The Abbey Theatre (also known as the National Theatre of Ireland) is a famous Dublin theater founded in 1904. The latter would have been opened to coincide with the creation of a new Irish literary movement, known as the“Celtic Revival“, created by literary greats such as William Butler Yeats, who gave major performances of their plays here.
It was in Ireland in the early 1900s that a new climate swept over Irish intellectuals. It was a time of rising Irish nationalism, of bitter conflict between the British and the Irish, and of the emergence of new thinking, whether political, philosophical or literary…
In this troubled context, many of literature’s great hopefuls are rallying around new ideas. They include Lady Gregory (an Irish playwright), William Butler Yeats, and Maud Gonne (a talented actress). The latter want to translate cultural nationalism back into literature.
But this was not their first attempt: they had already tried their hand at it by creating the“Irish Literary Theatre “, a first theater that met with little success.
Despite the initial failure, the Abbey Theatre was finally inaugurated on December 27, 1904, thanks to funding from Annie Horniman, a wealthy British theater enthusiast who served as Yeats’s volunteer secretary. The theater’s principle is simple: to give performances of literary plays from the Celtic Revival movement. Yeats and George Bernard Shaw, for example, are in the spotlight, with their nationalist works extolling Irish cultural identity. Some plays will even be performed in Irish Gaelic to reinforce the Theatre’s identity!
Audiences then flocked to the event, and seemed to come from the working classes rather than the Irish bourgeoisie. In any case, it’s a great success.
In 1924, the founders of the Abbey Theatre decided to cede it to the Irish Free State. This transfer was intended to be symbolic, and acted as an adeau to the Irish people in Lady Gregory’s eyes. The state accepts the offer, and decides to support the theater by creating a theater school as well as a ballet school. The state then decided to build the Peacock, a small experimental theater on the ground floor of the Abbey Theatre.
Abbey Theathre remained in full operation until July 18, 1951, when the theater was ravaged by a major fire that spared only the Peacock. While waiting for new premises, Abbey Theathre took over the Queen’s Theatre, another venue in the city. Abbey Theathre was not rebuilt and completed until July 18, 1966, when it was inaugurated by the then President of Ireland, Eamon de Valera.
Today, the Abbey Theatre still gives many performances, and enjoys an international reputation! You’ll be able to attend their shows, provided you’ve mastered the rudiments of Shakespeare’s language!
Show prices can vary, from around €15 to an average of €50. The works performed are intended to be very diverse, ranging from Yeats’ great classics to more modern literary works…
Adresse :
GPS :
3.71/5 (1,241 votes)
I'm booking my visit!
