The competition considered a total of nine productions, which come from Belfast, Dublin, L.A. and New York
The McGowan Trilogy won three awards: Best Actress, which went to Anna Nugent; Best Director, which went to Kira Simring; and Best Design. The Irish Repertory Theatre's Port Authority garnered two prizes: Best Actor, which went to Peter Maloney; and Best Production.
Dylan Coburn Gray, a senior at Trinity College in Dublin, won the award for outstanding playwriting for Boys and Girls, which followed four college-age Dubliners' nightlife. The play, which he also directed, played 59E59 Theaters and received a special jury prize for its ensemble cast of four that included Claire O'Reilly, Maeve O'Mahony, Sean Doyle and Ronan Carey.
The panel of judges included Mint Theater's artistic director Jonathan Bank, casting director Stephanie Klapper, Fox News senior producer Marvin Himelfarb and TheaterMania.com managing editor Andy Lefkowitz.
The festival, which is curated and coordinated by the New York-based Origin Theatre Company, ran Sept. 3-28. It is the only theatre festival dedicated to Irish playwrights. Visit 1stIrish.org for more information.
