Setting the Stage: Transitional playwrights in Irish 1910-1950

The development of Gaelic drama in Ireland was facilitated by a handful of playwrights who wrote new plays that dealt with contemporary subjects and themes,challenging their fellow dramatists and introducing Gaelic actors to new developments and styles in world theatre. This book discusses the extant plays by these five transitional playwrights,filling a gap in our knowledge of theatre in Irish and providing clearer context for the appreciation of the work of their successors.

Format: Hardback
Length: 308 pages
Publication date: 12 November 2021
Publisher: Cork University Press

The absence of a native theatrical tradition in Irish posed a significant challenge for language revivalists who sought to create a Gaelic drama that was not entirely reliant on translations. The early attempts to do so in the early 20th century were, predictably, clumsy at best and utterly dreadful at worst. However, by the 1950s, a handful of Gaelic playwrights had emerged who were producing plays in Irish that were truly worthy of comparison with their Irish contemporaries working in English, as well as with drama being produced elsewhere in Europe and North America.

The remarkable transformation of Gaelic drama from what one early critic referred to as the "Ralph Royster Doyster Stage" to this new level of sophistication is a testament to the achievements of a select group of playwrights. Piaras Beaslai, Gearoid O Lochlainn, Leon O Broin, Seamus de Bhilmot, and Walter Macken, who wrote worthwhile new plays between 1910 and 1950, played a pivotal role in facilitating this transition. These playwrights addressed subjects and themes of contemporary interest to Irish-speaking audiences, challenging their fellow dramatists, introducing Gaelic actors to new developments and styles in world theatre, and educating Gaelic audiences to demand more from theatre in Irish than a mere night out or a chance to demonstrate their loyalty to the revivalist cause.

This book, which provides a detailed examination of all the extant plays by these five transitional playwrights, fills a gap in our knowledge of theatre in Irish (and indeed of theatre in Ireland in general). By providing clearer context for the appreciation of the work of their successors, playwrights who continue to produce first-rate work in Irish to this day, this book enhances our understanding of the rich theatrical heritage of Ireland.

Weight: 658g
Dimension: 169 x 241 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781782054580