February 13, 2024
For immediate release

Contact:
Andrew Wood: 415-399-9554 (o) 415-305-1102 (c) [email protected]

Jay Park: (831) 331-8131 [email protected]

Fishamble: The New Play Company

from The Republic of Ireland Presents the

Northern California Premiere of King.

Calendar Editors Please Note
Who: Fishamble: The New Play Company.
What: King. Written and Performed by Pat Kinevane.
Where: 2868 Mission Street, SF, CA, 94110. Mission Cultural Center.
Date & Time: Wed May 8 & Fri May 10, 8:00pm;
Sat May 11, 3:30pm.
Tickets: Early Bird: $20, Advance: $25, Door: $28.
Box Office and Information: 415-399-9554 or
https://www.sfiaf.org/2024_fishamble

Photos Available on Request

February 13, 2024 San Francisco: San Francisco International Arts Festival (SFIAF) and Irish Culture Bay Area are pleased to announce the Northern California Premiere of King, by the Dublin-based theatre company Fishamble.

“King” tells the story of Luther, a man from County Cork in southern Ireland named in honour of his Granny Bee Baw’s hero, Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Luther only leaves his apartment for essential journeys, and to perform as an Elvis impersonator. The play explores prejudice, privilege, and resilience, as Luther struggles to live life to the full.

Fishamble’s “King” written by and starring Pat Kinevane opened in Ireland in 2023 and transferred to Dance Base as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where it was nominated for the Mental Health Foundation award and named a Pick of the Fringe.

The Fishamble will be performing at the 59E59 Theatres in New York City, and also at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble in Los Angeles, prior to their arrival to San Francisco.

Selected quotes from past media reviews of King:

‘incredibly compelling and poignant narrative’
- Irish Times

‘the stagecraft [is] unsurpassed…immaculate’
- Sunday Independent

‘virtuosic theatricality…excellent…inventive’
- Irish Independent

Fishamble
Fishamble and Pat Kinevane have previously collaborated on “Forgotten,” “Silent,” “Underneath” and “Before” which have won major international awards including Olivier, Fringe First, Herald Archangel, Adelaide Fringe, and Helen Hayes awards. Now, Fishamble and Pat Kinevane, under the direction of Jim Culleton, and with music by Denis Clohessy, return with this very special fifth solo play.

Fishamble discovers, develops and produces new plays of national importance with a global reach. It has toured its productions to audiences throughout Ireland, and to 20 other countries. It champions the role of the playwright, typically supporting over 50% of the writers of all new plays produced on the island of Ireland each year. Fishamble has received many awards in Ireland and internationally, including an Olivier Award.

Fishamble was last in San Francisco in May of 2023, with the celebrated presentation of The Humours of Bandon.

Pat Kinevane (Playwright & Performer)
Pat Kinevane is a native of Cobh, Co. Cork. He has worked as an actor in theatre, film, television and radio for 33 years. In 2016 Pat won a Laurence Olivier Award in London for his Outstanding Achievement as an Actor and a Writer this year. This prestigious award was shared with Fishamble and Jim Culleton who have been integral to the Production and Direction of Pat’s four Solo Shows. As a writer he completed his first full length play "The Nun’s Wood" in 1997 which won a BBC Stewart Parker Trust Award and was produced by Fishamble. Fishamble then produced his second play "The Plains of Enna" (Dublin Theatre Festival 1999). Pat wrote "The Death of Herod" for Mysteries 2000 at the SFX. In 2008 his piece "Evangeline Elsewhere" premiered in New York in the First Irish Festival.

Jim Cullerton (Director)
Jim Culleton is the Artistic Director of Fishamble: The New Play Company, for which he has directed productions on tour throughout Ireland, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US. His productions for Fishamble have won Olivier, The Stage, Scotsman Fringe First, and Irish Times Best Director awards. Jim has directed for the Abbey, the Gaiety, the Belgrade, 7:84 Scotland, Project, Amharclann de hÍde, Tinderbox, Passion Machine, the Ark, Second Age, Dundee Rep, CoisCéim/Crash Ensemble/GIAF, Frontline Defenders, Amnesty International, Little Museum of Dublin, Fighting Words, Scripts Festival, and Baptiste Programme. He has directed audio plays for Audible, BBC, RTÉ Radio 1, and RTÉ lyric fm.

Denis Clohessy (Composer)
Denis has previously worked with Fishamble, including the productions "The Treaty," "On Blueberry Hill," "The Pride of Parnell Street," "Silent," "Underneath," "Spinning," "Mainstream" and "Strandline." He has also produced work for theatre and dance with The Abbey Theatre, The Gate Theatre, Rough Magic, Corn Exchange, Junk Ensemble and many others. He won the Irish Times theatre award for Best Design Sound in 2011 for Rough Magic’s "Sodome, My Love." Denis has also composed extensively for film and television.

Funding Credits: These performances were funded in part by: Culture Ireland and co-presented with Irish Culture Bay Area

SFIAF 2024 is made possible in part by the support of Bernard Osher Foundation, California Arts Council, California Office of the Small Business Advocate, California Venues Grant, Grants for the Arts, New Place Fund and the Further Foundation, the Western Arts Federation (WESTAF) and many generous individuals.

~XXX~