In his late teens, Stephen Rea enrolled in Belfast’s Queen’s University and joined the
Young Irish Theatre Company, known for its strong purpose to revitalize nationalistic
plays, casting the spotlight on Ireland and its heritage. It was the beginning of an artistic
culture that would later form much of Rea’s strong sense of Irish identity. Rea later
moved quickly to the prestigious and historical Abbey Theatre in Dublin, grounding
himself in what was known as the apex of Ireland theatre at the time. With all the
tradition of Yeats.of his whose purpose was to revive. The Company performing
nationalistic. From there he moved to the prestigious and historical Abbey Theatre.* In
the mid 1970’s, while still remaining loyal to his Irish heritage, Rea expanded his roles to
England’s National stage, appearing in many historical and groundbreaking productions
such as J.M. Synge’s, The Playboy of the Western World, Beckett’s Endgame and Trevor
Griffiths’ Comedians. In 1980, Rea returned to his native Irish theatre, and along with
playwright Brian Friels, founded the Field Day Theatre Company*. Designed with both
political and artistic aspirations, Field Day toured many cities in Northern Ireland and the
Republic, bringing professional theatre to mainstream audiences who were rarely
exposed to it. However, Field Day gained historical notoriety and widespread acclaim by
presenting controversial and thought provoking productions that exposed the political and
social concerns intrinsic to the turmoil ravaging Ireland at the time. To this day, many
scholarly and critical publications continue to discuss Field Day’s accomplishments as a
touchstone, unifying a divided country a way to unify a divided country by using
language and heritageit’s purpose was to unify a divided Ireland by continues to leave a
lasting and notable impression on both Ireland and the world as many scholarly and
critical publications continue to discuss the Company’s role in attempting to unify a
divided politically and social contributions.
Over the years, Stephen Rea has continued to appear in many stage productions,
establishing a long and distinguished career in the theatre. With more than three decades
of credits in over 45 theatre productions in Ireland, England and New York, Rea’s stage
performances have often garnered critical praise and recognition. In 1992 - 1993, the
London production of Frank McGuinness’s critically acclaimed “Someone Who’ll Watch
Over Me” moved to Broadway and Rea reprised his role as Edward, one of three political
prisoners held in Beirut. His performance left a lasting critical impression, and in 1993,
Rea won a Tony Award nomination for best actor. Stephen Rea continues to work in
theatre to this day, with a scheduled upcoming 2003 appearance in the classic “Cyrano
De Bergerac” at the National Theatre in London.