Playboy of the Western World—a New Version

Jason King is academic coordinator of the Irish Heritage Trust in Dublin. He has coedited several books on Irish culture and history, including Interculturalism and Performance Now: New Directions? and a special issue of Irish Studies Review.Matthew Spangler is professor of performance studies at San José State University and writer in residence for the Hinterland Festival of Literature and Arts in Kells, Ireland. He is the author or coauthor of many plays, including The Beekeeper of Aleppo, Albatross, and The Kite Runner, which was recently produced on Broadway. He is also coeditor of the volume Staging Intercultural Ireland: New Plays and Practitioner Perspectives.

• IntroductionJason King and Matthew SpanglerThe Playboy of the Western World—A New VersionBisi Adigun and Roddy Doyle1. Identity, Audience, and Power Dynamics in The Playboyof the Western World—A New Version, 2007Kelly Matthews2. The Playboy of the Western World—A New Versionin Adaptation Practice and TheoryMatthew Spangler3. The Playboy of the Western World—A New Version,the Celtic Tiger, and the Immigrant-as-SequelSarah L. Townsend4. The Intercultural Theater Wars and The Playboyof the Western World—A New VersionEmer O’Toole5. Contemporary Irish Theater, the New Playboy of theWestern World Controversy, and the Economic CrisisJason King6. A New Playboy of the Western World at the Abbey TheatreA Catalyst for Change or a Change for Catalyst?Bisi Adigun

Spangler, King, and their distinguished contributors, offer a fascinating palimpsest in this volume....The 2007 adaptation of Synge’s canonical work is vigorously mined and the ramifications of one of the great missed opportunities of Irish theatre history thoroughly explored. A formidable challenge has been met with elan." - Myles Dungan, host of The History Show, RTÈ Radio 1"A timely reminder of the value and complexity of reimagining the Irish Canon and the importance of questioning whose stories we choose to tell and who is chosen to tell them." - Kellie Hughes, Theatre Artist & Artistic Director UCD Ad Astra Academy