Eugene O'Neill Festival ​Announces Upcoming Events

From the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Tao House: Irish blarney and music mixed with two notable Irish-themed plays marks the September Eugene O’Neill Festival in Danville, sponsored by the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Tao House.

Many of the events will take place at the Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site in the Danville hills where playwright O’Neill lived from 1937—1944 and where he wrote his most important plays, including Long Day’s Journey in Night, The Iceman Cometh and A Touch of the Poet. Eugene O’Neill is the only American playwright to be honored with the Nobel Prize for Literature.

“We want the Festival to reflect the experience of the Irish both in Ireland and America,” says Eric Fraisher Hayes, the O’Neill Foundation’s director of artistic programs.

The 18th annual Eugene O’Neill Festival opens with performances September 1-17 of John Millington Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World (1907), performed by Role Players Ensemble at the Village Theater (233 Front Street in downtown Danville).

Written at Tao House, O’Neill’s A Touch of the Poet (1942), will be presented in the Old Barn theater at the Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site in the Danville hills, September 16-30.

“Both plays feature characters who swear by a fantastic story of heroic deeds only to have their stories catch up with them,” says Hayes. “Their reckonings are both comedic and tragic, displaying the resilience of the Irish people.”

Tickets for these productions are available beginning August 1 at www.villagetheatreshows.com. or by calling (925) 314-3400.

More tales will be told at “Ballads and Blarney: An Evening of Traditional Irish Music and Song,” planned for Thursday, September 7 at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley (205 Railroad Avenue, Danville). The festivities begin at 7:00 p.m. A lively program featuring Donagh McKeown of San Francisco’s Irish Cultural Center will mix story-telling and music with beer and pretzels.

The 18th Eugene O’Neill Festival will also include the Second Annual “Hike to Tao House” on Sunday, September 10 beginning at 9:00 a.m. from downtown Danville to Tao House; and “The Secrets of O’Neill’s Danville,” a guided walking tour of downtown on Saturday, September 9, departing at 1:00 p.m. from the O’Neill Commemorative on Front Street.

Details on all Festival activities are available on the Foundation’s website: eugeneoneill.org.

The Eugene O’Neill Festival is sponsored by the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Tao House, serving in partnership with the National Park Service.

Schedule for 18th Eugene O’Neill Festival – August/September, 2017

Festival Previews

Monday, August 14, 7:00 p.m. Eric Fraisher Hayes hosts a preview of the 18th Annual O’Neill Festival at Danville Library, 400 Front Street, Danville, CA

Thursday, August 17, 7:00 p.m. Eric Fraisher Hayes hosts a preview of the 18th Annual O’Neill Festival at Lafayette Library & Learning Center, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette, CA

Ballads and Blarney: An Evening of Traditional Irish Music & Song

Thursday, September 7, 7:00 p.m. Irish “craic” – along with traditional Irish music and story-telling. Beer and pretzels. At Museum of the San Ramon Valley, 205 Railroad Avenue, Danville. Featuring Donagh McKeown and guests from the Irish Cultural Center in San Francisco. Admission: $20.00, Reserve at www.villagetheatreshows.com

“The Secrets of O’Neill’s Danville”

Saturday, September 9, 1:00 p.m. Join Beverly Lane, former Foundation President, for a guided walk in downtown Danville to explore sights from O’Neill’s days in town. Departs from the O’Neill Commemorative across from the Danville Library on Front Street. Free.

Parks & Plays: A Hike to Tao House

Sunday, September 10, beginning at 9:00 a.m. across from the Danville Library on Front Street. A moderate hike from the O’Neill Commemorative to Tao House, led by Tom Leatherman, NPS Superintendent, and Trudy McMahon, former Foundation President. Advance registration by September 5 required for participants. E-mail to taohouse.eonf@gmail.com.

The Playboy of the Western World - by John Millington Synge.

Village Theatre, 233 Front Street, Danville, CA. A young man comes to town with a wild story about killing his father. Instead of condemning him, the people of the village are fascinated with the tale and elevate the young man to hero status, until his “story” follows him to town. Performances: September 1, 2, 8, 9, 15 at 8:00 p.m. and September 3, 10, 16, 17, at 2:00 p.m. Tickets at: www.villagetheatreshows.com.

A Touch of the Poet - by Eugene O’Neill

Old Barn at O’Neill National Historic Site in Danville. Once a year, Major Cornelius Melody dawns his old military uniform and revels in the glory of past battles. This year, fantasy and reality clash as Melody faces the possibility that he is no longer the hero he once was. Performances: September 16, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 at 8:00 p.m. and September 24 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets at: www.villagetheatreshows.com. Note: transportation to Tao House is by NPS shuttle from the Museum of the San Ramon Valley, beginning 1 ½ hours before performance time.

Pre-Show Picnic Dinners at Tao House

Gourmet box dinners can be reserved for a pre-show picnic on Tao House grounds for each evening performance of A Touch of the Poet $25.00 each. Reserve in advance here.

Additional information is available at: eugeneoneill.org or by calling (925) 820-1818.

Image via Pixabay