Our 539th Production
Directed by Chris Wunder
Mar 1st, 2nd, 8th, 9th, 10th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 2024
Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
In a bar in a remote part of western Ireland, three middle aged lads and the pub’s landlord are swapping spooky stories. They do their best to impress Valerie, an attractive young woman recently arrived from Dublin. What begins as a simple visit to the local pub soon turns out to be an evening of both funny and spell-binding stories. The final tale, told by Valerie herself, takes a strange and unexpected twist. The mood of the evening changes and marks a significant shift among the chemistry of the group.
Content Warning: The Weir contains adult themes and adult language, it is not suitable for young children. Viewer discretion is advised.
Reviews: Hugh Hunter ♦ Ginger Agnew ♦ Richard Lord ♦ Abi K. Johnson
Meet the Cast
Lauren Kirchner as Valerie
Lauren is beyond thrilled to be making her Old Academy Players debut! Prior appearances elsewhere include Operation: Wawa Road Trip (Ensemble), Rehearsal for Murder (Sally Bean), Boeing Boeing (Gretchen), All My Sons (Lydia Lubey), Vanishing Tess (Mauree
Norman Burnosky III as Brendan
Norman is having a blast being a part of the cast of The Weir. The talented and creative cast and crew has made this experience a truly enjoyable one. His first show at Old Academy was as a tragedian in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Prior to that, he was last seen on stage for his high school productions of The King & I, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Footloose. Norman also produced The Book Club Play earlier this season. He thanks his wonderful wife, Misia, for all her support, enthusiasm, and ideas!
Ryan Kirchner as Finbar Mack
Ryan is making his debut at Old Academy. Previous credits include The Game’s Afoot (William Gillette), A View From the Bridge (Marco) and All My Sons (George) at Playcrafters in Skippack; Boeing, Boeing (Robert) at Facetime; Girl in the Machine (Owen) at Swarthmore; Clue: Stay at Home Version (Wadsworth), and Murder on the Nile (Simon Mostyn) at Forge; and Arsenic and Old Lace (Mortimer) at Footlighters. Ryan also enjoys curling (yes, the sport with the brooms) in his free time. He would like to thank the incredibly talented cast and crew, his wife Lauren, and their dog Cliff (for allowing them to do theatre). Finally, much thanks to YOU for supporting community theatre!
Stephen Negro as Jack
Steve is extremely happy to be back acting again at the Old Academy after a hiatus of over 10 years,
during which time he got sidetracked by the real world. He is also delighted to work with good friends
Director Chris Wunder, and Terri Bateman once again, both of whom he has worked with on numerous
prior OAP productions. Always wonderful experiences. Thanks to another wonderful cast, of the Weir.
Massive thanks to friends and family who take time out of their busy lives to come and see the show.
And thanks for the hat, Mac.
Vail Gualtieri as Jim
This is Vail’s return to Old Academy since his performance as Sharky in The Seafarer, which coincided with Old Academy’s 500th production. He is very happy to be back at the theater he loves, working with the people he loves even more.
Christopher Wunder (Director)
Chris is happy to be returning to the Old Academy stage directing The Weir. The last time he had the honor of directing was back in 2016 when he directed the wonderful production of Outside Mullingar. Chris has been an actor, stage manager, lighting operator and producer as well. Some shows to his credit include Gypsy, Fiddler on the Roof, Hotel d’Amour, Carnival, The Mousetrap, Fools, Beau Jest, Here on the Flight Path, Bad Seed, Move Over Mrs Markham, Doubt and Rabbit Hole just to name a few. He wants to thank Terri Bateman and the cast for making his return to directing as easy as possible. He is fortunate enough to be here doing what he loves and says it was an honor to work with each and everyone who was a part of his return to the OA stage.
Terri Bateman (Assistant Director/Producer)
Terri has been involved in theater since high school. She was last seen producing The Book Club Play. Terri played Aunt Martha Brewster. North Light Players roles include: The Music Man (Maude Dunlop), You Can’t Take It With You (Penny Sycamore), Arsenic And Old Lace (Abby Brewster), Ten Little Indians (Ethel Rodgers), Father of the Bride (Delilah), Lemonade (Edith Northrup). Old Academy roles include: Nunsense (Sister Nonpublic), One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Party Girl), Hogwash! (Karen) Exit Date (Victoria/Evelyn), All in the Timing (Mrs. Trotsky), Seniors of the Sahara (Fannie Green), Minor Demons (Carmella Delgado), Incorruptible (Peasant Woman), The Rose Tattoo (Flora), You Can’t Take It With You (Penny Sycamore), Bermuda Avenue Triangle (Angela Bruno), An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf (Louise), “In the Jar” (Firefly), “The Interview” (Mental Patient/Head Nurse), Nancy Frick’s original play Waiting to be King (Anna), Planet Radio (Karen), Looking (Nina), The Chocolate Affair (Green M&M) and Standing Tall (Eva). Terri also played Celia in the much-lauded Calendar Girls in 2019. She last directed Old Ringers at Old Academy for the 22 season and also appeared in “The Joke” (Marge) as part of the Old Academy One Act Bonanza in the summer of 2022. Terri was the Stage Manager for Old Academy’s show SWEAT. Terri has been a movement instructor for over last 10 years in the Children’s Art Program at OA and has been in several Fringe Festival original shows since 2006. Terri is happy to work with such a wonderful, talented cast on The Weir. Much love to the cast and crew.