swansong' and I liked it a lot," says Colin Hamell, Tir Na Theatre's producing artistic director. "It's a one-man show about a dark subject matter, and it's Irish. And then I read 'Bottom of the Lake' and I really, really loved that piece. I thought, 'Here's an opportunity to do a brand new show.' It's also kind of dark and haunting material. And it packs a punch."
It's a real coup for the fledgling company, whose ambitious goal for the past two years has been to present new and contemporary works first in Boston, Cape Cod, and New York and then overseas in places like Brussels and Dublin.
"I know. I am absolutely mad," says Hammell, on a break from overseeing rehearsals. "Our first show, 'Stones in His Pockets,' we sold out every night. We made money. It was rewarding doing it [in Brussels]. We just hope to get the same reception in Boston this time around and keep it going."
"Swansong" is about the tragic life of Occi Byrne, played by Irish actor Tim Ruddy. A murderer who grew up on the skids in western Ireland re-lives his childhood while staring at a swan in the lake. He wonders where it all went wrong.
He has had to deal with the stigma of being fatherless and poor. He's both sad and enraged at having an alcoholic mother. And woven throughout the play are the travails of mental illness, deep love, and frustration. The play has an explosive ending.
"I grew up on the west coast of Ireland, and there was a huge stigma for children who did not have an iconic mother and father figure," says McDermottroe. "Life was hard on them. And I remember I was scared of these children. When kids are pushed to the outer circles of society they either sink or swim. And they would take their frustrations out on other kids. It was rough."
"Bottom of the Lake" easily fits in as a companion piece, says McDermottroe. The first day of every year is the opening of the fishing season. And the first salmon caught in January is prized. "Restaurants will pay a huge, exorbitant price to have this prestigious fish," McDermottroe says. "So these amateur fishermen would go out and take their chances getting the fish, sometimes with tragic results."
In this play, two men take on the journey, which has a surprise ending.
"When Colin asked me about 'Swansong' and 'Bottom of the Lake' as a sister piece, I just thought it was great," McDermottroe says, laughing. "Here we are putting on a world premiere in Boston. I hope that I will get over there to see it."
Information: 617-933-8600, www.tirnatheatre.org
Other main-stage shows include "Mister Roberts," the Tony Award-winning classic by Thomas Heggen and Joshua Logan about a World War II officer who tries to boost the morale of his crew in the South Pacific; David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow," about an ambitious woman who interferes with business partners trying to create a film; and "Hot Mikado," a jazz, swing, and blues-infused adaptation by David H. Bell of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Mikado."
Warner will direct "Mister Roberts," "Indulgences," and "Hot Mikado."
Also in the Downstage @ New Rep series is "2.5 Minute Ride," a one-woman show by Lisa Kron that traces funny and sobering moments with her Jewish family. And New Rep will maintain its holiday traditions with Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" and David Sedaris's "The Santaland Diaries".
Information: 617-923-8487, www.newrep.org
Megan Tench can be reached at mtench@globe.com. 