Emerson Theater Collaborative is bringing playwright and director Jeffrey Kagan-McCann’s play “Black Irish” to Sedona United Methodist Church, 110 Indian Cliffs Road.
The Friday, Feb. 6, show starts with a reception at 6 p.m. before the performance at 7 p.m., a Saturday, Feb. 7, show at 7 p.m., and a Sunday, Feb. 8, performance at 2 p.m.
“Black Irish” follows Ruairí Phelan, a young African-American man who travels to a small Irish farming town outside Dublin in search of his grandfather’s family and his own heritage.
Armed with his late grandfather’s final, undelivered letter after most of the previous messages were returned to sender, Ruairí arrives on the doorstep of relatives who believed Uncle Patrick died decades ago — unaware he has been living in America all this time.
“I wanted to bring ‘Black Irish’ to Sedona because it’s a comedy, and it’s very different from the current moment, when people are trying to figure out who they are and where they come from,” Emerson Theater producer Camilla Ross said. “I thought it offered an interesting perspective that
people come from different walks of life, that we’re all made up of so many amazing cultures and that sometimes people forget where they come from. Being here is really a privilege.”
The play explores themes of heritage and belonging, inspired by Kagan-McCann’s own questions about his ancestry.
“It’s basically about family researching,” Kagan- McCann said, who began developing this work 15 years ago. What started as a one-act production for the Seattle Fringe Festival has evolved into a two-act play that’s “more detail oriented, more involved with the characters and the history of the characters … more heartfelt.”
The production features an ensemble of seven actors: James Yaw, Nicole Morin, Elijah Manning, Audrey Young, Joel Austin, Joan Westmoreland and Sean Spencer, with Michael Vernon Davis performing the voice of Patrick Phelan. Ross said she assembled a mix of returning ETC veterans and new faces.
“She is the heart of this show,” Kagan-McCann said of Westmoreland who plays the grandmother. “I think a lot of people will feel that she represents them when it comes to reconnecting with a lost relative.”
“Joel Austin puts everything he has into his work,” Ross says. “When I asked him about ‘Black Irish,’ he immediately called me back and said, ‘I’ll do it.’ The cast includes actors traveling from Connecticut and California, who rehearsed via Zoom for months before coming together in Sedona.
“Audrey Young from Flagstaff is coming back again. Her ability to create characters that are very depth-ful in nature is beautiful.”
Kagan-McCann said he hopes Sedona audiences will embrace his style of weaving drama with comedy, pointing to “the humor, the love, the family connection, the rowdiness of the family,” and find ways the show relates to their own experiences. He envisions spectators falling in love with the characters while enjoying what he describes as “a good old-fashioned comedy-drama.”
“This is my first time in Arizona and hope to come back next year with another show that I hope people enjoy,” Kagan-McCann said.
Tickets are available online at bit.ly/etc-tickets-black-irish. For additional information, contact Ross at (860) 705-9711.
There are no door sales for the Friday performance and tickets for that performance must be purchased online.