'Made by God' by Ciara Ní Chuirc ’21 to Premiere at Irish Rep

Made by God, a new play by Playwriting alumna and New York-based Irish writer Ciara Ní Chuirc ‘21, will have its world premiere at Irish Rep. The play will run from February 11 through March 20 at the W. Scott McLucas Theatre. Tickets are on sale now. 

The play centers on a small town in Ireland. In 1984, when fifteen-year-old Ann is found dead with her newborn baby in Our Lady’s Grotto at the edge of town, the tragedy rips Ireland apart and haunts it for years to come. Decades pass, and American podcaster, Eva, travels to Ireland on a pilgrimage. Eva begins to investigate more about Ann and her final days. However,  her own secret past continues to follow her. Throughout her journey, she meets Michael, Ann’s boyfriend. Together, the two strangers try to find peace.

Made by God is inspired by the true and tragic story of the 1984 death of Ann Lovett and her newborn baby in Granard, County Longford. The circumstances of her pregnancy and death were reportedly unknown to everyone, including her family. At the time of Ann’s death, no social services were open to the pregnant teen. Shortly before Ann’s death, a referendum in Ireland established the 8th Amendment, which states that the right to life of an unborn child is equal to the life of a pregnant woman. In 2018, shortly after the main events of Made by God are set, the 8th Amendment was repealed.

Current Dramaturgy student Zhe Pan is also working on the play as dramaturg. 

Ciara Ní Chuirc is an Irish writer and a member of Elephant Run District theatre company in New York City. Her work has been performed in the Samuel Beckett Theatre and Project Arts Centre (Dublin); Theatre Exile (Philadelphia); The Kennedy Center (Washington, DC); and The Tank, Irish Arts Center, Schapiro Theatre, Kraine Theater, and the Studio Theater (NYC). She was selected as an emerging playwright by the Stewart Parker Trust and Play On (Dublin Theatre Festival). Her plays have been developed with Theatre Exile and The University of the Arts (Philadelphia), Fishamble Theatre Company and Dublin Theatre Festival (Dublin); and Elephant Run District Theatre Company (New York). She was a 2018 finalist and 2020 semifinalist for the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.