Honor Molloy

Honor Molloy
Honor Molloy in Tribeca, c. 2015
Born	(1961-05-22) May 22, 1961 Dublin, Ireland
Occupation	Playwright novelist editor professor
Nationality	Irish, American
Education	New York University (BFA) Brown University (MFA)
Notable works	Crackskull Row
Notable awards	National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship Radcliffe Fellowship Pew Fellowship

Honor Molloy (born May 22, 1961) also known as Honour Kane, is an Irish-American playwright. Her plays have been produced by The Public Theater, Clubbed Thumb, New Georges, WOW Café, NADA, The Cell Theatre, Irish Repertory Theatre, Irish Theatre of Chicago, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Belvoir Street Theatre, the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, and elsewhere. Molloy's debut novel, Smarty Girl: Dublin Savage, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2012.

Throughout her career, Molloy has been awarded fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Berilla Kerr Foundation, the Skirball Foundation, the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.

In 2017, she received a Proclamation from the New York City Council for "Contributions to Irish Culture." The critic Stanley Crouch once described Molloy as “beyond recommendation, her writing and performances should be mandatory events for all civilized people.”

Early life and education

Molloy was born in Dublin, Ireland, where she developed an early love for theatre. Her father, John Molloy, was an actor and playwright at the Abbey Theatre, and her mother Yvonne Molloy was a writer and director for RTÉ and BBC Radio. In a 2017 interview with the Irish Repertory Theatre, Molloy recalled that,

Dublin's Gate Theatre, where Molloy's parents worked.

"In the 1950s and 60s, my mother and father worked together in Dublin theaters – from Madame Cogley's Pocket Theatre to The Pike, to The Gaiety, to The Gate. I was in and out of those theaters since I could walk. Actors and producers, writers and musicians dropped by our house when they were in the neighborhood. There was no separation between theatre and life. My big sister Siobhán told me stories – many of them Irish myths. So when I come up with the notion for a new play that's set in Ireland – immediately there are ghosts, and mystery, and shifting theatrical worlds."

As a child, Molloy appeared as Noeleen Feeney, the daughter of her father's character Oliver Feeney, on the RTÉ drama serial Tolka Row. Set in a fictional housing estate on the northside of Dublin, the drama ran for five series from 1964–1968.

Molloy later immigrated to Pennsylvania with her mother, spending much of her adolescence in Greater Philadelphia. She attended NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she obtained a BFA in Drama. She later attended Brown University, where she studied under the playwright Paula Vogel and received an MFA in Creative Writing.

Career

Susan Hefner & Dancers

From 1990 to 1994, Molloy authored libretto for numerous dance pieces by Susan Hefner & Dancers, including Attempted Flight at Judson Memorial Church, Marrow Clamor at One Dream Theater TriBeCa, Eve of Consumption at Theatre Row, and Unruly Graces at Dia Chelsea. In a 1993 interview with The Morning Call, Molloy discussed authoring the libretto for the later piece while in residency at Millay Arts and Smith College. Unruly Graces consists of 11 scenes, exploring themes of "imperialism, the smugness of the ruling class, 19th-century women's emancipation and the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing." In review for for The New York Times, Jennifer Dunning noted

"Dance and verse come together in one searing moment in "Lifting as She Climb" that communicates the force of the church explosion and of the flight of one girl's body upward. And the simplicity and plain-spokenness of Ms. Molloy's dialogue make a touching portrait of a fierce yet timid Angelina Grimké, a 19th-century abolitionist who was the first woman to address the Massachusetts State Legislature."

Susan Hefner & Dancers have continued to perform versions of these pieces and others around the world.

Maiden Voyages

Maiden Voyages was first developed at London's Royal Court Theatre in 1990 via a New York Foundation for the Arts Playwriting Fellowship. Subsequently, the play was selected for further development by the Boston Women in Theatre Festival. Based on Molloy's real-life friend Bronagh Murphy, the play depicts an Irish midwife working in a Dublin maternity ward. Maiden Voyages was later produced Off-Broadway by New Georges at Theatre Row in 1993. The production was directed Jessica Bauman, and featured an ensemble of Susan Bernfield, Tobi Brydon, Robin Howard, Susan McKeown, Colleen McQuade, Bronagh Murphy, Marian Quinn, and Caroline Winterson. Maiden Voyages was subsequently staged at the Liberty Hall Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.

Rehearsing the Granda

Rehearsing the Granda premiered Off-Broadway at The Public Theater as part of JoAnne Akalaitis' "Special Projects Series" in February of 1992. Julie Nichols directed the production. Rehearsing the Granda was later included in The Best Plays Theater Yearbook of 1991–1992.

Sticky n Juicy on da Senate Floor

Sticky n Juicy on da Senate Floor premiered Off-Broadway at The Public Theater as part of JoAnne Akalaitis' "Special Projects Series" in June of 1992. The production was directed by Jimbo Flynn, and featured Molloy and Donna Villella in the titular roles. Sticky and Juicy on da Senate Floor was later included in The Best Plays Theater Yearbook of 1991–1992. The following year, Sticky n Juicy on da Senate Floor had a subsequent run at WOW Café, programmed as curtain raiser for Kurt Schwitters' Causes and Outbreak of the Great and Glorious Revolution in Revon.

Tongues of Stone

Tongues of Stone was first developed through a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1993, selected as one of 13 honorees out of 182 applicants awarded $260,000 by the federal agency. The play is a comedy-drama about the early stages of the anti-abortion movement, lampooning political figures like Jesse Helms. Tongues of Stone had a workshop production with New Georges at the Workhouse Theatre in April of 1994. In a 1995 interview with Lesbians on the Loose, Molloy expressed difficulty in finding a home for play, stating,

"This play, Tongues of Stone, nobody will touch it in America. Why? Because of the abortion issues. Most of the artistic directors reading the play are men. One man in Washington, D.C. told a friend of mine, ‘I don’t really think it’s funny at all. I don’t get it.’ He doesn’t get it and there’s no way I’m going to be able to explain it to him. If you can’t see the humour in the play… I’m horrified."

Later that same year, Tongues of Stone had it’s word premiere at the Belvoir Street Theatre in Sydney, Australia as part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival. The production was directed by Sarah Carradine and featured an ensemble of Josie Dobrowska, Maeve Germaine, Rachael Maza Long, Janice Oxenbould, Mary Regan, and Jennifer Vuletic.

Monument

Monument premiered at the Actors Theatre of Louisville as part of the 26th annual Humana Festival of New American Plays, which ran from March 3rd – April 13th, 2002. The one-act tells the story of two emergency telephone operators navigating a terrifying series of calls on Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001. In a review from Booklist, Jack Helbig noted "Louisville's annual Humana Festival is famous as a showcase for new plays and playwrights. The 2002 festival included new works by such big guns as Anne Bogart, Tina Howe, Julia Jordan, Charles L. Mee, and Adam Rapp, while emerging playwrights were relegated to Humana's National One-Act Play Contest. Of these, Honor Molloy's moving meditation on 9/11 is the most haunting." Monument was subsequently licensed by PlayScripts, Inc. and has been performed at High Schools and Universities across the United States. It was later included in Take Ten II, an anthology of one-act plays published by Alfred A. Knopf.

Madame Killer

Madame Killer was first developed in 2002 by Lincoln Center Theatre and The Royal Court Theatre as part of the Audrey Skirball-Kenis Playwright Exchange. The play is a "gothic noir" about Ann Lohman, a British-born, American abortion provider in 19th century New York City. Throughout 2003 the play was selected for further developmental readings with The American Place Theatre, New Dramatists, and the 92nd Street Y's Makor Theater Project, featuring Marsha Mason in the titular role. The following year the play had a workshop production with The Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota Madame Killer later had its world premiere Off-Broadway at Clubbed Thumbs' Summerworks, in 2005. The production was directed by Wier Harman, and featured an ensemble of Marsha Stephanie Blake, Aedin Moloney, Maria Porter, Jonathan Rose, Mark Shanahan, and Melinda Wade. Madame Killer was subsequently included in The Best Plays Theater Yearbook of 2004–2005.

In Pigeon House

In Pigeon House was first developed at New Dramatists in 2001. The following year, the play had a developmental workshop at the Irish Repertory Theatre, through the support of a New York State Council on the Arts Fellowship. In Pigeon House later premiered at the Irish Theatre of Chicago in 2012. The production was directed by Brian Shaw and featured an ensemble of Ira Amyx, Katherine Schwartz, Barbara Figgins, and John Mossman. The play fuses vaudeville, music hall, and early cinema into a nostalgic homage to the era of traveling shows. The play is inspired by the "fit-ups"—itinerant theatre troupes that crisscrossed rural Ireland during the first half of the twentieth century. For farmers and villagers hungry for cultural experiences, these homegrown companies were a cherished lifeline to the arts. From their talented ensembles emerged renowned actors like Cyril Cusack and Milo O'Shea. Among them was John Molloy, whose journey began in the fit-ups and later led him to national recognition as a star of Tolka Row, Ireland's first primetime drama.

The production received positive reviews from critics, with Tony Adler of The Chicago Reader noting "In Pigeon House is ultimately a tribute to the spirit of stage play through the generations. I'm sure I'd have caught a lot more if I were Irish, but patience is rewarded here by Molloy's cunning and surreal sensibility—channeling a whole slew of Irish bards, from Beckett to Martin McDonagh and Enda Walsh—and by the fit-upish elan of The Irish Theatre of Chicago's own cast of artistes under the direction of Brian Shaw."

Smarty Girl: Dublin Savage

Main article: Smarty Girl: Dublin Savage

Molloy's debut novel and accompanying audiobook, Smarty Girl: Dublin Savage was published by Simon & Schuster in 2012, and is distributed internationally through Audible. The voice cast includes Molloy, Kevin Holohan, Aedin Moloney, and Susan McKeown. The semi-autobiographical novel is set in 1960s Ireland and "depicts the turbulent life of the O'Feeney family, seen through the eyes of youngest daughter, Noleen". In a review for The Irish Voice, Cahir O'Doherty said "Smarty Girl: Dublin Savage is a lighthouse intelligence that doesn't miss a stitch... Many Irish books will be released this year, but few will be this candid or this complete."

Crackskull Row

Main article: Crackskull Row

Crackskull Row was first developed at the Inishbofin Arts Festival in 2000. The following year, the play had a workshop production at New Dramatists. More than a decade later, Crackskull Row was included on the 2015 edition of The Kilroys' List, a gender parity initiative designed to end the "systematic underrepresentation of female and trans playwrights" in the American theater industry. The play premiered Off-Broadway the following year at The Cell Theatre, directed by Kira Simring, and featuring an ensemble of Gina Costigan, Colin Lane, Terry Donnelly, and Charles McLaughlin. The production received critical acclaim, with particular praise for Molloy's writing, Simring's direction, and the ensemble of actors. Andy Webster of The New York Times deemed Crackskull Row a "Critic's Pick." The production subsequently transferred to the Irish Repertory Theatre for an additional eight-week engagement in 2017.

Personal life

From 1983 to 1984, Molloy was married to House of Lies creator Matthew Carnahan.

Molloy publicly identifies as queer and serves on the organizing committee of St. Pat's for All.

In addition to her work as a writer, Molloy is also a prolific editor. She spent ten years as an Acquisitions Editor at Simon and Schuster. Currently she serves as Editorial Director of GeistM, an subsidiary of the international tech and media incubator Gramercy Labs, with offices in New York, London, and Dublin.

Molloy has taught courses in English and creative writing at Columbia University, the City University of New York, and Brown University. She lives in Jackson Heights, Queens.

Awards and honors

Molloy receiving a Proclamation from the New York City Council in 2017

• National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
• Radcliffe Fellowship
• Pew Fellowship
• New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Playwriting/Screenwriting
• New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Playwriting
• New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Nonfiction
• New York Foundation for the Arts, City Artists Corps Grant
• New York State Council on the Arts Fellowship
• Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship
• Rockefeller Foundation, MAP Fund grant
• Audrey Skirball-Kenis Playwright Exchange
• New Dramatists, 7 Year Residency
• Proclamation from the New York City Council
• 2 Residencies at MacDowell
• 2 Residencies at Yaddo
• 2 Residencies at Annaghmakerrig
• Residency at Millay Arts
• Residency at Hedgebrook
• Residency at the Edward F. Albee Foundation
• The Berilla Kerr Award for Playwriting
• The Frederick Loewe Award for Musical Theatre
• Kaufman & Hart Prize for New American Comedy
• 1st Irish Award for Best Playwright
• IrishCentral, Creativity & Arts Award

Works

Plays

• Dublin Noir (2023)
• Round Room (2020)
• Crackskull Row (2016)
• In Pigeon House (2012)
• Madame Killer (2005)
• Autodelete (2002)
• Tongues of Stone (1995)
• Lesbian Cheek (1994)
• Les Beaux Luv (1993)
• Molloy (1993)
• Sticky n Juicy on da Senate Floor (1992)
• Rehearsing the Granda (1992)
• Maiden Voyages (1990)

One-Acts

• into the silver mouth [of time] (2021)
• All the Last Weekend (2021)
• All In My Heart (2016)
• Voices Carry (2016)
• What's Taken (2012)
• Monument (2002)
• No Special Bed (1990)
• Justa Babe (1989)

Musicals

• The Three Christs – with Corey Dargel (2011)
• Murphy – with Corey Dargel (2005)

Dance

• Eve of Consumption (1994)
• Unruly Graces (1993)
• Marrow Clamor (1992)
• Attempted Flight (1990)

Novels

• Smarty Girl: Dublin Savage (Simon & Schuster, 2012)