Aidan Harney
Encyclopedia
NEW PLAY to be staged by THE FOCUS THEATRE in January 2012 in Bewley's Cafe Theatre, Dublin.
Aidan Harney (born 1973) is an Irish playwright from Dundalk
, Co. Louth.
In 2000, Fishamble Theatre Companyhttp://www.fishamble.com/ staged a public reading of Harney’s first play entitled An Eye for an Eye. In 2001 he was selected to take part in Rough Magic Theatrehttp://www.rough-magic.com Company’s first SEEDS New Writing Initiative and was mentored by Wilson Milam
and Loughlin Deegan.
Writing Credits:
1. A Monarch in Hollywood (Aidan Harney, 2002, Dir. Audrey Devereux). A commission for Rough Magic Theatre Company and Dublin Fringe Festival.
“…Aidan Harney’s writing is dextrous… his dialogue witty and well-judged… ****”
IRISH TIMES, Friday, September 27, 2002: Belinda McKeon
“A Monarch in Hollywood has the atmosphere of a Douglas Sirk melodrama… reveals a playwright who crafts sharp one-liners, has a facility for creating fascinating characters and leaves Irish provincialism a long way behind.”
EVENING HERALD, September 28th, 2002: Luke Clancy
2. Being Miss Ross (Aidan Harney, 2005, Dir. Alice Coughlan of Wonderland Theatre Festival). A staged reading
.
“… while it is wonderfully funny, it is much more than that. Harney has his finger on the pulse of contemporary Dublin life. For all its laughs, Being Miss Ross is a socially engaged and very serious play that tackles some very thorny issues in contemporary Ireland… it is that rare thing in theatre, a play with a lot of head and a lot of heart.”
GCN, May 9th, 2005: Denis Kehoe
3. The Unsuccessful Suicide of Trish O’Malley (Aidan Harney, 2007, Dir. Zoe Seaton) A commission for Red Kettle Theatre Company.
“… manages to get you feeling, thinking and laughing all at the same time.”
IN DUBLIN, May 10th-16th, 2007
4. Titus (Aidan Harney, 2007) for the Dublin Fringe Festival
“A writing style, textured and elegant… with great energy”
IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE, September 2007: Fintan Walsh
5. Submarine Man: The little-known life of John P. Holland (Aidan Harney, 2008, Dir. David Horan) A commission for Upstate Theatre Company. (Re-staged for a second tour in 2009.)
“Beautiful and very lyrical… very much like Synge in some of the language.”
THE ARTS SHOW, RTE RADIO 1, April 16th, 2009: Helen Meeney
“Genuinely gripping… there is no doubting that Harney is a real talent.”
IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE: Fintan Walsh
“A tongue-in-cheek combination of knockabout comedy and Synge-style dialogue. Never a dull moment.”
IRISH MAIL ON SUNDAY
“Wonderful! If you have any kind of passing interest in history and historical figures, in theatre or in comedy you will enjoy this play.”
CULCH.IE, April 14th, 2009
Harney was shortlisted in the international QPlays Series competition run by Compass Theatre, San Diego, USA, for his play Love, Sex, Nicotine (2006).
In 2008, he was selected to attend the Stewart Parker
Trust residency in Annaghmakerrig, Co. Monaghan, Ireland facilitated by Philip Thomas Howard.
In 2009, he was named as one of the participants in The Abbey Theatre’shttp://www.abbeytheatre.ie/ New Playwrights Programme, an 11-month programme built to support six playwrights.
Currently he is under commission for Upstate Theatrehttp://www.upstate.ie/ Company and for the Focus Theatrehttp://focustheatredublin.ie/.
Acting Credits:
‘Digging for Fire’ by Declan Hughes (Dublin & Belfast) 1998. Dir: Peter Daly.
‘Scenes from the New World’ by Eric Bogosian, 1999. Dir: Eibhlin Ní Ruairc.
‘Angels in America: Part I, Millennium Approaches’ by Tony Kushner, 1999. Dir: Roisin Browne.
‘Angels in America: Part II, Perestroika’ by Tony Kushner, 1999. Dir: Peter Daly.
‘In the Bleak MidWinter’ by Kenneth Branagh, 2000. Dir: Delphine Coudray.
Aidan Harney (born 1973) is an Irish playwright from Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
, Co. Louth.
In 2000, Fishamble Theatre Companyhttp://www.fishamble.com/ staged a public reading of Harney’s first play entitled An Eye for an Eye. In 2001 he was selected to take part in Rough Magic Theatrehttp://www.rough-magic.com Company’s first SEEDS New Writing Initiative and was mentored by Wilson Milam
Wilson Milam
Wilson Milam is an American theatre director from Bellevue, Washington. He is a founding member and Artistic Director of The Hired Gun Theatre Company....
and Loughlin Deegan.
Writing Credits:
1. A Monarch in Hollywood (Aidan Harney, 2002, Dir. Audrey Devereux). A commission for Rough Magic Theatre Company and Dublin Fringe Festival.
“…Aidan Harney’s writing is dextrous… his dialogue witty and well-judged… ****”
IRISH TIMES, Friday, September 27, 2002: Belinda McKeon
“A Monarch in Hollywood has the atmosphere of a Douglas Sirk melodrama… reveals a playwright who crafts sharp one-liners, has a facility for creating fascinating characters and leaves Irish provincialism a long way behind.”
EVENING HERALD, September 28th, 2002: Luke Clancy
2. Being Miss Ross (Aidan Harney, 2005, Dir. Alice Coughlan of Wonderland Theatre Festival). A staged reading
Staged reading
A staged reading is a form of theatre without sets or full costumes. The actors, who read from scripts, may be seated, stand in fixed positions, or incorporate minimal stage movement....
.
“… while it is wonderfully funny, it is much more than that. Harney has his finger on the pulse of contemporary Dublin life. For all its laughs, Being Miss Ross is a socially engaged and very serious play that tackles some very thorny issues in contemporary Ireland… it is that rare thing in theatre, a play with a lot of head and a lot of heart.”
GCN, May 9th, 2005: Denis Kehoe
3. The Unsuccessful Suicide of Trish O’Malley (Aidan Harney, 2007, Dir. Zoe Seaton) A commission for Red Kettle Theatre Company.
“… manages to get you feeling, thinking and laughing all at the same time.”
IN DUBLIN, May 10th-16th, 2007
4. Titus (Aidan Harney, 2007) for the Dublin Fringe Festival
“A writing style, textured and elegant… with great energy”
IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE, September 2007: Fintan Walsh
5. Submarine Man: The little-known life of John P. Holland (Aidan Harney, 2008, Dir. David Horan) A commission for Upstate Theatre Company. (Re-staged for a second tour in 2009.)
“Beautiful and very lyrical… very much like Synge in some of the language.”
THE ARTS SHOW, RTE RADIO 1, April 16th, 2009: Helen Meeney
“Genuinely gripping… there is no doubting that Harney is a real talent.”
IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE: Fintan Walsh
“A tongue-in-cheek combination of knockabout comedy and Synge-style dialogue. Never a dull moment.”
IRISH MAIL ON SUNDAY
“Wonderful! If you have any kind of passing interest in history and historical figures, in theatre or in comedy you will enjoy this play.”
CULCH.IE, April 14th, 2009
Harney was shortlisted in the international QPlays Series competition run by Compass Theatre, San Diego, USA, for his play Love, Sex, Nicotine (2006).
In 2008, he was selected to attend the Stewart Parker
Stewart Parker
James Stewart Parker was a Northern Irish poet and playwright.He was born in Sydenham, Belfast, of a Protestant working class family. While still in his teens, he contracted bone cancer and had a leg amputated...
Trust residency in Annaghmakerrig, Co. Monaghan, Ireland facilitated by Philip Thomas Howard.
In 2009, he was named as one of the participants in The Abbey Theatre’shttp://www.abbeytheatre.ie/ New Playwrights Programme, an 11-month programme built to support six playwrights.
Currently he is under commission for Upstate Theatrehttp://www.upstate.ie/ Company and for the Focus Theatrehttp://focustheatredublin.ie/.
Acting Credits:
‘Digging for Fire’ by Declan Hughes (Dublin & Belfast) 1998. Dir: Peter Daly.
‘Scenes from the New World’ by Eric Bogosian, 1999. Dir: Eibhlin Ní Ruairc.
‘Angels in America: Part I, Millennium Approaches’ by Tony Kushner, 1999. Dir: Roisin Browne.
‘Angels in America: Part II, Perestroika’ by Tony Kushner, 1999. Dir: Peter Daly.
‘In the Bleak MidWinter’ by Kenneth Branagh, 2000. Dir: Delphine Coudray.