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Bay Street's Allen O'Reilly Appears In New Film

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Bay Street Theater's Allen O’Reilly as Abe Berkman in “The Enormity of Life,” 2021.

Bay Street Theater's Allen O’Reilly as Abe Berkman in “The Enormity of Life,” 2021.

authorStaff Writer on Mar 31, 2021

Allen O’Reilly, Bay Street Theater’s director of education and community outreach, appears in a new film, “The Enormity of Life,” which will have its worldwide release on Tuesday, April 6. The dark comedy, starring Breckin Meyer and Emily Kinney and directed by Eric Swinderman, will debut on Apple TV, Google Play, FandangoNOW and Vimeo on Demand. The film is produced by Shoreline Entertainment and Anhedonia Pictures.

“The Enormity of Life” follows a middle-aged man (Meyer) who, on the verge of ending his own life, receives a timely and substantial inheritance. His newfound fortune coincides with a likable young woman (Kinney) and her precocious young daughter (Giselle Eisenberg) entering his pleasure-free life. As his feelings for them grow, his plan to have the money go toward caring for his abusive, mentally disturbed mother starts going by the wayside. What unfolds is a tender comedy about misery and a heart-wrenching drama about the things that make us reluctantly laugh.

“The timing is very right for the release of this quirky, off-beat, romantic comedy,” O’Reilly said. “I play an obnoxious attorney who turns out to have a heart of gold.”

O’Reilly has worked as an educator and professional actor for over 30 years and has served as artistic director at Young Audiences of Atlanta, education director at Georgia Shakespeare and, most recently, education programs manager at Cleveland Play House. While at Georgia Shakespeare, he directed touring productions of “Macbeth,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Julius Caesar” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” His television and film credits include “Sleepy Hollow,” “Turn: Washington’s Spies,” “Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius,” and “The Assassin’s Code.”

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