Winners of the 11th annual Original 1st Irish Theatre Festival Awards were announced January 28 during the closing ceremony of the two-week event.
Alone It Stands was named Best Production, with On Blueberry Hill (produced by Fishamble: The New Play Co in Dublin) earning Best Actor for Niall Buggy and Best Design and The Morning After the Life Before (produced by Dublin鈥檚 G煤na Nua Theatre) winning Best Actress for Lucia Smyth and Best Director for Paul Meade.
Winning Best Playwright was Galway-born playwright Ronan Noone for The Smuggler, with the festival鈥檚 Special Jury Prize awarded to Blinkered (produced by Sole Purpose Productions) for bringing 鈥渄ifficult social topics into non-traditional theatre settings.鈥� The Bairbre Dowling Spirit of the Festival Award was presented to Maria Deasy (Inside Danny鈥檚 Box).
The Origin 1st Irish Awards also honored The Ferryman star Fionnula Flanagan with a Special Lifetime Achievement Award.
This year鈥檚 panel of judges included the actors Jenny Sterlin and Patrick Boll, theatre book publisher Glenn Young, and casting director Christine McKenna. Local Irish personality Sophie Colgan of the American Irish Historical Society hosted the ceremony.
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