FEBRUARY 2023

Colm directs a reading of Motherland for Theatre Masters, written by frequent collaborator May Treuhaft-Ali as part of her placement on the THE 2021 VISIONARY PLAYWRIGHTS program.

The reading stars Gabby Beans, Gina Moxley, Jeanne Nicole Ni Ainle, Eavan Gaffney, Maribel Martinez and Leila Bell.

Motherland was previously developed at Rattlestick Theatre in NYC, in 2022.

The play’s synopsis is as follows: Shavon and Samaya meet at a Women of Color Maternity Group in Chicago and devise a plan to raise their children in rural Ireland. Their hopes of starting a new life are complicated when they discover that the land itself is haunted by a history that is not unlike their own.

Colm signs with agent Noah Ezell in Theatre Literary Department at APA (Agency for the Performing Arts), now known as Independent Artists Group.

DECEMBER 2022

In December, Colm flew to Ireland to direct a workshop and rehearsed reading of Will Dunleavy’s new play I Are (Ish?), as well as a developmental reading of another new play, The Queer Heterosexual, also by Dunleavy.

Dublin Fringe Lab host workshop of Will Dunleavy’s I Are (ish?) starring Amy Conroy, Emmet Kirwan, Conor Murray, Heather O’Sullivan, Matthew Malone, Patrick Martins, Pauline Hutton and Lloyd Cooney.

Summers has been working on the play with Dunleavy since Summer 2020, and the work is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, DLR County Council and Dublin Fringe Festival.

What is I Are (ish)?

In Dunleavy’s words: “A deconstruction of Irish identity…A Line within a Play within a Documentary within RTÉ within the Playwright’s Mind within a Dress Rehearsal of a Play within an Episode of Reeling in the Years within a Lecture within a Panel Discussion about a Performance Art Piece within the Real World and More…”

The Queer Heterosexual was developed with the support of Pan Pan Theatre Company at their offices in Curved Street, Temple Bar, Dublin.

OCTOBER

“Tony-winning ‘The Inheritance’ is better in Los Angeles than on Broadway” Charles McNulty, LA TIMES

In October, Colm opened The Inheritance at the Geffen in Los Angeles, which he Associate Directed for Mike Donohoe.

Colm returned from Los Angeles to New York, where he was a semi-finalist for Fault Line Theatres Irons in the Fire new play development series, for his project exploring the life of activist David Buckel.

On October 4th, Colm was invited to visit UCLA as a guest director. He spoke to Freshmen in the School of Theatre, Film and Television about his work, in discussion with Professor Marike Splint.

He continued his work with Will Dunleavy on his new play I Are Ish, which will recieve a reading in Dublin, Ireland at Dublin Fringe Festival’s Fringe Lab in December. I Are Ish is a deconstruction of prevailing stereotypes of Irish theatre and Irish identity.

He began work as a Resident Performing Artist at BRIC in Brooklyn, New York.

JULY

Before leaving Ireland, Colm premiered his short film, We Met on a Dance Floor by Inua Ellams, starring Clinton Liberty, at the Abbey Theater, Dublin, the National Theatre of Ireland. The screening took place as part of 05 Fest.

He then flew to Los Angeles, to Associate Direct The Inheritance, by Matthew Lopez, directed by Mike Donohoe and starring Juan Castano, Nic Ashe, Adam Kantor, Tuc Watkins and Bill Brochtrup. The Inheritance will open in October.

In good news, Colm receives a Puffin Foundation Grant Award for his work on a play about the life and work about David Buckel, When David Buckel Saved the World. The Award will fund development of the work in New York in 2023.

Colm continues to develop his next short film, The High Chair, which will film in upstate New York in November of 2022.

In July, Colm concluded a research and development phase on his new play Local Anaesthetic; a people’s history of the syringe, in Dublin, supported by the Arts Council and Pan Pan Theatre Company.

MAY

Colm finishes rehearsals for A.A. Brenner’s new play Blanche & Stella, inspired by Tennessee Williams Streetcar Named Desire, and which re-centers queer, disabled narratives. The workshop production opens on May 12 at Lenfest Centre for the Arts.

The following week, Colm directs a presentation of the play at Lincoln Centre on May 18th and a reading at Queens Theatre on May 20th. For more information, and to view production photos from the workshop production, click here.

APRIL

Colm completed rehearsals for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, presented as a co-production of Classical Theatre of Harlem and Columbia University’s Young Company - which opened in Harlem on April 15 at Lenfest Centre for the Arts. The show is filmed and will be distributed to high schools across New York City, with the aim of making Shakespeare more accessible to young audiences. To learn more and to view production photos, click here. 

At the same time, Colm is working with A.A. Brenner on Blanche & Stella a new play inspired by Tennessee Williams Streetcar Named Desire with a little Glass Menagerie thrown in, which reimagines the American canon by re-centering queer, disabled narratives. The play will have a workshop production in May, a presentation at Lincoln Centre on May 18th and a reading at Queens Theatre on May 20th.

Colm stages a second reading of Johnny Lloyd’s play Love is hard and absolutely (probably) worth it at the Flea Theatre in a co-production between The Fled and The Other Side of Silence (TOSOS), New York City's oldest and longest-producing LGBTQIA+ theater company! 

Upcoming: Colm will continue his Mentorship with Terry O’Connor of Forced Entertainment, Sheffield, UK, working on his play When David Buckel Saved the World. 

Colm is preparing for a reading of his play Purgatory, co-written with Ciara Ní Chuirc, at Origin Theatre’s Mondays in May series on May 16th ahead of work on the play this summer in Ireland with Fishamble, and Garter Lane Theatre. The play has been fully funded by the Irish Arts Council, and is produced by Dara Ó Cairbre.

FEBRUARY

Colm is published in Liverpool University Press with his work on 18th Century Irish playwright Charles Macklin. In the volume, Colm discusses the position of practice-as-research in performance studies, 18th Century theatre and contemporary theatre-making practice as it relates to his revival of Macklin’s Love a la Mode.

Colm teaches his course The Necessary Theatre as part of Theatre Laboratory II for the Senior Freshman cohort at Trinity College’s Samuel Beckett Theatre. The class produced a short festival of original works in progress presented together under the title New & Necessary Actions.

Meanwhile, Colm continued preparation for his production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, presented as a co-production of Classical Theatre of Harlem and Columbia University’s Young Company which will rehearse in March. The production will take place at the Lenfest Centre for the Arts, and will be accessible to Young Audiences.

At the same time, Colm is working with A.A. Brenner on their new play Blanche & Stella a new play inspired by Tennessee Williams Streetcar Named Desire, which re-centers queer, disabled narratives. The play will have a workshop production in May and a reading at Queens Theatre on May 20th.

Colm is excited to stage a second reading of Johnny Lloyd’s play Love is hard and absolutely (probably) worth it in April at the Flea Theatre in a co-production between The Fled and The Other Side of Silence (TOSOS), New York City's oldest and longest-producing LGBTQIA+ theater company!

Colm continued his Mentorship with Terry O’Connor of Forced Entertainment, Sheffield, UK, working on his play When David Buckel Saved the World, which will have a reading at the Gate Theatre in Dublin, Ireland in June 2022.

MARCH 2023

Colm continues full-time work on artistic staff at the Geffen Playhouse, and moderates a talkback for New York Cities’ Irish Repertory Theater and Dublin’s Fishamble, following the final reading of the Trans-Atlantic commissions series at the LA Public Library.

The Commisions Program aims to address the historical marginalization of BIPOC artists in the Irish theatrical canon. The event featured work by Irish Playwrights Felispeaks, CN Smith, Jade Jordan, and Kwaku Fortune.

Performers at the event and talkback include Ruth Negga, Katy Davis, and Freddy Ramsey Jr.

Meanwhile, Colm finished a draft of his short film Wake, conceived with producer-director collaborator Evan Daves. Logline: At a wake in an Irish seaside town, two queer boys experience a haunting, and before they can embrace their future, they must embrace their ghosts within.

JANUARY 2023

Following his time as Associate Director on Matthew Lopez’ The Inheritance, Colm moves from NYC to LA to continue his career at Geffen Playhouse as the institution’s first ever Director-in-Residence.

Colm is named Director-in-Residence at the Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles.

As the inaugural director in the position, he will support Interim Artistic Director Amy Levinson on artistic staff with a speciality in directing. During his time at the institution he will work on the rest of the 22/23 Season, which includes The First Deep Breath by Lee Edward Colston II, The Mountaintop by Katori Hall, The Ants by Ramiz Monsef and The Lonely Few by Zoe Sarnak and Rachel Bonds.

NOVEMBER

In November, Colm returned to Irish Arts Centre to continue work on his project, The Keening, with playwright and poet LeAnne Howe.

Irish Arts Centre and Univeristy of Georgia Athens co-produce a development of The Keening by Howe and Summers.

The Arts Centre commissioned the development of the work, which Howe and Summers began in 2020, and they spent a week in the new Irish Arts Centre buildings in Hell’s Kitchen working on the script, onboarding new collaborators and planning the future of the piece.

What is The Keening about?

174 years ago, the Choctaw sent a $170 gift to the Irish in the worst year of the Great Famine, known as Black '47, beginning a generations long reciprocity. The story of the Choctaw gift at the height of the Irish Famine has touched the imaginations of people around the world. Our play, The Keening, travels time and space to tell the story of how the Choctaws saved themselves from annihilation, by saving the Irish from starvation.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER

In late July, Colm flew to Los Angeles to join director Mike Donahue on his staging of of West Coast Premier of Matthew Lopez’ Tony Award-winning two-part epic The Inheritance at the Geffen Playhouse, where Colm will be Donahue’s Associate Director. The cast includes Juan Castano, Nic Ashe, Adam Kantor, Tuc Watkins and Bill Brochtrup. It opens October 15th/16th for Westwood audiences in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, joined by producer Evan Daves, Colm held a reading of his next short film, The High Chair, which is scheduled to film in Fall 2022.

BRIClab announces that Colm will be a Resident Artist at the Brooklyn institution in 2022/23!

BRIClab is a multi-disciplinary residency program created to advance opportunities for visual artists, performers, and media makers. Colm is excited to join a cohort of amazing artists including: Cleo Reed | David Samuel | EYIBRA | George Del Barrio, J. Bouey, and RHETLAW | James Clements and John Maria Gutierrez | Janelle Lawrence and Sugar Vendil | Will The Neighbors Say? with Sam Hood Adrain, Pablo Calderón-Santiago, and James Clements. As a resident there, Colm will work on his project, When David Buckel Saved the World.

JUNE

Colm spends the first two weeks of June in Ireland developing Purgatory, co-written with Ciara Ní Chuirc, funded by the Irish Arts Council. The creative team is in residency for one week in Waterford at Garter Lane Arts Centre, which concluded in a public reading of the new draft. The following week, the team was in residency at Fishamble in Dublin, where the script was further developed with a new cast for a second public reading. 

Colm also presented work on his play, When David Buckel Saved the World, at the Pan Pan International Theatre Symposium at The Lir Academy in Dublin. He presented alongside his fellow Pan Pan mentees, and his mentor, Terry O’Connor of Forced Entertainment, Sheffield, UK. Video of his speech at the Symposium will be released later this year through Pan Pan’s website.

Colm begins researching for his new project, Local Anesthetic, at the Irish Archives. The play has received development funding from the Irish Arts Council.

Colm is delighted that the play he co-wrote with LeAnne Howe, The Keening, has been commissioned by Irish Arts Center! The Off-Broadway theatre will host a reading of the play in November 2022.

Meanwhile, he is thrilled to begin work with Will Dunleavy on his new play "I Are (ISH),” which will be supported by the Arts Council, Pan Pan Theatre and Dublin Fringe Lab for development in 2022/23.

Colm is in-preparation for his first ever film We Met On a Dance Floor, by renowned UK-based Nigerian-born poet and writer Inua Ellam’s, which will premier as part of ReelMix on the Peacock Stage at the Abbey Theatre, as part of 05Fest curated by Ellam’s in July 2022.

Colm directs a reading of his play Purgatory, co-written with Ciara Ní Chuirc, at Origin Theatre’s Mondays in May series on May 16th (to a full house!) ahead of work on the play this summer in Ireland with Fishamble, and Garter Lane Theatre. 

Colm is featured in an article published by Shoutout LA, in which he discusses his career, the importance of risk in theatre, and (of course) gives a few shoutouts to those who inspire his work. You can read the article here. Here’s an excerpt:

One of the most meaningful facets of the theatre is how community leaps up around productions, and how production histories and programmes (the lists of collaborators involved in those shows) form family trees that link these communities over years, decades, (even centuries!) and across continents. I’ve often daydreamed about a “family tree” of collaborators and mentors that we could trace back to the beginning. So-and-so was in this play at this time in this place, and so-and-so was trained by so-and-so, who originated the role, and so-and-so designed this costume for them at this time, and that costume was worn again in this other show a decade later, and so on.

So, I’d like to shoutout the people who pass on this community knowledge: the secret history of the theatre. The costume designer who sewed the name of such-and-such an actor onto the original costume, only to be found years later when the role is played again by some student in drama school. The stage managers who fastidiously kept the blocking notes for productions, with no guarantee they would ever be staged again. The institutional archivist meticulously indexing production photography for posterity. The teachers and mentors who shared half-remembered lessons from their teachers and mentors, so that over generations of teaching – like a game of theatrical telephone – the teachings are passed down to new students, who in turn half-remember them and pass the lesson on.

 As part of his Abbey Theatre Residency, Colm travels to London, England to participate in a workshop with actor, playwright, and director Tim Crouch at The Kiln Theatre. From there, Colm and his co-Resident and co-Mentee Gea Gojak at Pan Pan International Mentorship traveled to Berlin, Germany, where they attended Performing Arts Festival 2022, as well as the Schaubühne and Berliner Ensemble.

From Berlin, Colm arrives in his hometown of Waterford, Ireland, to begin a week-long residency at Garter Lane Arts Centre to work on his play Purgatory, co-written by Ciara Ní Chuirc. 

Upcoming: Colm will spend the first two weeks of June in Ireland developing Purgatory. After the residency at Garter Lane Arts Centre, the team will travel to Dublin for the second half of the residency at Fishamble. 

While in Ireland, Colm will present his project, When David Buckel Saved the World at the Pan Pan Symposium at the Lir Academy. 

Colm is also preparing to Associate Direct The Inheritance at Geffen Playhouse, which will open this fall in Los Angeles. 

MARCH

Colm is in rehearsals for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, presented as a co-production of Classical Theatre of Harlem and Columbia University’s Young Company which will open in Harlem on April 15th. The production will take place at the Lenfest Centre for the Arts, and will be accessible to Young Audiences.

For over a decade, Columbia University’s The Young Company (TYC) has been forging a dynamic relationship between its graduate acting students and the teens of New York City. Now in partnership with Classical Theatre of Harlem, Columbia University’s third year MFA Acting students present a 90-minute production of a Shakespeare play that is staged and designed specifically for diverse and underserved audiences. Additionally, CTH acquires Actors Equity Association membership for Columbia’s MFA students, priming them for success upon graduation.

At the same time, Colm is working with A.A. Brenner on their new play Blanche & Stella a new play inspired by Tennessee Williams Streetcar Named Desire, which re-centers queer, disabled narratives. The play will have a workshop production in May, a presentation at Lincoln Centre on May 18th and a reading at Queens Theatre on May 20th.

Colm is excited to stage a second reading of Johnny Lloyd’s play Love is hard and absolutely (probably) worth it in April at the Flea Theatre in a co-production between The Fled and The Other Side of Silence (TOSOS), New York City's oldest and longest-producing LGBTQIA+ theater company!

Upcoming: Colm continued his Mentorship with Terry O’Connor of Forced Entertainment, Sheffield, UK, working on his play When David Buckel Saved the World, which will have a reading at the Gate Theatre in Dublin, Ireland in June 2022. He held a series of workshop ahead of the production in March.

Colm’s play Purgatory, co-written with Ciara Ní Chuirc, will have a reading at Origin Theatre’s Mondays in May series on May 16th ahead of work on the play this summer in Ireland with Fishamble, and Garter Lane Theatre.

JANUARY

“We want our artists to have a hand on the steering wheel” - Caitríona McLaughlin

Colm has been named as one of four Resident Directors at the Abbey Theatre in 2022, along with Gea Gojak, Laura Sheehan and Claire O’Reilly. The Abbey Theatre, also known as the National Theatre of Ireland, in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions.

Now under the co-directorship of Artistic Director Caitríona McLaughlin and Executive Director Mark O’Brien, the Abbey has named Colm among the associate artists in its current season. As part of the residency, Residents will be developing their craft, expanding their practice and working on the Abbey’s programme.

Colm is currently acting as Assistant Director to Caroline Byrne on Portia Coughlan by Marina Carr, named Associate Director and Associate writer respectively as part of the same programme. Read more about the Abbey Theatre “rebellious, revolutionary” initiative to centre Irish artists in The Irish Times.

December

In December Colm Assistant Directed the feath3r theory WEDNESDAY, at New York Live Arts, a dance-theatre-media piece about the life of Liz Eden, the forgotten inspiration for the film Dog Day Afternoon, written, directed, choreographed and conceived by Raja Feather Kelly.

Colm flew home to Ireland to begin work on his piece When We Saved the World, about the life of climate activist David Buckel, as part of the 9th Pan Pan International Theatre Mentorship, with mentorship from the Terry O’Connor, one of the members of the legendary Forced Entertainment. He returns to New York in mid-February to work on a new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Young Company at Classical Theatre of Harlem, in NYC.

Finally, he is delighted to join Caroline Byrne’s groundbreaking production of Marina Carr’s Portia Coughlan as Assistant Director. Portia Coughlan stars Denise Gough, Jamie Beamish, Barbara Brennan, Liam Carney, Derbhle Crotty, Imogen Doel, Anna Healy, Gary Murphy, Fionn Ó Loingsigh and Marty Rea. It opens February 15th 2022.

November

In November Colm will complete rehearsals on Wednesday, directed and choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly at New York Live Arts. Read the feature on WEDNESDAY in the New York Times. Meanwhile, preparation begins on The Inheritance by Matthew Lopez at The Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles, where Colm will serve as Associate Director to Mike Donohoe.

In wonderful news, Colm has been named as one of five recipients of the 9th Pan Pan International Theatre Mentorship. From January to June 2022 Terry O’Connor, one of the members of the legendary Forced Entertainment, will work with five contemporary performing arts makers based in Ireland.This mentorship programme is a unique opportunity for performance makers to develop an early-stage idea, outside the pressures of production. Colm will use the mentorship to develop his play, When David Buckel Saved the World, which he is excited to present at The Gate, Dublin as part of the Symposium.

Finally, Colm is delighted to announce that his collaboration with Ciara Ní Chuirc, Purgatory, has been fully funded by The Arts Council of Ireland under the Projects Award. Purgatory will be developed in a Dublin residency supported by The Project Arts Centre and Fishamble: The New Play Company, and at Garter Lane Theatre, in Colm’s hometown, Waterford in 2022. Purgatory is produced by Dara Ó Cairbre.