BUFFALO, NY – The Canisius University Contemporary Writers Series will present its 19th annual Hassett Reading on Tuesday, November 14 featuring Vincent O'Neill. The co-founder and artistic director emeritus of the Irish Classical Theatre Company will perform excerpts from “Joyicity,” his internationally acclaimed one-man James Joyce show. The event takes place at 7:00 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. A question-and-answer session and reception will follow the performance.
Vincent O'Neill trained at the Abbey Theatre School of Acting and later studied with Marcel Marceau for several years in Paris. In the 1980s, he served on the drama faculty at Trinity College, Dublin and was a member of the Abbey Theatre Company, both as an actor and director. O’Neill co-founded Buffalo’s Irish Classical Theatre Company in 1989 and served as its artistic director for 30 years.
The recipient of many awards and accolades, O’Neill is a recipient of the Artie Award for Best Actor, Outstanding Director and Outstanding Playwright. He also received the Artie Career Achievement Award. The Buffalo News named O’Neill Irishman of the Year and later Citizen of the Year. His legacy is enshrined with a permanent star on the Walk of Fame in Buffalo’s Theatre District.
Founded with a grant from the John R. Oishei Foundation and continued through the Peter Canisius Distinguished Teaching Professorship Program, the Contemporary Writers Series is generously supported today by the Hassett, Scoma and Lowery Endowments and with the cooperation of The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, Just Buffalo Literary Center, the Center for Urban Education and Talking Leaves Books.
For more information on Vincent O’Neill’s Canisius performance or to watch a livestream of the event, contact Mick Cochrane, series coordinator, at @email.
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
