NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Jessica Shively, Communications & Development Associate
207-367-2788
jessica@operahousearts.org

DATE: June 2, 2026

TITLE: Irish Farmland, a Family Feud, and Finally Finding Love in Outside Mullingar 

Stonington, ME –Outside Mullingar, by Pulitzer, Tony, and Academy Award-winning playwright John Patrick Shanley will open on the Stonington Opera House stage on June 17. Set in the Irish countryside with dialogue like poetry, this heartbreaking, funny, and deeply moving story reveals how two eccentric souls fight their way towards solid ground and happiness.

Anthony has spent his entire life on a cattle farm in rural Ireland, a state of affairs that — due to his painful shyness — suits him well. Rosemary lives next door, knowing they are meant for each other, but watching the years slip away. With Anthony’s father threatening to disinherit him, and a land feud simmering between their families, Rosemary has every reason to fear romantic catastrophe. But these reluctant lovers might just surprise themselves before the end.

Director Kathryn Markey says, “I believe that we are all hungry for magic and luck, and we can find it in this compelling tale. Working on this script for the past year has given me hope. I find humor, optimism, and connection in the music of its words, and I have faith that you will, too.”

John Patrick Shanley is the author of several dozen plays and movies, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Doubt and the Academy Award-winning Moonstruck. He is known for writing with emotional intensity about morally ambiguous issues – but with Outside Mullingar he has a lighter touch, an aura of charm, and a story that surprises us with both the depth of its pathos and the delicious surprises of the plot.

Shanley has noted that the family farm on which his father was raised greatly inspired the writing of this play and he had long known he had to write about it. He has said that by the time he sat down to write, “The farm had become a place in my imagination where I had stored up so many things. My love for my father was there. Feelings of grief. My romantic hunger, my frustration with this unpoetic world. I had held back much for a long time, and I kind of erupted with language.”

The cast includes David Rosenberg as Anthony Reilly, Allison Altman as Rosemary Muldoon, Douglas Rees as Tony Reilly, and June Ballinger as Aoife Muldoon. Set design is by Drama Desk nominee Clifton Chadick with costumes by Alexis Foster and lighting by Zachary Ahmad-Kahloon.

Outside Mullingar will run from June 17-28 at the Stonington Opera House. Pay What You Can performances will be held on Wednesdays at 6pm. Other performance tickets are $29, $39, and $49. Tickets for Hancock county students are free and half price for 17 and under.

The dates and times of the performances are:

Wednesday, June 17 at 6pm – Pay What You Can Performance
Thursday, June 18 at 7pm
Friday, June 19 at 7pm
Saturday, June 20 at 7pm
Sunday, June 21 at 2pm

Wednesday, June 24  at 6pm – Pay What You Can Performance
Thursday, June 25 at 7pm
Friday, June 26 at 7pm
Saturday, June 27 at 7pm
Sunday, June 28 at 2pm 

For more information and to purchase tickets visit operahousearts.org or call 207-367-2788.

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The Stonington Opera House is a historic center of culture and entertainment, a performance space, and a civic gathering place. Our work is rooted in the belief that access to and participation in the arts transforms lives.

The Stonington Opera House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 and in 1999, it was rescued by the founders of Opera House Arts, a 501 (c) 3, that was established specifically to restore this historic building to its original purpose.

A cornerstone of a year-round, vibrant Main Street located at the top of the busiest commercial fishing pier in Maine, the Stonington Opera House is an economic engine for the creative economy of Deer Isle.

Cast Photo 1: David Rosenberg as Anthony Reilly and Allison Altman as Rosemary Muldoon standing at the fence that separates their two farms

Cast Photo 2: June Ballinger as Aoife Muldoon with Douglas Rees as Tony Reilly

Full Cast Photo: From left to right: June Ballinger as Aoife Muldoon, Douglas Rees as Tony Reilly, David Rosenberg as Anthony Reilly, and Allison Altman as Rosemary