Ionesco’s hilarious, controversial, absurdist classic: an elderly couple play games in a lighthouse at the edge of a watery nighttime universe: painstaking theatrical preparations welcome imaginary guests, one delivering life’s enduring secret. “Haunting, powerful, hilarious.” The IRC: We Bring Good Nothingness to Life.

$15 – $25 / 80 minutes

The mission of the IRC is to bring the classics of absurdist theater to an international audience within the Philadelphia region. We are dedicated to presenting rarely produced, renowned plays that explore and illuminate the human purpose, creating a dialogue with the audience about the relevance and impact of the human condition in our contemporary world. We are committed to creating theater that is intelligent and thought-provoking. Through performances that are ironic, buoyant, and infectious, the work is designed to displace and transform the audience’s perspective, using language in combination with an entire sensory experience to express ideas that words alone cannot convey. With our dedicated group of artists, we strive to immerse the audience in this process – not just the plot – to ask questions about human existence that resonate and then detonate within each individual.

The IRC was formed in May 2006, with the mission of presenting classic and seldom-performed gems from authors and predecessors of the Theater of the Absurd. This genre, including playwrights Eugene Ionesco, Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, and Edward Albee, introduced the world to a defining and groundbreaking form in the mid-20th century, one that has continued to influence popular culture and modern playwrights.

IRC performances are sensory experiences where sound, scenic and costume elements combine to excite and ignite audiences in an intimate setting. The paradox and absurdity of life in our time, and the pathos and humor inherent in man’s difficulty in communicating his deepest questions and struggles are brought to light. Our aim is to intrigue and involve curious seekers as well as a new generation of theater enthusiasts with fresh interpretations of these important, timeless parables.

The IRC developed its audience beginning in a small cabaret theater, performing with simple stage settings and technical support, while developing a seasoned ensemble of performers uniquely adept at the style of presenting and interpreting these important works, resulting in accessible and fun theater. We are a flexible and tiny consortium, an audience-driven ensemble where 75% of operating support comes from individual donations and ticket sales.

Receiving consistent praise from audience and critics over the past decade, the IRC has grown its foundation of loyal support over the years. We strive for: A climate where the spirit of inquiry is welcomed. We bring to life Eugène Ionesco’s famous quote, “It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” A collaborative, creative process. The group and its processes are strengthened through the individual’s unique contributions and the group’s openness to new ways of thinking and perceiving. “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”