Kay Martinovich, associate professor and head of BFA acting in the NIU School of Theatre and Dance, has found another work by acclaimed Irish playwright Marina Carr to direct.
Kay Martinovich, Ph.D., associate professor and head of BFA acting
Martinovich has previously directed two of Carr’s plays. She directed The Mai for Irish Rep in Chicago in 2000, and By the Bog of Cats for Irish Repertory of Chicago at Victory Gardens Theatre in 2001. Now, she is premiering Marble for Gift Theatre at The Kings Hall in The Copernicus Center, 5216 W. Lawrence in Chicago.
Marble is described by Gift as “A surreal and haunting exploration of two couples whose lives collide through shattered dreams.”
Marble runs from July 30 through August 30. Tickets are on sale now.
Gift Theatre co-artistic director Brittany Burch, who also stars in the play, reached out to Martinovich in the hopes that she would be interested in returning to one of Carr’s works. Martinovich is a perfect fit, with her history of directing Carr’s works and her status as a specialist in theater and Irish studies.
She holds an M.Phil. in Irish Theatre and Film Studies from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and a Ph.D. in Theatre Historiography from the University of Minnesota. Since graduate school her research has continued to center on Irish drama and the figure of the ghost, specifically issues of haunting, trauma and the past. In 2022, she directed the world premiere of Larry Kirwan’s A Table For Two At The Dill Pickle” which imagined a powerful conversation between twentieth century labor icons Marry Harris “Mother” Jones and “Big” Jim Larkin.
It’s a busy time for Martinovich, who is a resident director at Trap Door Theatre and will be directing The Man Who Fell With The Rain by Andrei Kureichik in September.
