Staging Beckett in Ireland and Northern Ireland

This is the first full-length study to focus on the staging of Samuel Becketts drama in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Becketts relationship with his native land was a complex one, but the importance of his drama as a creative force both historically and in contemporary practice in Ireland and Northern Ireland cannot be underestimated. Drawing on previously unpublished archival materials and re-examining familiar narratives, this volume traces the history of Becketts drama at Dublins Abbey and Gate Theatres as well as bringing to light unexamined and little-known productions such as those performed in the Irish language, Druid Theatre Companys productions, and those of Dublins Focus Theatre. Leading scholars in Beckett studies and in Irish drama, including Anna McMullan and Anthony Roche, and renowned interpreters of Becketts dramatic work such as Barry McGovern, explore Becketts drama within the context of Irish creative theatrical practice and heritage, and analyse its legacies. As with its companion volume, Staging Beckett in Great Britain, production analyses are underpinned by a consideration of the political, economic and cultural contexts. Readers are invited to experience Becketts drama as resonating in new ways, through theatre practice, against the complex and connected histories of Ireland, north and south.