Walking With Ghosts
Gabriel Byrne on stage. In his own words.
As a young boy growing up on the outskirts of Dublin, Gabriel Byrne sought refuge in a world of imagination among the fields and hills near his home, at the edge of a rapidly encroaching city. Moving between sensual recollection of childhood in a now almost vanished Ireland and a commentary on stardom in Hollywood and on Broadway, he returns to his home town to reflect on a life’s journey.By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Walking with Ghosts is a lyrical homage to the people and landscapes that ultimately shape our destinies.
Lonny Price
On Broadway, Lonny Price directed Sunset Boulevard, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, 110 in the Shade, Master Harold... and the Boys, Sally Marrand her Escorts (co-written with Joan Rivers and Erin Sanders), Urban Cowboy, A Class Act(Tony Award nomination for Best Book of a Musical, co-written with Linda Kline) and Off-Broadway’s Scotland PA, which had its world premiere at Roundabout Theatre Company’s Laura Pels Theatre in 2019.West End credits include Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, as wellas Carousel,Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Toddand Man of La Mancha, the latter four for English National Opera.Film and television credits include the New York Philharmonic’s Camelot(starring Gabriel Byrne), Sweeney Todd (Emmy Award), Passion (Emmy Award),and Company.He also directed the stage and filmed versions of his tribute to Stephen Sondheim, Sondheim: The Birthday Concert! (Emmy Award). Additional television credits include Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grillfor HBO, as well as episodes of 2 BrokeGirlsandDesperate Housewives. For his first feature, Master Harold ... and the Boys, he received a Best Director Award from the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival.His documentary, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happenedpremiered at the New York Film Festival and was named one of New York Times’ Top 10 Films of 2016, and his other documentary Hal Prince: The Director’s Life(PBS) was also released to critical acclaim.
Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel ByrneGabriel Byrne started his acting career with Ireland's renowned Focus Theatre and Project Arts Centre. He later joined London's Royal Court Theatre and the Royal National Theatre, where he played leading roles before moving to the United States.Byrne has worked with some of cinema's leading directors, including the Coen Brothers, Wim Wenders, Costa Gavras, Jim Jarmusch, Ken Loach, John Boorman, David Cronenberg and Bryan Singer.He has starred in more than 80 feature films includingExcalibur, Miller's Crossing,Into the West,The Point of No Return,Little Women,Spider,The Usual Suspects,Dead Man,The End of Violence,The Man in the Iron Mask,Vanity Fair, Jindabyne and Wah-Wah. On Broadway, he received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in Eugene O'Neill's A Moon for the Misbegotten.He won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actor for his performance in another O'Neill play,A Touch of the Poet. In 2016, he starred opposite Jessica Lange in O'Neill'sLong Day's Journey Into Night. For his performance as James Tyrone, he received Best Actor nominations from the Tony Awards and Outer Critics Circle.His television credits include Vikings, Quirke, Secret State(Channel 4) andWeapons of Mass Distraction(HBO).He was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series forIn Treatment at the 60th and 61st Emmy Awards. In 2008, he received a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series for the same role.In 2019, Byrne was honoured by IFTA with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2021, he received the IFTA Best Actor Award for his latest film,Death of a Ladies’ Man.
Creative Team
Gabriel Byrne, Writer and Performer
Lonny Price, Director
Sinéad McKenna, Scenic and Lighting Design
Joan O’Clery, Costume Design
Sinéad Diskin, Sound Design and Composition
Performance History
Audible at Minetta Lane Theatre (NYC)
Pittsburgh Playhouse (Pittsburgh, PA)
Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY)
Virginia Tech’s Moss Arts Center (Blacksburg, VA)
Indiana Repertory Theatre
Weidner Center for the Performing Arts (Green Bay, WI)
Carthage International Theatre Days Festival (Tunis, Tunisa)
Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth (Hanover, NH)
ASU Kerr Cultural Center (Scottsdale, AZ)
The Lensic Performing Arts (Santa Fe, NM)
Portland Center Stage at The Armory (Portland, OR)
Trinity Rep (Providence, RI)
Triad Stage at The Hanesbrands Theatre (Winston-Salem, NC)
HUGELY ENTERTAINING - The Times
HUGELY ENTERTAINING - The Times
What People Are Saying
“ONE OF IRELAND’S FINEST PERFORMERS at his very best”
— The Sunday Times
“Gabriel Byrne is CAPTIVATING”
— Financial Times
“a CONSUMMATE actor...funny, brave and affecting"
— The Arts Review
“A MASTERCLASS in storytelling ... as tender and appreciative as it is slapstick funny”
— Hot Press
“PURE THEATRICAL INTIMACY ... Byrne’s performance is PERFECT”
— Irish Independent
“Byrne is a BEAUTIFUL writer ... a WONDERFUL physical comedian”
— The Guardian
“Gabriel Byrne commands the stage in this TOUR DE FORCE performance”
— Irish Independent
“Emotional and entertaining ... STORYTELLING AT ITS SIMPLE BEST”