In a new partnership with Ireland’s Abbey Theatre, Fund for Irish Studies Co-chair and Director of the Program in Theater & Music Theater Jane Cox moderates a conversation on running a national theater with the Abbey’s Artistic Director Caitríona McLaughlin and Head of Producing Jen Coppinger.
The Fund for Irish Studies Series is co-chaired by Cox and Robert Spoo, Princeton’s Leonard L. Milberg ’53 Professor in Irish Letters.
About the Guest Artists
Caitríona McLaughlin
Caitríona McLaughlin/ Photo credit: Richard Gilligan
Caitríona McLaughlin is currently Artistic Director / Co-Director of the Abbey Theatre. Recent productions include Audrey or Sorrow by Marina Carr (in a co-production with Landmark Productions); The Weir by Conor McPherson; Translations by Brian Friel (an Abbey Theatre and Lyric Theatre, Belfast co-production) and winner of “Best Play Revival” at the 2022 UK Theatre Awards; and iGirl by Marina Carr.
McLaughlin was previously Associate Director at the Abbey Theatre from 2017-2020, where her productions included: The Great Hunger by Patrick Kavanagh; Citysong by Dylan Coburn Gray; On Raftery’s Hill by Marina Carr; and Two Pints by Roddy Doyle. She also worked with theatre and opera companies on both sides of the border, including Wexford Opera, HotForTheatre, Irish National Opera, The Local Group, and Landmark Productions.
Prior to moving into directing, McLaughlin worked as a drama facilitator in Northern Ireland with young people and in conflict resolution. In London, she directed numerous productions, focusing primarily on new writing, and collaborated with the Royal Court in sourcing and developing a new theatre space. She was awarded a Clore Fellowship in 2007 and subsequently spent six summers with LAByrinth Theatre Company in New York developing new plays and directing a number of plays including Killers and other Family, as well as plays at Atlantic Theatre, Rattlestick, and Bard Summerscape.
Jen Coppinger
Jen Coppinger. Photo courtesy of Jen Coppinger
Jen Coppinger joined the Abbey Theatre as Head of Producing in January 2018. She produces the shows that are performed both at the Abbey Theatre, on its Abbey and Peacock stages, as well as touring shows out of the Abbey. She also fosters the relationships that lead to the co-production of work and is responsible for new theater work, touring work and productions of existing plays.
Previously, Coppinger worked as Producer for HotForTheatre, TheEmergencyRoom and United Fall as well as with independent artists such as Kevin Barry, Paul Curley, Jody O’Neill, Shane O’Reilly, Raymond Scannell and Dylan Tighe. She has toured work extensively in Ireland and internationally including a production of riverrun at the Lewis Center for the Arts in 2014.
Coppinger was Project Manager for the Laureate for Irish Fiction Anne Enright from 2015-2018 for the Arts Council of Ireland, and she was Manager of Rough Magic Seeds. She was Chairperson of Youth Theatre Ireland and United Fall and has sat on the boards of Theatre Forum, Dublin Fringe Festival, and Recovery through Art, Drama and Education (RADE).
Admission & Details
The lecture is free and open to the public; no advance tickets or registration required.
Directions
Get directions to the James Stewart Film Theater, located on the first floor at 185 Nassau Street.
Accessibility
The James Stewart Film Theater is an accessible venue. Visit our Venues and Studios section for accessibility information at our various locations. Guests in need of access accommodations are invited to contact the Lewis Center at 609-258-5262 or email LewisCenter@princeton.edu at least one week in advance of the event date.
