Monday May 17 8:00 PM: Shapeshifters Theatre Company (Chicago): And Neither Have I Wings to Fly, by Ann Noble

Tuesday, May 18 2:00 PM: Estuary Players (Dublin, Ireland): A Gypsy Came Riding, by Frank McGuinness

Tuesday, May 18 at 8:00 PM: Tara Players (Winnipeg): The Lament for Arthur Cleary, by Dermot Bloger

Wednesday, May 19 at 2:00 PM: Gaelic Park Players, Chicago (South Side): The Padraic Pearce Motel, by Hugh Leonard

Wednesday, May 19 at 8:00 PM: Irish-American TheaterCompany(Cincinnat): Moll, by John B. Keane

Thursday, May 20 at 2:00: Liffey Players Drama Society (Calgary): Portia Coughlan by Marina Carr

Thursday, May 20 at 8:00 PM: Heads on Stage (formally Holding Court Theatre) (Dublin, Ireland): Passion of Jerome by Dermot Bolger

Friday, May 21 at 2:00 PM: Florida: Close to Home by Pat Clark

Friday, May 21 at 8:00 PM: Irish Players of Rochester: The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh

Saturday, May 22 at 2:00: Milwaukee Irish Arts (Cumann Ealaín Éireannach Milwaukee, WI)

Saturday, May 22 at 8:00: Irish Players of Toronto: Factory Girls by Frank McGuinness

New paragraph

The 15th annual Acting Iirsh International Theater Festival was hosted by RCP's Irish Players in Rochester at the Nextstage at the Geva Theatre Center May 13-17, 2008.  From Dublin to San Francisco, Calgary to Florida, nine theater groups enjoyed five days of theater and celebration in Rochester.

Outstanding Overall Production: Happy Birthday Dear Alice (Holding Court Theatre, Dublin)

Outstanding Actor in a Major Role: Robert Wall, as John Plunkett in Dublin Carol (Tara Players of Winnipeg)

Outstanding Actress in a Major Role: Grace Perry as Alice in  Happy Birthday Dear Alice (Holding Court Theatre, Dublin)

Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role: Danny Sullivan as Mossy Plunkett in The Muesli Belt (Toronto Irish Players)

Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role: Kathryn Waters as Neasa  in Shining City (Liffey Players of Calgary)

Adjudicator's Award: Excellence in Ensemble Acting, the cast of The Hostage (Irish Players of Rochester)


The Adjudicators for AIITF 2008 stated that they considered the following productions and actors for each of these awards (* indicates the award winner):

Outstanding Overall Production considerations:   The Hostage (Irish Players of Rochester); The Muesli Belt (Toronto Irish Players); Happy Birthday Dear Alice* (Holding Court Theatre of Dublin)

Outstanding Actor in a Major Role considerations:    Garry Herbert as Barry in Happy Birthday Dear Alice (Holding Court Theatre of Dublin) Robert Wall*, as John Plunkett in Dublin Carol (Tara Players of Winnipeg)

Outstanding Actress in a Major Role considerations: Judy Molner as Meg in The Hostage (Irish Players of Rochester); Rachael Jenison as Brigid in Knocknashee (Shapeshifters Theatre; Chicago); Grace Perry* as Alice in  Happy Birthday Dear Alice (Holding Court Theatre, Dublin)

Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role consideration:  Gerard Langton as Brendan Behan in Raglan Road (Irish Theatre of Florida); Tom Bohrer as Mr Mulleady in The Hostage (Irish Players of Rochester); Danny Sullivan* as Mossy Plunkett in The Muesli Belt (Toronto Irish Players)

Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role considerations:  Linda Hayden as  Barbara in  Happy Birthday Dear Alice (Holding Court Theatre of Dublin); Meaghan Rose Tonery as Theresa in The Hostage (Irish Players of Rochester);  Kathryn Waters as Neasa*  in Shining City (Liffey Players of Calgary) 

The schedule for AIITF 2008

Tuesday, May 13
7:00pm: Free, Opening reception, to which the public are welcome, will be held at Geva Theatre Center Cafe.  Ten musicians of the local Tom Finucane Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, the Irish musicians association, will perform at the reception.
8:00pm: Irish Players of Rochester present: The Hostage by Brendan Behan
After-show party at the Geva Cafe!

Wednesday, May 14
12:00 to 1:30 PM: Lunch & Learn at the FREE Abbey Hedge School Geva Cafe (details below)
2:00pm: Irish Players of San Francisco present The Perfect Romance by Nicky O'Brien
8:00pm: Irish Theatre of Florida presents On Raglan Road by Tom O'Brien
After-show party at Johnny's Irish Pub!

Thursday, May 15
12:00 to 1:30 PM: Lunch & Learn at the FREE Abbey Hedge School Geva Cafe (details below)
2:00pm: Irish-American Theater Company of Cincinnati present A Little Like Paradise by Niall Williams
8:00pm: Holding Court Theatre of Dublin presents Happy Birthday Dear Alice by Bernard Farrell
After- show party at Carroll's Bar & Restaurant!

Friday, May 16
12:00 to 1:30 PM: Lunch & Learn at the FREE Abbey Hedge School Geva Cafe (details below)
2:00pm: A Connor McPherson double-header:
Tara Players of Winnipeg present Dublin Carol by Conor McPherson
Liffey Players of Calgary present Shining City by Conor McPherson
8:00pm: Milwaukee Irish Arts present The Blowin of Baile Gall by Ronan Noone
After-show party at Caverly's Irish Pub!

Saturday, May 17
2:00pm:  Shapeshifters Theatre of Chicago presents Knocknashee by Deirdre Kinahan
8:00pm: Toronto Irish Players present The Muesli Belt by Jimmy Murphy

Sunday May 18
10:00 Awards brunch; a traditional Irish breakfast & festival awards presentation at the Clarion Riverside Hotel.  Open to the public ($15; reservations required by May 14; email us for reservations)

The FREE Abbey Hedge School. Two presentations was conducted each day May 14-16:

Wednesday, May 14; 12:00 to 1:30 PM: James Reid of Holding Court Theatre, Dublin: The works of Irish playwright, actor and theater manager Walter Macken, and Annette Procunier; international theater adjudicator from Ontario, Canada: Adjudicating play festivals for the United States Army in Europe and at other international theater festivals.

Thursday May 15; 12:00 to 1:30 PM: Patrick Sutton; Director of the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin: The Gaiety School, recent trends in theatre in Ireland, and the works of playwright Tony Barrow, and Peter Scribner; President, Rochester Community Players and founder of RCP's Irish Players of Rochester: "Mr. Dooley of Chicago", a presentation of five sketches by the turn-of-the-last-century Irish-American pontificator, Martin J. Dooley.

Friday, May 16; 12:00 to 1:30 PM: Sanford Sternlicht, Professor of English, Syracuse University and author of A Reader's Guide to Modern Irish Drama: Current trends in Irish drama, and Seanachai (storyteller) Jonathan Lynn of the Toronto Irish Players: recitations, monologues and other gifts-of-the-gab by Mr. Lynn, "Celebrated Artist of the Spoken Word"

Participating theater organizations in the 15th Annual Acting Irish International Theatre Festival (for web sites, see our links page)

Holding Court Theatre, a community theater organization based at the Axis Theatre, Ballymun, Dublin Ireland.
Irish-American Theater Company, an independent theater organization in Cincinnati, Ohio
Irish Players of Rochester, a program of the Rochester Community Players.
Irish Players of San Francisco, based at the United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, California
Irish Theatre of Florida, an independent theater organization from South Florida
Liffey Players Drama Society, performing at the Pumphouse Theatre, Calgary, Alberta
Milwaukee Irish Arts, based at the Irish Cultural & Heritage Center, Milwaukee Wisconsin
Shapeshifters Theatre, based at the Irish American Heritage Center, Chicago, Illinois
Tara Players, based at the Irish Society of Manitoba in Winnipeg
Toronto Irish Players, an independent theater organization in Toronto, Ontario

The 15th Annual AIITF 2008 festival will be adjudicated by a panel of three outstanding adjudicators, each an expert in theater and Irish Drama. The adjudicators will review each production after its performance, describe how the play relates to Irish drama in general, and outline highlights of the production.  Our three adjudicators for 2008 are Annette Procunier, Patrick Sutton and Sanford Sternlicht:

Annette Procunier:  Ms. Procunier, who lives in Ontario, Canada, is one of the most experienced theater adjudicator in the world and has adjudicated over 80 festivals in the past two decades.  She has twice adjudicated  the American Association of Community Theatre bi-annual festival, AACT/fest (1997 & 2003) and twice adjudicated the bi-annual  World Festival of Amateur Theatre, the official competition of the International Amateur Theatre Association (IATA). In 2004 and in 2007 she adjudicated the Yakumo International Theatre Festival in Japan and she has adjudicated the Liverpool International Theatre Festival in Nova Scotia five times. In the Spring of 2008 she was in Europe adjudicating for the second time the United States Army tournament of Plays.  She has also adjudicated the U.S. Army Europe region festival  for AACT five times. Most recently she directed On Golden Pond for the Ocala Civic Theatre, Ocala, Florida in November 2007 and will be directing I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change for the 30th anniversary of the Stephenville Theatre Festival in Newfoundland in 2008.

Patrick Sutton: Mr. Sutton is the director of the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin. He was a member of the Arts Council of Ireland from 1998 to 2003 and is currently a board member of Culture Ireland and the Arts for Peace Foundation. He is a former Director of Plymouth Action Community Theatre, The National Festival of Youth Theatres, Wexford Arts Centre, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and Storytellers Theatre Company. In 1994, he was chairman of the visual arts committee of the internationally acclaimed original Beckett Festival produced by Dublin's Gate Theatre. As a playwright (under the name of Tony Barrow), he has written Iscarriot and Magdalen, both of which have toured internationally and will soon be seen at the Ionesco Festival of one person plays in Moldova in Eastern Europe. In August of this year he will give a staged reading of the third part of his Butte Trilogy, Our Lady of The Rockies at The Irish festival An Ri Ra. Part One, Anaconda Ashes, was given a staged reading at the same festival in 2006 with part two of the trilogy, The Butte Bullet being read there in 2007.  All three plays will be given  professional productions in Montana in 2009.

Sanford Sternlicht: Professor Sternlicht is a Professor at Syracuse University and is the author of A Readers Guide to Modern Irish Drama..  Born in New York City and educated at CCNY, SUNY Oswego (B.S.), Colgate (M.A. with distinction), and Syracuse University (Ph.D.) Professor Sternlicht is a wide-ranging scholar-writer-theater director. Sternlicht served in the United States Navy and later rose to the rank of commander in the Naval Reserve. In 1960 he received the New Poets Award from Writer Magazine. From 1972-1977 he was a member of the Globe Playhouse Trust (London). In 1974 he received the State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. He was 1986 Teacher of the Year at University College, Syracuse University. The British Council awarded him a 1994 Research and Travel Grant to Northern Ireland. He was a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Participant: "100 Years of Modern Irish Theatre," Indiana University 1999. He edited or co-edited three volumes of New Plays from the Abbey Theatre as Irish Studies Series Editor for Syracuse University Press from 1996-2003. He has recently published a critcal study entitled Masterpieces of British and Irish Drama, Greenwood Press, 2007. A China edtion came out early this year published by the U. of Renmin Press (Beijing).

Tuesday, May 13: 

The Hostage by Brendan Behan (1957) Presented by Irish Players of Rochester, a program of the Rochester Community Players  The Hostage depicts the events surrounding an unseen 18 year old IRA member in a Belfast jail, accused of killing an Ulster policeman. The action of the play is set in a very odd house of ill-repute somewhere in Dublin, owned by a former IRA commandant. The hostage of the title is Leslie Williams, a young and innocent Cockney British soldier taken at the border with Northern Ireland and held in the brothel, brought among the vibrant but desperately unorthodox combination of prostitutes, revolutionaries and general low characters inhabiting the place.  During the course of the play, a love story develops between Leslie and Teresa (a young girl, resident of the house), who promises never to forget him.  The principle themes of the play are innocence set against the political motives and ambitions of others; and the arbitrary power of authority. It examines the Anglo-Irish relationship, and the Irish themselves. Behan uses Brechtian techniques of directly addressing the audience, using song and dance to offset the tragedy of the situation.

Wednesday, May 14: 

The Perfect Romance by Nicky O'Brien Presented by Irish Players of San Francisco.  We welcome The Irish Players of San Francisco to their first AIITF.  This delightful comedy was written by the director of the company.

On Raglan Road by Tom O'Brien (2004)  Presented by Irish Theatre of Florida Contemporary, nemesis and neighbour to Brendan Behan, the non-playwriting poet Patrick Kavanagh, saluted in Tom O'Brien's 2004 play as the finest Irish poet of the age, was Behan's opposite in many ways and the two loathed each other openly and vociferously.  Kavanagh freely attacked Irish writers, W B Yeats included, in his savage journalism, except those who left the country. Years after his unsatisfied pursuit of Hilda Moriarty, a woman who once loved his poetry and his soul, he finally married someone else, but their home was in London and he kept her secret from Dublin friends. Unsympathetic to Kavanagh's pro-Englishness, Behan, a character in the play, tormented him on his rural origins. While Behan put on a show, with a persona which delighted by outraging, Kavanagh was an unseemly amalgam of unsociable manners who remained grudging and obscene, drunk and impoverished.

Thursday May 15: 

A Little Like Paradise by Niall Williams (1995) Presented by Irish-American Theater Company (Cincinnati, Ohio) The play deals with the battered hopes and dreams of the people living in a quiet Clare village. Their lives are transformed by a succession of miracles, mishaps and bizarre events which, in the end, that second chances are possible and bring their dreams back to life.

Happy Birthday Dear Alice by Bernard Farrell (1999)  Presented by Holding Court Theatre (Ballymun, Dublin Ireland) A bull, a video camera, a coffee making alarm clock and the savage politics of family life, some of the elements which combine hilariously to form the backdrop of Bernard Farrell's play Happy Birthday Dear Alice. This play focuses on the efforts of a dispersed, dysfunctional suburban family to commit their ageing, gentle, yet resilient mother to the uncertain fate of a nursing home.

Friday May 16:            

Dublin Carol by Conor McPherson (2000)  Presented by Tara Players (Manitoba, Winnipeg) John, a middle-aged employee of a funeral home in Dublin, returns from a funeral on Christmas Eve with Mark, a twenty-year-old who has helped out that day and to whom John tells his sad history about how he has destroyed much of his life and damaged his family, through drink. Mary, John's grown daughter, who hasn't seen her father in ten years, arrives to tell him that her mother, his long-estranged wife, is dying.

Shining City by Conor McPherson (2004)  Presented by Liffey Players Drama Society (Calgary) In Dublin a man comes to a counsellor seeking help. He claims to have seen the ghost of his recently deceased wife. But what begins as just an unusual encounter becomes a desperate struggle between the living and the dead - a struggle which will shape and define both men for the rest of their lives.

The Blowin of Baile Gall by Ronan Noone (2005) Presented by Milwaukee Irish Arts (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) Raw emotions and deep regrets fuel a fierce, often funny and fast- paced play. Playwright Ronan Noone examines the dangerously insular world of small-town Ireland.  The scene is set inside a home being renovated for a rich English couple.  The term "blowin" means outsider, but it quickly becomes obvious that every member of this band of misfit construction workers is a "blowin", no matter how many generations of their family have lived in the town. Each one of them is awkwardly, desperately trying to fit in and be accepted.

Saturday May 15:

Knocknashee by Deirdre Kinahan (2002)  Presented by Shapeshifters Theatre (Chicago)  Knocknashee is set in a small cottage in County Meath on May Eve, a traditional Irish pagan festival. The play is alive with magic, mayhem, merriment and menace. Patrick, a physically disabled artist, Brigid, a single mother, and Hughie, a lonely rural misfit are drawn together to celebrate the forces of this forgotten culture. While these three extraordinary people seek friendship, solace and even love, the unforgiving landscape threatens to disgorge a terrible secret.

The Muesli Belt by Jimmy Murphy (2000)  Presented by Toronto Irish Players In the heart of Dublin is a small local pub owned by Mick Ryan. The locals, his now long-term friends, use the historic pub as a social meeting place and a haven for escaping the building site that is Dublin. But Mick harbors a secret and, as events unfold, his loyalty to his friends is put to the test. In The Muesli Belt, Dublin's real estate expansion destroys old community ties built on loyalty and friendship. Rich, Irish flavor and temperament are vividly apparent in the settings-the idyllic site of the giant Clough-a-Regan stone, a family kitchen, and an old bar-and human dramas unfold with humor, passion, and pathos.

The Festival is a membership organization, which means that each of its member organizations attends the annual festival and present a full-length play.  The festival is hosted by one of the member organizations each year.  The 2009 festival will be in Winnipeg, Canada, and in 2010 it will be hosted by Shapeshifters Theater in Chicago.

The AIITF is a festival for amateur theater organizations.  According to the AIITF Constitution, "All productions participating in the Acting Irish International Theatre Festival must be produced, directed and staged by amateurs.  Other than expenses, no person or persons should receive remuneration for their participation.  For the purposes of the Acting Irish International Theatre Festival, a professional actor will be defined as an individual who: is a member of a talent union, such as the Actors Equity Association, the Screen Actors Guild or the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists; and/or is a member of a professional theater company; and/or has earned a living wage for work as an actor during any period totaling two months or more during the previous 12 months."

May 2003: Boca Raton:  The Festival was hosted by Innishfree Theater.  RCP's Irish Players participated as an invitational member and brought Someone to Look Over Me, by Frank McGuinnis, to this festival.  This production won the award for Best Production by an Invitational  Group.

May 2004: Winnipeg:  The first Festival we participated in as a full member.  RCP's Irish Players brought Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Becket, to the stage of the Manitoba Theater for Young People, Winnipeg, and won Best Production and Best Supporting Actor.

May 2005: Chicago:  The Gaelic Park Players of Chicago's South Side hosted this festival at the Beverly Performing Arts Center.  RCP's Irish Players staged The Kings of the Kilburn High Road, by Jimmy Murphy, and John Jaeger (playing Gap) won Best lead Actor.

June 2006: Toronto:  The Toronto Irish Players hosted the festival at the brand new Young Center for the Performing Arts in the Distillery District.  RCP's Irish Players brought Dancing at Lugnasa, by Brian Friel, across the lake and came back with a Best Supporting Actor award for Crystal Taylor's performance as Rose.

May 2007: Milwaukee:  Milwaukee Irish Arts hosted this festival at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.  RCP's Irish Players brought Brial Friel's Faith Healer to this, our fifth festival.  and David Jason Kyle won the award for "Best Male Actor in a Leading Role."

(Source: the history of AIITF through 2004, below, was derived from the 2004 AIITF Winnipeg program.  The Awards list for 1999 & 2005 were derived from the Gaelic Park Players website; the 2006 awards from the Toronto Irish Players website, and the 2007 awards from the AIITF website.)

From the 2004 program: "The concept of the Acting Irish International Theater Festival was originated by three Irish community theatre groups (Tara Players, Winnipeg, The Milwaukee Irish Arts, Milwaukee; and Na Fianna Theatre, Minneapolis-St.Paul), following several successful invitational performances in each city between 1990-93.

"The Festival is composed of Irish-Canadian and Irish-American community theater groups competing annually in friendly competition, through the medium of a professional adjudication, with awards being presented for Best Actor (M+F), Best Supporting Actor (M+F), and Best Production (Combining Direction, Technical and Ensemble Work)."

1994 Winnipeg:  Participating Groups (4) Milwaukee Irish Arts (Milwaukee), *Ashling Productions (Calgary), Na Fianna (Minneapolis-St.Paul) and Tara Players (Winnipeg)

1995 Minneapolis-St.Paul: Participating Groups (5) *Madison Community Theatre (Madison), Milwaukee Irish Arts (Milwaukee), Ashling Productions (Calgary), Tara Players (Winnipeg) and Na Fianna (Minneapolis-St. Paul)

1996 Calgary:  Participating Groups (6) *Edmonton Community Theatre (Edmonton), *Irish Theatre (Vancouver), Tara Players (Winnipeg), Na Fianna (Minneapolis-St.Paul), Milwaukee Irish Arts (Milwaukee) and Ashling Productions (Calgary)

1997 Milwaukee: Participating Groups (6) *Gaelic Park Players (Chicago), *lrish Players (Prince George), *John Fitzgerald Theatre (New York), Tara Players (Winnipeg), Na Fianna (inneapolis-St.Paul) and Milwaukee Irish Arts (Milwaukee)

1997 partial list of awards; BEST PRODUCTION: The Field by John B. Keane (Tara Players Winnipeg)

1998 Winnipeg:  Participating Groups (7) *Toronto Irish Players (Toronto), *Tara Players (Ottawa), *Gaelic Park Players (Chicago), Na Fianna (Minneapolis-St. Paul), Ashling Productions (Calgary), Milwaukee Irish Arts (Milwaukee) and Tara Players (Winnipeg)

1998 partial list of awards: BEST PRODUCTION: Rat in the Skull by Ron Hutchinson (Tara Players Ottawa)

1999 Chicago: Participating Groups: (8) *Innishfree Irish Theatre (Boca Raton Fl.), * Tir Na Og Theatre (Denver), Na Fianna (Minneapolis-St. Paul), Tara Players (Ottawa), Toronto Irish Players (Toronto), Gaelic Park Players (Chicago), Milwaukee Irish Arts (Milwaukee) and Tara Players (Winnipeg).

1999 AWARDS: Best Play: Frugal Comforts  By Eamonn Kelly (Innisfree Theatre); Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Tony Cohen as Estragon in Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett (Tír Na Nóg Theatre); Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Amy Flynn as Julia in The Country Boy by John Murphy (Milwaukee Irish Arts); Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Teige Reid as Eddie Twohig in Drama at Inish by Lennox Robinson (Toronto Irish Players);
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Vera Kelly as Eva Kishock in The Chastitute by John B. Keane (Gaelic Park Players)

2000 Toronto: Participating Groups (9) Tir Na Og Theatre (Denver), Innishfree Irish Theatre (Boca Raton), Tara Players (Ottawa), Gaelic Park Players (Chicago), Tara Players (Winnipeg), Ashling Productions (Calgary), Na Fianna (Minneapolis-St. Paul), Toronto Irish Players (Toronto) and Milwaukee Irish Arts (Milwaukee)

2000 partial list of awards; BEST PRODUCTION: Frugal Comforts by Eamonn Kelly (Aisling Productions)

2001 Denver: Participating Groups (8) Tir Na Og Theatre (Denver), Innishfree Irish Theatre (Boca Raton), Tara Players (Ottawa), Gaelic Park Players (Chicago), Tara Players (Winnipeg), Ashling Prolductions (Calgary), Toronto Irish Players (Toronto) and Milwaukee Irish Arts (Milwaukee)

Partial list of awards; 2001 AIITF Denver: Best Play: The Cripple of Innishmaan by Martin McDonagh (Innisfree Irish Theatre Company) Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Sean Mac Donnchadha as JohnnyPateenMike in The Cripple of Innishmaan by Martin McDonagh (Innisfree Irish Theatre Company)

2002 Ottawa: Participating Groups (9) * Shapeshifters Theatre (Chicago), Tir Na Og Theatre (Denver), Innishfree Irish Theatre (Boca Raton), Tara Players (Ottawa), Gaelic Park Players (Chicago), Tara Players (Winnipeg), Ashling Productions (Calgary), Milwaukee Irish Arts (Milwaukee) and Toronto Irish Players (Toronto).

2002 partial list of awards: BEST PRODUCTION: Da by Hugh Leonard (Toronto Irish Players)

2003 Boca Raton:  Participating Groups (11) *Irish Players of Rochester, (Rochester): Someone Who Will Watch Over Me, by Frank McGuinniss;  Innishfree Irish Theatre (Boca Raton): Happy Birthday, Dear Alice, by Bernard Farrell; Tara Players (Ottawa): Bold Girls by Rona Munro; Milwaukee Irish Arts: The Weir by Conor McPherson;  Tara Players, (Winnipeg): Paddy the Irishman by Declan Croghan; Ashling Productions (Calgary): Belfry by Billy Roche; Toronto Irish Player: The Mai by Marina Carr; Shapeshifters Theatre, (Chicago): Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel.  The 2003 Festival also featured, for the first time, three groups invited from Ireland: The Hewlett-Packard Players (Kildare): 44 Sycamore Street by Bernard Farrell; Dundalk Theatre Workshop of Ireland: Port Authority by Conor McPherson; and The Balally Players (Dublin): The Country Boy by John Murphy.

2003 partial list of awards: BEST PRODUCTION: Paddy the Irishman (Tara Players Winnipeg)

2004 Winnipeg (Manitoba Theatre for Young People): Participating Groups (5) Irish Players of Rochester, (Rochester), Innishfree Irish Theatre (Boca Raton), Tara Players, (Winnipeg), Toronto Irish Players (Toronto), Gaelic Park Players (Chicago) (Note: the scheduled performance of the Gaelic Park Players was canceled as a storm prevented cast members from reaching Winnipeg in time.)

Partial list of awards; 2004 AIITF Winnipeg: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Lori Dolan as Bridget in Eclipsed by Patricia Burke-Brogan (Innisfree Irish Theatre Company).  Adjudicators Award Presented to Innisfree Irish Theatre Company for their ensemble performance of Eclipsed by Patricia Burke-Brogan

2005 Chicago (Beverly Arts Center; hosted by Gaelic Park Players): Participating Groups (7) Irish Players of Rochester, (Rochester), Innishfree Irish Theatre (Boca Raton), Tara Players, (Winnipeg), Toronto Irish Players (Toronto), Gaelic Park Players (Chicago), Milwaukee Irish Arts (Milwaukee), Shapeshifters Theatre, (Chicago). 

Awards (2005): Best Play: A Mislaid Heaven by Carson Grace Becker (Shapeshifters Theatre); Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: John Jaeger as Jap in The Kings of the Kilburn High Road by Jimmy Murphy (Irish Players of Rochester); Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Katie Cheely as Ruth in A Mislaid Heaven by Carson Grace Becker (Shapeshifters Theatre); Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Sidney Gray as Paddy in I Do Not Like Thee, Dr. Fell By Bernard Farrell (The Tara Players); Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Amy Kull as Arlene in O Parnassus by Hugh Carr (Milwaukee Irish Arts); The Special Adjudicators Award was presented to Anastasia O'Brien for her performance as Susy in I Do Not Like Thee, Dr. Fell (The Tara Players).

2006 Toronto (Young Centre for the Performing Arts): Participating Groups (8) Irish Players of Rochester, (Rochester), Innishfree Irish Theatre (Boca Raton), Tara Players, (Winnipeg), Toronto Irish Players (Toronto), Gaelic Park Players (Chicago), Milwaukee Irish Arts (Milwaukee), Shapeshifters Theatre, (Chicago), **Estuary Players (Dublin). 

Awards 2006: Best play: An Irish Play by Dan O'Brien (Milwaukee Irish Arts); Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Keith Tamsett as Declan in An Irish Play (Milwaukee Irish Arts); Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Shared between Jackie Murphy and Grainne Jordan in The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Estuary Players ); Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Robert Wall as Stephen in Poor Beast in the Rain (The Tara Players); Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Crystal Marie Taylor as Rose in Dancing at Lughnasa (Irish Players of Rochester); The Special Adjudicators Award was presented to Innisfree Irish Theatre Company for The Shaughraun.

2007 Milwaukee (University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee May 15 to 20): Participating groups: (7): Tuesday, May 15 at 8 p.m. From These Green Heights by Dermot Bolger, presented by Milwaukee Irish Arts (MIlwaukee, Wisconsin); Wednesday, May 16 at 2 p.m. The Spirit of Annie Ross by Bernard Farrell, presented by The Tara Players (Winnipeg, Manitoba); Wednesday, May 16 at 8 p.m. Getting Buried by Peter Cunningham, presented by Gaelic Park Players (Oak Forest, Illinois); Thursday, May 17 at 8 p.m. Lovers: Losers and Winners by Brian Friel, presented by Irish Theatre of Florida (Boca Raton, Florida) (formally Innisfree Irish Theatre Co.); Friday, May 18 at 2 p.m. Summer by Hugh Leonard, presented by Holding Court Theatre** (Dublin, Ireland); Friday, May 18 at 8 p.m. Faith Healer by Brian Friel, presented by the Irish Players of Rochester; Saturday, May 20 at 2 p.m. At The Black Pig's Dyke by Vincent Woods, presented by Toronto Irish Players (Toronto, Ontario).

2007 Awards: Outstanding Production: At The Black Pig's Dyke, by Vincent Woods (Presented by Toronto Irish Players). Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: David Kyle for his portrayal of Teddy in the Irish Players of Rochester production of Faith Healer, by Brian Friel.  Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Lucy Carabine for her portrayal of Miss Funny in the Toronto Irish Players production of At the Black Pig's Dyke, by Vincent Woods. Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Gerry Herbert for his portrayal of Richard Halvey in the Holding Court Theatre production of Summer, by Hugh Leonard. Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Jane Testar for her portrayal of Ashling in the Tara Players production of The Spirit of Annie Ross, by Bernard Farrell. Special Adjudicator Award: Gaelic Park Players for their production of Getting Buried, by Peter Cunningham "For a very entertaining, if completely insane, romp through the upper regions of Irish lunacy, confirming the old showbiz adage of 'leave them laughing when you go.'"  Honourable Mention: Costume Design for Holding Court Theatre for their production of Summer by Hugh Leonard and also for Toronto Irish Players for their production of At the Black Pig's Dyke by Vincent Woods.

In addition to the seven adjudicated productions, the 2007 Festival included two special presentations: Saturday, May 20 at 11:00 AM Townlands by Dermot Bolger; a reading presented by the students of the Theater Department of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.  Saturday, May 20 at 8:00 PM: 'sneak preview' of Walking the Road, also by Dermot Bolger.  This play about Francis Ledwidge, a young Irish poet who lost his life in Flanders fields in 1917, while serving with the British army in World War I, had its world premiere at Axis Arts Center in Dublin June 9, 2007.

* Designates New Participating Group
** Designates an invitational Irish group.