BUFFALO, NY – The Irish Classical Theatre Company (ICTC) is proud to present a special engagement of Distillation, an award-winning, multi-sensory performance by Irish artist Luke Casserly, hosted at the Buffalo Irish Center from October 24-26, 2025.
Following a sold-out run at the Dublin Theatre Festival and performances at The Abbey Theatre, Solas Nua, and Round House Theatre, Distillation begins its 2025 North American tour in Buffalo, offering Western New York audiences a rare opportunity to experience one of Ireland’s most innovative contemporary works.
Created and performed by Luke Casserly, in collaboration with renowned perfumer Joan Woods, Distillation is a performative journey through Ireland’s bog landscape – told through scent, sound, sculpture, and story. The piece responds to the recent cessation of Ireland’s peat harvesting industry, exploring our collective relationship with place and environment.
Audiences are invited to sit together around a large, custom-made table and gently engage with organic materials and soundscapes inspired by the Irish Midlands, and each receive a small sample of the custom perfume created for the project. Dedicated to the future of our fragile landscapes, Distillation asks what it means to listen to the land, and what stories the earth might tell us in return.
Critics have called Distillation:
★★★★ “This ode to our landscape will give you a new perspective on Ireland’s bogs. All of the senses are engaged.” – The Irish Times
★★★★ “Genuinely inventive.” – Irish Examiner
“A thought-provoking show that lingers like the sweet woody scent of the bog itself.” – Irish Independent
“Bringing Distillation to Buffalo is a continuation of ICTC’s commitment to connecting Western New York audiences with Ireland’s most exciting contemporary voices,” says Keelie A. Sheridan, ICTC’s Artistic Director. “Luke’s work beautifully blurs the line between theatre, ritual, and art installation – it’s intimate, sensory, and profoundly human.”
Distillation runs for 8 performances from Friday, October 24 through Sunday, October 26, 2025, at the Buffalo Irish Center (245 Abbott Rd, Buffalo, NY 14220). Seating is general admission and limited to 25 patrons per performance. Run time is approximately 50 minutes with no intermission
Performance times:
Friday, October 24 – 6:30 & 8:30 PM
Saturday, October 25 – 2:00, 4:00 & 6:30 PM
Sunday, October 26 – 1:00, 3:00 & 5:30 PM
Tickets are $45 and available at www.irishclassical.com, by phone at (716) 853-4282, [email protected], or through the ICTC Box Office.
Distillation is an ICTC-presented engagement hosted offsite at the Buffalo Irish Center.
The work is a co-production by Solas Nua, The Abbey Theatre, and Luke Casserly; and was commissioned by Solas Nua, and supported by Culture Ireland.
For more details and tickets, visit: https://irishclassical.com/season-25-26/distillation/