The print edition of Irish Theatre Magazine ran from 1998 to 2008. PDF versions of each issues of the magazine are available. To download the entire archive click here. And so on
Volume 1, Number 1 Autumn 1998
On The Cover
John Crowley and The Mai, courtesy of Amelia Stein/The National Theatre Society Ltd
Contents
Independent theatre in Ireland: Dead or Alive? Declan Gorman, Ali Curran, Jocelyn Clarke, Helen Meany and Berni Sweeney weigh in// Donal O'Kelly writes about Farawayan// Marina Carr's Unhomely Women: Anna McMullan examines images of womanhood in the playwright's work// Euro Theatre Shocker: Will Disco Pigs get lost in translation? Enda Walsh ponders the issues// Stomping in Sligo: Blue Raincoat's theatre training// Director John Crowley in Conversation with Karen Fricker
Volume 1, Number 2 Spring 1999
On The Cover
Various
Contents
Brian Singleton on the upcoming Friel Festival// Karen Fricker and Deirdre Mulrooney on the 3rd Annual International Theatre Symposium// Sebastian Barry considers the propriety of unpacking family history in his plays// Síofra Campbell meets The Beauty Queen of Leenane's Brían F.O'Byrne// Seona MacRéamoinn introduces the revamped Rough Magic Theatre Company and their latest project, The Whisperers// Jocelyn Clarke interviews director Conall Morrison// Willie White on Operating Theatre's new production, Angel/Babel// Mark Fisher meets three Irishwomen making a theatrical stir in Scotland: Nicola McCartney (LookOut), Judith Doherty (Grid Iron) and Cathie Boyd (Theatre Cryptic)// Anna Cutler and Caoimhe McAvinchey recount their experiences mounting new festivals in the North//Maxine Jones on Radio Drama: Conor McPherson's This Lime Tree Bower; John Waters' Adverse Possessions, BBC Radio 3's Troy, Ted Hughes' The Coming of the Kings, David Pownall's The Man Without the Mobile, Michael Butt's The Irish Play// Sarah Fitzgibbon on Youth Drama including the first Feile Dramaiochta na nOige, the publication of Youth Drama Ireland and BT Connections//Martin Munroe on Entrances and Exits// REVIEWS: Dominic Cavendish on Mike Bradwell's production of Howie the Rookie; Cathy Leaney on The White Devil by John Webster Loose Canon Theatre Company; Jack Helbig on Belfry by Billy Roche Organic Theatre Company Chicago; Jocelyn Clarke on The Unfringed Festival, Limerick 1998; Dominic Cavendish on Play-Boy by Desperate Optimists; Berni Sweeney on Northern Star by Stewart Parker,A Tinderbox /Field Day/ Belfast Festival at Queen's co-production
Volume 1, Number 3 Summer 1999
On The Cover
Páraic Breathnach and Fiach MacConghail.Photo by Tom Lawlor
Contents
Fiach MacConghail meets Pádraic Breathnach, co-creator of Fir Clis' Site// The importance of student theatre: Fergus Linehan Sr, Garry Hynes,Lynne Parker, Richard Cook, John Crowley and Willie White weigh in// Karen Fricker meets Northern Irish director Mick Gordon// Ophelia Byrne reports on the latest developments in arts venues and funding in Belfast// Mark Fisher on Ireland's contributions to the Edinburgh Internation Festival and Edinburgh Fringe Festival// Jocelyn Clarke on Books// Dara Carolan on Amateur Drama// Loughlin Deegan on Entrances and Exits// REVIEWS: Declan Kiberd on Dancing at Lughnasa (Abbey Theatre); Seona Mac Reamoinn on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (adapted by J Clarke); Anna McMullan on Angel/Babel (Operating Theatre); Victor Merriman on Aristocrats by Brian Friel (The Gate Theatre); Kiara Downey on The BT Connections Festival; Karen Fricker on The Country Boy (Druid Theatre Company); Muiris MacConghail on The Freedom of the City by Brian Friel (The Abbey Theatre) ; Karen Fricker on Give Me Your Answer, Do! by Brian Friel (The Lyric Theatre Belfast), Ophelia Byrne on Hades by Declan Gorman (Upstate Live Theatre Company), Karen Fricker on Hupnouse by Charlie O'Neill (Barabbas), Louise East on Living Quarters by Brian Friel (National Theatre), Seona MacReamoinn on Love in the Title by Hugh Leonard (The Abbey Theatre), Karen Fricker on Misterman by Enda Walsh (Corcadorca Theatre), Edie Demas on More Light by Bryony Lavery (Activate Theatre Company); Eamonn Jordan on The Passion of Jerome by Dermot Bolger (The Peacock Theatre), Brian Singleton on Quay West by Bernard-Marie Koltes (Bedrock Theatre Company); Brian Singleton on The Seagull by Anton Chekhov in a version by Michael West (The Corn Exchange); Anna Cutler and Iain MacKenzie on Stones in His Pockets by Marie Jones (Lyric Theatre, Belfast); Ian Shuttleworth on Trust by Gary Mitchell (The Royal Court Theatre); Cathy Leeny on The Whisperers: Frances Sheridan's 'A Trip to Bath' as completed by Elizabeth Kuti (Rough Magic Theatre Company)
Volume 1, Number 4 Autumn/Winter 1999
On The Cover
Michael Gambon, photo by David Speirs/Report.Colm Meaney, photo by Pau Ros.
Contents
itm's critics assess the highs and lows of 1999 Dublin Theatre Festival and Dublin Fringe Festival// Karen Fricker looks at the 1999 Theatre Shop// An exclusive excerpt from Mark O'Rowe's latest play Made in China// Victor Merriman and Mary Coll on the implications of the Arts Council/ An Chomhairle Ealaoin Arts Plan 1999-2001 for the theatre sector// Alex Johnston on Melonfarmer in Quebec// Mark Fisher on Ireland's contributions to the 1999 Edinburgh Internation Festival and Edinburgh Fringe Festival// Loughlin Deegan on Entrances and Exits// REVIEWS: Michael Billington on two productions of Juno and The Paycock by Sean O'Casey (Gaiety Theatre Dublin directed by Garry Hynes and Donmar Warehouse directed by John Crowley); Ian Kilroy on Alone It Stands by John Breen (Yew Tree Theatre Company); Victor Merriman on An Ghrain agus an Ghruaim (Amharclann De hIde) and Site by Fir Clis (Galway Arts Festival 1999); Joseph Long on Cathaginians by Frank McGuinness (Lyric Theatre Belfast); Cathy Leeny on Cell by Paula Meehan (Calypso Productions); Sara Zatz reviews The International Puppet Festival 1999's The Seed Carriers (Stephen Mottram) and Women by Four Hands (Teatro Naku); Brian Singleton on Judas of the Gallarus by Donal O'Kelly (The Peacock Theatre); Deirdre Mulrooney reviews Mr. Staines by Dermot Healy (Pan Pan Theatre Company); Melissa Sihra reviews The Mistress of Silence adapted from Jacqueline Harpman's novel (Meridian Theatre Company)
Volume 2, Number 5 Spring 2000
On The Cover
From top: Seán Campion, Donncha Crowley and Conleth Hill in The Lyric Theatre's Waiting for Godot. Photo by Jill Jennings; Photo of Stormont by Pacemaker Press Int'l Ltd.; The Wedding Community Play Project. Photo by Mervyn Smyth/Belfast Exposed
Contents
David Grant offers his perspective on the choices facing theatre in Northern Ireland// Mark Carruthers argues that the prevailing talk of confidence in the Northern theatre industry is far from the full picture// Mark Phelan and Ophelia Byrne chart the last 100 years of Ulster theatre history- from the Ulster Literary Theatre to the present day// The Belfast Festival at Queen's is still defining its adult identity, argues Caoimhe McAvinchey// An exclusive excerpt from Gary Mitchell's new play Marching On// Claire Cochrane discusses two very different community theatre projects and the issues they raise// Northern Voices: Theatre artists and professionals talk about their relationship to Northern Ireland// Eibhlin Ní Ruarc reports on the implications of the recently-announced national performing arts academy for the theatre sector//Loughlin Deegan on Entrances and Exits// Naomi Conway on Ulster Youth Drama// Jocelyn Clarke on Books: Contemporary Irish Monologues (New Island Books) // REVIEWS: Derek West on Hamlet (Second Age Theatre Company), The Tempest(The Abbey Theatre) and As You Like It (The Gate Theatre); The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh (Druid Theatre Company) reviewed by Susan Conley; Chair (Kabosh Productions) reviewed by Ashley Dunne and Michael Leonard; A Dublin Carol by Conor McPherson (Royal Court Theatre Company) reviewed by Mark Fisher;James Joyce's The Dead by Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey (The Belasco Theatre) reviewed by John Istel; Krapp's Last Tape (The Gate Theatre); The Muesli Belt by Jimmy Murphy (The Peacock Theatre); Mysteries 2000 by The Machine; Oedipus by Mary Elizabeth Burke-Kennedy (Storytellers Theatre Company and the Cork Opera House); On Macquillan's Hill by Joseph Crilly (Tinderbox Theatre Company); Sive (Brown Penny Theatre Company); Time Before Sleep (Blue Raincoat Theatre Company); Unfringed Festival 2000 reviewed by Karen Fricker
Volume 2, Number 6 Summer 2000
On The Cover
Fiona Shaw in Medea, photo by Neil Libbert
Contents
Nelson Pressley offers a critical overview of the recent Island: Arts From Ireland festival in Washington DC, accompanied by excerpts from the festival's theatre symposium// Karen Fricker assesses Ireland's cultural contribution to EXPO 2000 in Hannover// Matt Wolf offers an appreciation of Theatre de Complicite at Dublin Theatre Festival// An exclusive excerpt from Alice Barry's new play Cat Melodeon// Project Arts Centre's artistic director Kathy McArdle in conversation with Mary Coll// Ashley Dunne on the Young at Art Festival in Belfast// Confessions of an ISDA judge: Loughlin Deegan went for the drink and sex- and ended up falling in love// Sophie Gorman reviews the theatre programme at this year's Galway Arts Festival// Where was the audience at the recent Spring Greens Irish theatre festival in Glasgow, wonders Robert Thomson// Jocelyn Clarke and Martin Murphy on Books: The Politics of Irish Drama by Nicholas Grene (Cambridge University Press), Faber's Brian Friel, Sean O'Casey, Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard Critical Guides;Theatre Stuff: Critical Essays on Contemporary Irish Theatre, edited by Eamonn Jordan (Carysfort Press); // Loughlin Deegan on Entrances and Exits// REVIEWS: Fintan O'Toole on Medea at The Abbey Theatre; Victor Merriman on Red Kettle Theatre Company's All in The Head by Liam Meagher; Pol O Muiri on Prime Cut Productions' Dealer's Choice by Patrick Marber; Brian Singleton on Ibsen's A Doll's House by Frank McGuinness at The Lyric Theatre; Michael Billington on Gary Mitchell's The Force of Change; Eamonn McCann reviews Gary Mitchell's Marching On at The Lyric Theatre; Tony Roche on Tom Murphy's The House at The Abbey Theatre; Gerry Moran reviews Kings of the Kilburn High Road by Jimmy Murphy by Red Kettle Theatre Company; Ian Kilroy reviews Mrs Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw at The Peacock Theatre; Medb Ruane reviews Druid Theatre Company's production of On Raferty's Hill by Marina Carr; John Istel reviews Our Lady of Sligo by Sebastian Barry at the Irish Repertory Theatre New York; Brian Singleton reviews Rea's production at The Plough and the Stars by Sean O'Casey at the Gaiety Theatre; Anna McMullan reviews Tinderbox Theatre Company's production of Ruby by Marie Jones; Deirdre Mulrooney reviews Salome by Oscar Wilde at The Gate Theatre; Claire Prior reviews Andy Hinds' The Starving by Open House Theatre Company; Helen Meany reviews Treehouses by Elizabeth Kuti at The Peacock Theatre; Deirde Mulrooney reviews Corcadorca's The Trial of Jesus by Conal Creedon; David Wallace reviews Ecstasy presented by Sidetrack Theatre Company and Plush Productions' Abigail's Party by Mike Leigh; Helen Meany reviews The Passion Machine's production of We Ourselves by Paul Mercier
Volume 2, Number 7 Autumn/Winter 2000
On The Cover
Norma Sheehan, Enda Walsh and Peter Gowen on set of bedbound at Dublin Theatre Festival. Photo by Tom Lawlor.
Contents
Critics and theatre professionals from around the world discuss the eircom Dublin Theatre Festival and Dublin Fringe Festival in the first annual irish theatre magazine International Critics' Roundtable// Rosy Barnes replays the high points from the Barbaric Comedies controversy while Joe Devlin and Joseph Long weigh in with their critical assessment of the production// Mark Phelan reports on Irish actors' increasing difficulties in navigating the Social Welfare system// An excerpt from Michael Collins' The Hackney Office, which premiered at Druid Theatre Company this December// Tony Ó Dálaigh, Harold Fish, and Phelim Donlon in conversation with Karen Fricker// Rosy Barnes offers an overview of the International Puppet Festival 2000// REVIEWS: Three responses to Alice Through the Looking Glass adapted by Jocelyn Clarke for Blue Raincoat Theatre Company by Cormac O'Brien and Audrey Wall, Paul Hayes and Josh Tobiessen, and Alan Fox; Mary Coll reviews A Life by Hugh Leonard at The Abbey Theatre; Christopher Murray reviews Arms and the Man by GB Shaw at The Abbey Theatre; Mary Coll reviews Banshee Makers by Ger Bourke at Half Moon Theatre Cork; Jim Carroll reviews Closer by Patrick Marber at The Peacock Theatre; Cathy Leeney reviews Upstate Live Theatre Company's production of The Countrywoman by Paul Smith adapted by Elizabeth Kuti; Anna McMullan reviews Deserter by curious.com; Victor Merriman reviews The Four Euclids of Squid and The Festival of Imagination and Wild Fancy by Ben Hennessy and Liam Meagher at Garter Lane Arts Centre; Brian Singleton reviews Barabbas...the company's Gods Gift (a version of Heinrich von Kleist's Amphitryon) by John Banville; Rosy Barnes reviews Galloglas Theatre Company's Gulliver's Travels; Derek West reviews Julius Caesar by Rattlebag Theatre Company; Jack Byer reviews Judas adapted by Maciek Reszcynski from The Book of Judas by Brendan Kennelly and Gerry Moran reviews The Girl Who Cut Flowers by Bob Frith at Kilkenny Arts Festival; Derek West reviews Mutabilitie by Frank McGuinness by Theatreworks; Brian Singleton reviews Red Kettle Theatre Company's The Queen and the Peacock by Loughlin Deegan; Susan Conley reviews Rent by Jonathan Larson produced by Hands Turn Theatre Company; Peter Crawley reviews Iomha Ildanach's Valparaiso by Don Delillo; Susan Conley reviews Wideboy Gospel by Bedrock Productions; Mikela French reviews Wonderful Tennessee by Brian Friel at The Lyric Theatre; Paul Devlin reviews Yeehar! by The Ulster Association of Youth Drama
Volume 2, Number 8 Spring 2001
On The Cover
Screening Sam: Beckett on Film series. Photo by Patrick Redmond
Contents
Mark Phelan reports on the standards- or lack thereof- of actors' pay in Ireland// Three writers discuss the recent Pan Pan International Theatre Symposium// Rosy Barnes reports on recent developments in literary management and dramaturgy// Alex Johnston offers an excerpt from his new piece, Entertainment// Redmond O'Hanlon and Susan Conley discuss the Beckett on Film series// Paul Haughey checks out the Belltable Arts Centre's festival of fringe theatre// Kevin Livelli analyses media coverage of the Abbey move fracas//Books: Jocelyn Clarke on Certain Fragments: Contemporary Performance and Forced Entertainment (Routledge) by Tim Etchell;Diana Theodores' Writing Dancing Righting Dance: Articulations on a Choreographic Practice and Dominic Dromgoole's The Full Room (Methuen)// REVIEWS: Ian Shuttleworth reviews Billy Roche's The Wexford Trilogy by Oxford Stage Company; Mary Coll reviews John B Keane's Big Maggie at The Abbey Theatre directed by Garry Hynes; Derek West reviews The Dublin Theatre Company and Sionnach Theatre Company's The Cherry Orchard; Ian Shuttleworth reviews The Royal Shakespeare Company's The Comedy of Errors; Karen Fricker reviews Tinderbox Theatre Company's Convictions; Eamonn Jordan reviews Cracked devised and performed by Quare Hawks Theatre Company; Mikela French reviews Diary of a Hunger Strike by Aisling Ghear; Claire Prior reviews Eugene O'Brien's Eden at The Peacock Theatre; Paul Haze reviews Skehana Production's The Gallant John-Joe by John Mac Intyre; Victor Merriman reviews Storytellers Theatre Company's The Grapes of Wrath adapted by John Galati; Karen Fricker reviews Druid Theatre Company's The Hackney Office by Michael Collins; Harold Fish Howie the Rookie by Mark O'Rowe at Thalia Theatre; Susan Conley reviews The Hunt for Red Willie by Ken Bourke at The Peacock Theatre; Paul Haughey reviews The Passion Machine's It Come Up Sun by Joe O'Byrne; Paul Devlin reviews La Chunga- The Woman of our Dreams by David Johnston at The Lyric Theatre; Rolf C Hemke reviews Mark O'Rowe's Made in China at the Schauspiel Bochum; Karen Fricker reviews Makin Hits by Martin Maguire and Darren Thornton, produced by Calipo Theatre Company; Derek West reviews Molloy/Malone Dies by Gare St Lazare Players; Susan Conley reviews 1900 The Pianist on the Ocean by Aiessandro Barrico, adapted for the stage by Marella Boschi; Mic Moroney reviews Rap Eire by Des Bishop and Arthur Riordan, Bickerstaffe Theatre Company; Brian Singleton reviews Tartuffe by Moliere, in a version by Decian Hughes at The Abbey Theatre; Joseph Long reviews Therese Raquin by Emile Zola, adapted by Nicholas Wright The Gate Theatre; Mic Moroney reviews Three Days of Rain by Richard Greenberg, Rough Magic Theatre Company; Paul Haze reviews Three Tall Women by Edward Albee Prime Cut Productions; Stephen Di Benedetto reviews The Abbey Theatre's Translations by Brian Friel.
Volume 2, Number 9 Summer 2001
On The Cover
Michael Colgan. Photo by Colm Henry.
Contents
Karen Fricker reports on the rising and falling fortunes of the Gate Theatre// This June, Semper Fi made four plays in 24 hours. Peter Crawley watched from start to finish// Susan Conley and Karen Fricker report on the Lyric Theatre, which is picking itself up after hard times// David Grant looks at Northern theatre in the context of the ACNI's new strategy document// Paul Meade went to Tasmania with Alone it Stands to perform in a festival of art from island cultures- and sent back this report// In the second of two articles on new play development, Rosy Barnes defines dramaturgy in an Irish context// Susan Conley meets new Equity president Kathleen Barrington// Translator Michael West talks to director Christian Schiaretti about Death and the Ploughman// Kelly Smith reports on comings and goings behind the scenes of Irish theatre// Roddy Doyle offers an excerpt from his new play Guess Who's Coming for the Dinner// REVIEWS: Stephen Di Benedetto reviews Bash by Neil LaBute and Made in China by Mark O'Rowe at The Gate Theatre and the Peacock Theatre; Enrica Cerquoni reviews By The Bog of Cats by Marina Carr, Irish Repertory of Chicago; Peter Crawley reviews Beowulf adapted by Felix Nobis, Grendel Productions; Eibhlin Ni Ruairc reviews Blackwater Angel by Jim Nolan,The Abbey Theatre; Margaret Hannon reviews The Changeling by Thomas Middleton and Anthony Rowley,Threefold Theatre Company; Margaret Irish reviews Crime of the 21st Century by Edward Bond,Crooked House Theatre Company; Liam Mackey reviews Dead Funny by Terry Johnson, Rough Magic Theatre Company; Paul Haughey reviews Doublecross by Thomas Kilroy, Impact Theatre Company; Peter Crawley reviews The Entertainer by John Osborne, The New Theatre Company; Paul Haughey reviews Glory Be To the Father by Conal Creedon,Red Kettle Theatre Company; Belinda Kelly reviews Hamlet by William Shakespeare,Praxis Theatre Laboratory; Nick McGinley reviews The Homecoming by Harold Pinter, The Gate Theatre; Margaret Hannon reviews The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, Guna Nua Theatre Company in association with the Civic Theatre; Catriona Crowe reviews Katie Mitchell's Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripides, The Abbey Theatre; Mary Coll reviews Kevin's Story by Maeve Ingoldsby, Barnstorm Theatre Company; Susan Conley reviews King Lear by William Shakespeare, Second Age Theatre Company; Michael Billington reviews The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh,The Royal Shakespeare Company; Susan Conley reviews Lips Together,Teeth Apart by Terrence McNally, Focus Theatre Company; Maurice Dunphy reviews Loco County Lonesome by Patrick McCabe, Black Box Theatre Company; Matthew Causey reviews Macbeth after Shakespeare,Blue Raincoat Theatre Company; Rosy Barnes reviews The Memory of Water by Shelagh Stevenson, The Peacock Theatre; Paul Haughey reviews A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, Corcadorca Theatre Company; Victor Merriman reviews Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children by Gerry Sinnott and Paula Holt in association with Vesuvius Theatre Company; Cathy Leeney reviews Kabosh Productions Oriana; Margaret Irish reviews Passage by Deirdre Kinahan,Tall Tales Theatre Company in association with the Civic Theatre; Ian Shuttleworth reviews Port Authority by Conor McPherson,The Gate Theatre; Taragh Loughrey-Grant reviews Deirdre Mulrooney's shesawhore; Ian Wieczorek reviews The Spirit of Annie Ross by Bernard Farrell, Druid Theatre Company; Ian Shuttleworth reviews The Walls by Colin Teevan, Royal National Theatre London; Susan Conley reviews Why I Hate the Circus by loanna Anderson, Greenlight Productions in association with the Civic Theatre; Mary Coll reviews Wired to the Moon by Maeve Binchy, Fishamble Theatre Company.
Volume 2, Number 10 Winter 2001
On The Cover
Tom Murphy. Photo by Paul McCarthy
Contents
In October, itm hosted its second annual international critics' forum. Here's a transcript// Peter Crawley responds to this year's Dublin Fringe Festival// Annie Ryan describes her encounter with director Peter Brook// Patrick Burleigh reports on the controversy surrounding the recent closure of City Arts Centre's Moss Street facility, and on the ramifications for the theatre sector// 2001 has seen a bumper crop of plays by women on the Irish stage. Cathy Leeney reports Deflowerfucked by Aedin Cosgrove and Gavin Quinn, Pan Pan Theatre; Describe Joe by loanna Anderson, Greenlight Productions, 2000; Doghouse by Gina Moxley Draiocht Arts Centre, 2001; Fodder Two Plays by Alice Barry, Cat Melodeon and Pam Ella, Noggin Theatre Company, 2001; Getting to Level 10 by Irma Grothius,Calipo Theatre Company 2001; Gift by Ursula Rani Sarma, Belltable Unfringed Festival, 2001; Carshow by Corn Exchange, 2000 and 2001; eight short plays devised and directed by, among others, Annie Ryan, Caroline McSweeney, Deirdre Molloy, and Veronica Goburn; Chair by Operating Theatre, Peacock Theatre, 2001; A Close Shave with the Devil by Ena May, Focus Theatre, 2001; Convictions by Tinderbox Theatre Company, 2000; Jury Room by Nicola McCartney; Court No. 2 by Marie Jones; Couch by Siofra Campbell, Bewley's CafeTheatre, 2000 // Billy Roche offers an excerpt from his new play On Such as We// Peter Crawley reports on comings and goings behind the scenes of Irish theatre// REVIEWS: Ag Clai na Muice Duibhe (At the Black Pig's Dyke) by Vincent Woods, An Taibhdhearc Galway, reviewed by Jeannine Woods; Peter Crawley reviews Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward at the Gate Theatre; Ian Wieczorek reviews The Carnival King by Ian Kilroy, Fishamble Theatre Company; Peter Crawley reviews Death and the Ploughman by Johannes von Saaz, translated by Michael West, Comedie de Reims in association with Project Arts Centre; Nick McGinley reviews Educating Rita by Willy Russell at The Pavilion Theatre; Harold Fish reviews Give Me Your Answer Do (Anwote Mir) by Brian Friel by Schlosserei,Cologne City Theatre; Karen Fricker reviews Kvetch by Steven Berkoff, Kilkenny Arts Festival; Nick McGinley reviews Living Space, ReadCo, Dublin Youth Theatre; Maurice Dunphy reviews A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare,with additional text by Charles Lamb, Natural Shocks Theatre Company, The Civic Theatre; Maurice Dunphy reviews The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, Island Theatre Company; Susan Conley reviews The Old Lady Says No! by Denis Johnston, The National Youth Theatre; June Fave, Fionnuala Gallagher, David Greene, Laura Mulcahy, Lucia Nicoletti and Geri Slevin review The Original Night of Francis Fahy by Colm Corless, Trish Fitzpatrick and Philip Sweeney; Victor Merriman reviews The Playboy of the Western World by J.M.Synge at The Peacock Theatre; Susan Conley reviews The Promise of Sex: Two Plays by Howard Barker (Women Beware Women and The Twelfth Battle of Isonzo) by Iomha Ildanach and Lurking Truth; Derek West reviews Richard III by Willliam Shakespeare by Theatreworks; Una Kealy reviews Shopping and Fucking by Mark Ravenhill, Prime Cut Productions
Volume 3, Number 11 Spring 2002
On The Cover
Éanna McLiam and Emily Nagle in Diarmuid and Gráinne. Photo by Derek Speirs
Contents
Patrick Lonergan considers the ramifications of the Hinterland controversy at the Abbey// Mark Phelan offers a critical overview of the theatre programme in the 2001 Belfast Festival at Queen's// Miche Doherty, Gavin Kostick, and Andrea Romaldi consider the issues raised by a recent reading of Israeli playwright Hanoch Levin's Murder// On 24 February itm, in association with the Lyric Theatre and the Linen Hall Library, hosted a panel discussion on new play development. Here's a transcript//Patrick Burleigh surveys the commercial theatre producing scene in Ireland; Excerpt of Gerald Murphy's new play Take Me Home//BOOKS: Shaun Richards reviews Druids, Dudes and Beauty Queens, edited by Dermot Bolger, New Island Books; Michael Billington reviews Theatre Talk: Voices of Irish Theatre Practitioners edited by Lilian Chambers, Ger FitzGibbon, and Eamonn Jordan, Carysfort Press; Paul Murphy reviews Theatre and the State in Twentieth-Century Ireland by Lionel Pilkington, Routledge London and New York; Roisin Ingle reviews Stepping Stones: The Arts in Ulster 1971-2001 edited by Mark Carruthers and Stephen Douds, Blackstaff Press//REVIEWS: Paul Devlin reviews American Buffalo by David Mamet by Prime Cut Productions; Susan Conley reviews Barabbas...The Festival: Moby Dan, Nightmare on Essex Street, and Dog, Barabbas...the company; Brian Singleton reviews Blasted by Sarah Kane, Bedrock Productions; Tom Maguire reviews Caught Red Handed by Tim Loane, Tinderbox Theatre Comapany; Matthew Causey reviews Chair by Operating Theatre at The Peacock Theatre; Jamie Tanner reviews A Close Shave With the Devil by Ena May, Focus Theatre; Belinda McKeon reviews Denis and Rose adapted from a Maeve BInchy story by Gerard Stembridge, The Civic Theatre; David Grant reviews Diarmuid and Grainne, Passion Machine Theatre Company in association with Abhann Productions; Maurice Dunphy reviews Dog House by Gina Moxley, Draoicht Arts Centre; Paul Devlin reviews The Factory Girls by Frank McGuinness at The Lyric Theatre; Ian Shuttleworth reviews Faith Healer by Brian Friel at The Almeida Theatre, King's Cross; June Favre reviews Falling Into Paradise by Josh Tobiessen and Catastrophe Theatre Company; Peter Crawley reviews Fodder by Alice Barry, Noggin Theatre Company; Patrick Lonergan reviews For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again by Michel Tremblay, Peacock Theatre; Jamie Tanner reviews Freefalling by Owen McCafferty, Barefaced Theatre Company; Gerry Dukes reviews Hinterland by Sebastian Barry, A National Theatre, Royal National Theatre and Out of Joint co-production; Belinda Kelly reviews Knocknashee by Deirdre Kinahan, Tall Tales Theatre Company; Derek West reviews Letters to Felice by Stephen Edwards; Nick Costello reviews Lovely Betty devised by Kelly Campbell, Karen Egan, Tom Murphy, and Mark O'Halloran, Bewleys Cafe Theatre; Peter Crawley reviews Mansfield Park by Jane Austen adapted by Myles Dungan, Rattlebag Theatre Company in association with the Civic Theatre; Matthew Causey reviews Marking the Territory curated by Marina Abramovic, Irish Museum of Modern Art; Mary Coll reviews My Brilliant Divorce by Geraldine Aron, Druid Theatre Company; Helen Meany reviews On Such as We by Billy Roche, The Peacock Theatre; Mary Coll reviews Our Town by Thornton Wilder, Island Theatre Company; Sara Keating reviews A Prime Location (Johann Nestroy's Previous Relations; Sean O'Casey's Bedtime Stories; Kalahari Blues by Miriam Gallagher), Galloglass Theatre Company; Susan Conley reviews Quest 2: The Good People Try Harder by Karen Louise Hebden, based on the fairytales of W.B. Yeats, The Pavilion Theatre; Jools Gilson-Ellis reviews The Rite of Spring choreographed by David Bolger; Peter Crawley reviews the shape of things by Neil LaBute, The Gate Theatre; Belinda Kelly reviews The Star Child and Other Stories adapted from Oscar Wilde stories by Mary Elizabeth Burke-Kennedy, Storytellers Theatre Company, CoisCeim Dance Theatre; Tom Creed reviews Striking Distance by Raymond Scannell, Graffiti Theatre Company; Sara Keating reviews Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose, Lane Productions
Volume 3, Number 12 Summer 2002
On The Cover
Rosemary Butcher in SCAN. Photo by Chris Nash
Contents
Actor/director Mark Lambert offers his vision of the ideal facility for the National Theatre// Christine Madden, Anja Musiat, and Peter Crawley provide critical views of the first International Dance Festival Irleland// Seona MacReamoinn casts her eye over the current Irish dance scene// What is the relationship between Arts Council policy and the development of dance in Ireland? Paul Johnson offers his view// Leading Irish and Ireland-based choreographers discuss their work with Linda Murray// A selective listing of resources for Irish dance// How do choreographers record their work? David Bolger and John Scott discuss their methods// Peter Crawley reports on comings and goings behind the scenes of Irish theatre// itms' critics review two new books on Irish theatre
Volume 3, Number 13 Winter 2002
On The Cover
Fergal McElherron in the Performance Corporation's production of Candide. Photo by Colm Hogan
Contents
Choreographer and icd director Mary Brady makes a case for choreography as process, itm's third annual international theatre critics' forum took place on 7 October. Here's a transcript., Our hardy critics size up every Irish production in the ESB Dublin Fringe Festival, Nine productions (and counting) of Macbeth in the past year? Patrick Lonergan interrogates the relationship between professional theatre and school audiences, Calipo Theatre Company offers an excerpt from its work-in-progress Action Movie, Peter Crawley reports on comings and goings behind the scenes of Irish theatre, itm's critics reviews three new books on Irish theatre, Our critics on 42 productions and festivals, Reviews:
Volume 3, Number 14 Spring 2003
On The Cover
Ruth Negga and Katy Davis in Corcadorca's Amy the Vampire (and her Sister Martina). Photo by Gavin Quinn.
Contents
Mark Carruthers, Stephen Douds, and Tim Loane report on a tumultuous year for the arts in Belfast, In the first of our series of articles asking "What is Irish theatre about?", Belinda McKeon argues for less business and more imaginative space, Peter Crawley reports on troubling times for actor training in Ireland, Three reports on and from the Pan Pan International Symposium, An excerpt from Stella Feehily's 10-minute play Game , which will be presented as part of Fishamble's Shorts evening in May, Peter Crawley reports on comings and goings behind the scenes of Irish theatre, Patrick Lonergan reviews two new anthologies of Irish plays and inaugurates a book news column, 24 productions, Reviews:
Volume 3, Number 15 Summer 2003
On The Cover
Lia Williams in the Gate Theatre production of Eccentricities of a Nightingale. Photo by Tom Lawlor.
Contents
Should the Arts Council publish artistic criteria for grant-giving? Director Thomas Conway weighs in, In the second of our series of articles asking "What is Irish theatre about?", Joyce McMillan offers a view from Scotland, On 19 May, itm and City Arts Centre co-hosted an industry meeting about theatre touring in Ireland. With the current economic downturn and recent Arts Council cutbacks limiting production, does the sector have a crisis on its hands? Belinda McKeon reports on the day's proceedings, An excerpt from Tom Murphy's new play The Drunkard, having its world premiere this summer in a B*spoke production., Peter Crawley reports on comings and goings behind the scenes of Irish theatre, itm's critics review two new books about Irish theatre, Our critics review 25 productions
Volume 4, Number 16 Autumn 2003
On The Cover
Opera Theatre Company's Thwaite. Illustration by Paul Smyth.
Contents
Let's redefine the term 'co-production', urges Galway Arts Festival's Artistic Director, Rose Parkinson, In the third of our series of articles asking "What is Irish theatre about?", playwright Michael West plunges in fearlessly, What can Irish theatre-makers learn from their European counterparts? Catherine Boothman reports on a recent directors' and producers' visit to Romania, and Lynne Parker, Jason Byrne and Conall Morrison plug into the currents of European theatre, An excerpt from Simon Doyle's libretto for Thwaite, a new opera from Opera Theatre Company/Almeida Opera at the Dublin Fringe Festival, Peter Crawley reports on comings and goings behind the scenes of Irish theatre, Patrick Lonergan on publishing news; itm's critics review two new studies of Irish theatre, Our critics appraise 24 new productions
Volume 4, Number 17 Winter 2003
On The Cover
Daphne Strothman and Milos Galko in the Fabulous Beast/Dublin Theatre Festival production of Giselle. Photo by Ros Kavanagh.
Contents
The Arts Council needs to set the bar higher in its funding requests to government, argues Theatre Forum CEO Tania Banotti, In the final of our series of articles asking "What is Irish theatre about?", Paula McFetridge argues for a renewed focus on audiences, An edited transcript of itm's fourth annual international critics' forum, Six critics on 49 Irish Fringe productions , Julia Furay reports on itm's Conditions of Criticism Symposium, Jimmy Murphy's The Castlecomer Jukebox, an excerpt, itm's critics review three new books about Irish theatre and dance, Our critics review 22 productions
Volume 4, Number 18 Spring 2004
On The Cover
Cillian Murphy in the Druid Theatre production of The Playboy of the Western World. Photo by Keith Pettison.
Contents
Arts Council setting aside The Arts Plan 2003-2008;Abbey axes associate directors; The Irish EU Cultural Programme; Upcoming Productions, Beth Newhall reports on a recent conference on Synge's Playboy, The Abbey recently debated its role. Peter Crawley was there., David Horan was taken aback by views expressed at a forum on directors' training., Patrick Leech calls for a real Abbey debate, Brian Singleton considers the issues around cultural performances of national identity and pride, In the first of a year-long series, five artists and arts groups offer their vision of the next 100 years of Irish theatre, Púca Puppets offer and excerpt from their upcoming production, Songs from Her Suitcase, itm's critics review two new books about Irish theatre, Our critics review 22 productions
Volume 4, Number 19 Summer 2004
On The Cover
Katherine O'Malley and Drew Barnes in Pan Pan's Mac-Beth 7. Photo by Patrick Redmond.
Contents
Theatre Forum's Annual General Meeting; Winners of Stewart Parker Trust Playwriting Awards; Druid on Overtime; Upcoming Events, Patrick Lonergan reports on the third Abbey debate 'Memory and Repertoire', Beth Newhall attended a conference about Irish theatre abroad, Jimmy Fay responds to ideas about directing offered in itm 18., Peter Crawley spotlights boards of directors, Four more artists offer their vision of the next 100 years of Irish Theatre: Gavin Quinn; Selina Cartmell; Carmel O'Reilly; Bisi Adigun, Peter Crawley went to art camp with the Fringe, Colm Tóibín offers an excerpt from his new play Beauty in a Broken Place, Our critics review three new books on Irish theatre, Comings and goings behind the scenes, Our critics review 27 productions
Volume 4, Number 20 Autumn 2004
On The Cover
Little John Nee in Rural Electric. Photo by Jane Talbot.
Contents
The Abbey Theatre's Shaughraun to tour North America; Irish Theatre Magazine's Critics' Forum at the Spiegeltent; the 11th annual Theatre Shop Conference; The Andrew Mellon Foundation support of Dublin Fringe Festival; upcoming productions, Padraic Whyte reports on the MAGIC-NET Festival, Hugh Odling-Smee on the other big 2004 theatre birthday, Following the Stones in His Pockets court case, Belinda McKeon examines issues of theatre copyright in Irish law, while Karen Fricker looks at the case itself, Four more artists offer their vision to mark 100 years of Irish theatre, Eugene McNamee surveys the current context for theatre in Northern Ireland, An excerpt from Declan Gorman's new adaptation of Patrick Kavanagh's The Green Fool, New developments in Irish theatre production, A special books feature in which Patrick Lonergan considers recent Abbey Theatre studies; The History of Irish Theatre, 1601-2000; Des Maxwell's Modern Irish Drama; Shaun Richards' Cambridge Companion to Twentieth Century Irish Drama; TC Murray, Dramatist- Voice of the Irish Peasant by Albert DeGiacomo (Syracuse, 2002); The Abbey Theatre by Christopher Fitz-Simon (Thames and Hudson, 2003); Irish University Review 34.1, Special Issue: Lady Gregoryby Anne Fogarty (2004); The Theatre of a Nation by Ben Levitas (Oxford, 2002); Louis d'Alton and the Abbey Theatre by Ciara O'Farrell (Four Courts, October 2004); Theatre and the State in Twentieth-Century Ireland by Lionel Pilkington (Routledge, 2001); The Alternative Dramatic Revival in Ireland, 1897-1913 (Academica, 2004); The Abbey Theatre 1899-1999 by Robert Welch (Oxford, 1999), Comings and goings behind the scenes, Our critics review 34 productions
Volume 4, Number 21 Winter 2004
On The Cover
Iseult Golden and Carmel Stephens in Tick My Box. Photo by Eoin Stephens.
Contents
Two major funding stories break as itm goes to press, Ophelia Byrne reports on a £1.5 slash to Arts Council Northern Ireland's budget and 16% rise in arts budget in the Republic of Ireland to €61 million, Board moves at The Abbey; Open House; Theatre Forum's Economic Impact of the Professional Performing Arts in Ireland; Bewleys Café Theatre's possible re-opening; upcoming productions; , Practitioners' voices must be heard in the current debates on Belfast arts venues, argues Stella Hall, With the National Theatre on the edge of its new centenary, the fifth annual itm critics' forum focused on its Abbey and Ireland season. Here's the edited transcript of the panel's deliberations on the eighteen plays offered as either full productions or readings., Three weeks. Six reviewers. One Fringe trail. Itm staked out the Irish productions, and brought back those review essays on the techno, social, multi-media, and language concerns coming throught this year's Dublin Fringe Festival, Comings and goings behind the scenes, Our critics review 26 productions from all the major summer and autumn festivals, as well as Irish work from around the country.
Volume 5, Number 22 Spring 2005
On The Cover
Louis Lovett in Dublin by Lamplight. Photo by Paul McCarthey.
Contents
Appointment of Fiach MacConghail to the Abbey; Dublin Fringe 'going solo' from Dublin Theatre Festival; Arts Council reveals new Approach to Supporting the Arts, I, Keano; The Abbey's The Shaughraun; Business2Arts Awards; Michelle Read and Valerie Bistany's Mentoring Development Project; Residencies at the Centre Culturel Irlandais; , What Irish theatre artists are up to overseas, Comings and goings behind the scenes, Joe Devlin argues that there are lessons for 21st century Irish theatre in Russia, The Abbey Theatre is facing the biggest organisational shake-up in its 101-year history. Karen Fricker investigates., Peter Crawley considers the ramifications of the new schedule for this year's Dublin Fringe., What does live art have to do with Irish theatre? Plenty, argues Fintan Walsh, Johnny Hanrahan offers an excerpt from his new music theatre piece, Madame T, Helen Meany reviews three new scripts by England-based writers, and Patrick Lonergan thumbs through some new releases, Our critics review 23 productions
Volume 5, Number 23 Summer 2005
On The Cover
Sorcha Cusack in Bloody Sunday. Photo by Tristram Kenton.
Contents
Michael Colgan gives a rare blast of his producing philosophy, Mark your diaries!, What Irish theatre artists are up to overseas, The Irish Coalition for Cultural Diversity warns of an alarming new free trade initiative, Patrick Lonergan discusses Bloody Sunday , a verbatim theatre production on its way to Dublin, Three educational theatre experts outline the field and its concerns, Alan Archbold offers an excerpt from his new play A Little Bit of Blue, Joan Dean reviews two new books about Irish playwrights, Our critics review 35 productions
Volume 5, Number 24 Autumn 2005
On The Cover
Jerzy Gralek in Corcadorca's The Merchant of Venice. Photo by Michael Sweeney.
Contents
The Abbey Theatre restructures; Theatre Forum and the new Arts Council strategy; a tribute to outgoing editor Karen Fricker; Pan Pan Theatre's new documentary film One:Healing With Theatre, a documentary, book and performance involving 100 actors; Tom Murphy's new play Alice Trilogy bypasses the Abbey and opens in London's Royal Court Theatre in November. , Mark your diaries for the autumn festival season, What Irish theatre artists are up to overseas, Comings and goings behind the scenes, Technical Director Nick Anton points out the dangers of not adequately training and supporting technical staff, Karen Fricker assesses DruidSynge, Druid's once-in-a-lifetime staging of the entire Synge canon, and asks why we now shy away from the politics of class and power in Synge's writing, Lynda Radley joined the outdoor crowds at Cork Midsummer Festival's Relocation series l to see what Irish companies could learn from the visiting site-specific experts, Rachel Andrews takes notes from the site specific experts. Ben Harrison from Grid Iron speaks about its production, The Devil's Larder., Continued: Lynda Radley joined the outdoor crowds at Cork Midsummer Festival's Relocation series l to see what Irish companies could learn from the visiting site-specific experts, Director Thomas Conway thumbs through two new studies of Irish arts practitioners - at home and abroad, Our critics review 31 productions, Always leave 'em laughin… Alan Stanford considers his next corset role.
Volume 5, Number 25 Winter 2005
On The Cover
Patrick O'Kane in Hamlet. Photo by Ros Kavanagh.
Contents
Dublin Theatre Festival 2005; payrates for freelance artists; Arts Council's Arts Strategy; Marina Carr's Woman and Scarecrow premieres at London's Royal Court Theatre; Conall Morrison to direct La Traviata at the Coliseum, London in 2006; Conor McPherson support tax exemption scheme for artists, Mark your calendars for the winter months, Comings and goings behind the scenes, Verbatim theatre, as seen in Bloody Sunday: Scenes from the Saville Inquiry, is merely a conduit for information, argues David Barnett, Here's an edited transcript from the annual Irish Theatre Magazine International Critics' Forum, where four critics discussed a range of productions from the 2005 Dublin Fringe Festival, Once more on the breach: our reviewers pack their notebooks and sandwiches, looking for the gems among the Irish productions, Pan Pan Theatre's One-Healing with Theatre comprised a documentary film, a photographic book and a theatre piece involving 100 actors. Since every audience member had a different experience of the show, we offer some highly personal responses to the project., Our critics review 11 productions
Volume 6, Number 26 Spring 2006
On The Cover
Ralph Fiennes in Faith Healer. Photo by Anthony Woods.
Contents
Beckett; No Funding? No Comment: Arts Council pilot touring project; Conor McPherson premiere at the National Theatre London;, Mark your diaries for the months ahead, Tanya Dean notes movements behind the scenes in Irish theatre, The latest venue planned for Dublin is a commercially-run, 2000-seat performing arts centre in Grand Canal Dock. It's designed by interational 'starchitect' Daniel Liebeskind, who promises ' a destination in its own right'. Is this type of landmark building what the city needs, and what's going to be staged there? Rachel Andrews goes back to the drawingboard., The National Theatre of Scotland was launched last month with ten site-specific shows in ten locations, from the Highlands to a Glasgow tower block. Rather than setting out to define notions of Scottishness, it aims to encourage a public sense of ownership. Lynda Radley traces its gestation., Patrick Lonergan thumbs through the latest publications on Irish theatre, Our critics review 28 productions: "It has been a good period for new Irish writing, from established playwrights as well as emerging voices. Our critics assess recent productions of new work from Daragh Carville, Darach Ó Scolaí, Frank McGuinness and Tom Murphy".
Volume 6, Number 27 Summer 2006
On The Cover
Charles Linehan Company at International Dance Festival Ireland
Contents
Operatic Fantasies: Establishment of International Dance Festival Ireland and opera in Ireland. Helen Meany, RTE's decision to drop Rattlebag; The Prague Quadrennial Exhibition of Scenography and Theatre Architecture 2007; Michael Diskin of Galway's Town Hall Theatre bemoans the state of the arts in the west; 'Those Who Can, Do' by Gavin Kostick, Mark your diaries for the months ahead, Tanya Dean notes movements behind the scenes of Irish theatre, Multi-annual funding is back on the agenda for all arts organisations argues Fergal McGrath, Managing Director of Druid Theatre, After three years as a biennial event, International Dance Festival Ireland is to become a yearly feature of the arts calendar. Michael Seaver assesses its achievements, while Seona Mac Reamoinn reviews productions in this year's festival, Seona Mac Reamoinn moves with the constantly shifting styles, rhythms and perspectives of this year's International Dance Festival Ireland, Is gay theatre the same as queer theatre? Is identity politics more important than art? Watching performances at the third International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival and listening to the surrounding debates, Fintan Walsh gets a few things straight, Michael Seaver on a new history of dance and physical theatre in Ireland, Our critics on 25 productions
Volume 6, Number 28 Autumn 2006
On The Cover
Fabulous Beast's The Flowerbed at Dublin Fringe Festival 2006
Contents
Peter Crawley reports, Mark your diaries for the months ahead, Tanya Dean notes movements behind the scenes of Irish theatre, It's time we found our voice: the arts sector needs an independent lobby to communicate its interests effectively, writes Mark Mulqueen, It began as a protest and blossomed into something different. Galway's Project '06 had all the hallmarks of a successful Fringe festival- and the city is ripe for one, argues director Thomas Conway, What is the afterlife of a theatre production? Can material elements of shows be recycled, or does 'ephemeral' always mean 'wasteful'? Stage manager Lisa Mahony traces the lifespan of sets, props and costumes as they move from the theatre to their final resting place of the storeroom - or the skip., Belinda McKeon assesses the biographies of two remarkable women of the theatre, Our critics review 17 productions
Volume 6, Number 29 Winter 2006
On The Cover
Brid Brennan in Doubt. Photo by Colm Hogan.
Contents
Peter Crawley reports, Mark your diaries for the months ahead, Tanya Dean notes movements behind the scenes of Irish theatre, Padraic McIntyre argues that companies outside Dublin need to be supported., Tom Creed comments on recent productions that capture a prevailing social malaise, At the seventh annual ITM Critics' Forum, our critics presented their views on a range of productions from Dublin Theatre Festival 2006. Here's an edited transcript. Panel includes: Brian Singleton; Helen Meany; Patrick Lonergan and Peter Crawley, Our insomniac reviewers sought out the best Irish productions that Dublin Fringe Festival 'O6 had to offer, Do you have to form a company if you want to make theatre? Rachel Andrews reports on a recent Theatre Forum seminar about alternative models of production, Some of the most talented theatre directors in Ireland have recently taken the plunge into opera. They talk to Sara Keating about what they're bringing to the art form- and what they have learned., Our critics review 19 productions
Volume 7, Number 30 Spring 2007
On The Cover
Samuel Beckett's Catastrophe directed by Sarah Jane Scaif.
Contents
Travelling Players, Peter Crawley reports, Mark your diaries for the months ahead, Tanya Dean notes movements behind the scenes of Irish theatre, Attempts to define what a dramaturg does ten to end in confusion. Jocelyn Clarke goes in search of answers, The legacy of J.M.Synge's Playboy was assessed in a night of television documentaries celebrating his centenary. Karen Fricker tuned in., On Religion is the latest in a series of 'theatre essays' created by London-based director, Mick Gordon. He talks to Rachel Andrews about exploring major ideas through theatre, and the influence of his Belfast childhood., Caryl Churchill's play A Number, is one of the most difficult works Annabelle Comyn has directed. Here she describes how the script's precise use of language became her guide in rehearsal. , A new international research network for Irish theatre holds its first academic conference next month. Sara Keating reports. , Patrick Lonergan assesses a collection of recent Irish plays and wonders what's missing, Our critics on 20 productions
Volume 7, Number 31 Summer 2007
On The Cover
David Shannon in Sweeney Todd. Photo by Ros Kavanagh
Contents
Peter Crawley reports, Mark your diaries for the months ahead, Tanya Dean notes movements behind the scenes of Irish theatre, Getting the rhythm of the language right and being true to his characters is what matters, says Mark O'Rowe, as Terminus opens, Are dramsocs a fun social outlet or a unique grounding in theatre? Sara Keating assesses the current state of student drama, Somewhere between artistic matchmaking and counselling, mentoring can be invaluable help for practitioners. Playwright Michelle Read reflects on the mentoring scheme she co-piloted, Highly competitive, NT Shell Connections, the (UK) National Theatre's youth theatre festival, was at Cork's Everyman Palace last month. Could it be the spur for homegrown festivals of new writing for teens, asks Nicola Depuis., Experiments in performance rather than issue plays marked the fifth International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. It could go further in that direction and become a wider gay cultural event rather than a theatre festival, writes Fintan Walsh., A new collection of essays writes women back into the history of Irish theatre reviewed by Catriona Crowe, Patrick Lonergan browses through the latest publications on Irish theatre, Our critics review 28 productions
Volume 7, Number 32 Autumn 2007
On The Cover
Lisa Lambe in Lizzie Lavelle and the Vanishing of Emlyclough. Photo by Tom Swift.
Contents
Peter Crawley reports, Autumn dates to remember, Tanya Dean notes movements behind the scenes of Irish theatre, Susan Conley urges theatre companies to work on their image, Sebastian Barry's new play gives voice to two Dubliners left behind by history. It asks what survives from a total mess, he says, Artistic Director Willie White wonders why the Irish theatrical canon is treated with reverence, A new strategy for theatre in Northern Ireland comes at a time when arts funding to the region is at an all-time low. Can theatre-makers seize the opportunity to make culture a priority? Rachel Andrews reports, Held in the summer for the first time, Wexford Festival Opera 2007 had audiences talking in stage whispers - and not always about the operas. Karen Dervan takes stock of the programme, and the departure of the Festival's Chief Executive, Gúna Nua wanted to see what happened when six non-Irish actors got together to devise a piece reflecting their lives in Dublin. Director David Parnell describes the creation of Urban Poems, A new study of theatre in Northern Ireland analyses playwrights' responses to the Troubles, reviewed by Thomas Conway, Our critics review 20 productions
Volume 7, Number 33 Winter 2007
On The Cover
Barbara Brennan and Olwen Fouere in Woman and Scarecrow. Photo by Ros Kavanagh.
Contents
Peter Crawley reports, Winter dates to take note of , Tanya Dean keeps track, Derbhile Dromey urges more theatres to provide audio-described performances, Ensemble theatre holds enormous attractions, but Rachel Andrews asks whether it's really the most fruitful way to create exciting work, Can good drama be written to further the cause of human rights? Patrick Lonergan tunes into a recent series of RTE radio plays specially commissioned to tackle the theme, Are visual art and theatre converging? An exhibition at London's Tate Modern explores the 'theatricalisation of everyday life'. Stage designer John Comiskey looks for the common ground, Scandal, censure and ideological conflict: fifty years of the Dublin Theatre Festival were the subject of a two-day academic conference in October. Tanya Dean sums it all up., Plunging into the programme over two packed weeks in September, our adrenaline-fuelled reviewers sought out the best Irish productions in the Dublin Fringe Festival '07, The Art of Swimming emerged as one of the memorable hits of the Fringe. Its creator Lynda Radley talks to Aoife Walsh, Emilie Pine on Joe Cleary's essays that tackle Irish writers' failure to engage with politics, Our critics review 26 productions
Volume 8, Number 34 Spring 2008
On The Cover
Eileen Walsh in Terminus by Mark O'Rowe. Photo by Ros Kavanagh.
Contents
Peter Crawley reports, Spring dates to take note of , Tanya Dean keeps track, Lorelei Harris argues that radio drama is a magnificent and misunderstood medium, During the past year, Eileen Walsh has shown the range of her acting talent in a series of indelibly affecting performances in Dublin, New York and on screen. She talks to Belinda McKeon, Are We All Critics Now? Even in the crowded blogosphere, the critic has an important role to play in our culture, writes Rónán McDonald, No-one could complain about a dearth of new writing in March, when audiences were shown works in miniature form. Short did not mean short-changed, writes Lisa Mahony, With Macbeths breaking out all over, Shakespeare productions have swept the stage in recent months. Rachel Andrews talks to directors about their approach to these works- and why they return to them again and again, Clare Wallace reads a collection of essays focusing on The Abbey centenary, and Fíona Ní Chinnéide picks the best of recent publications, Our critics review 24 productions
Volume 8, Number 35 Summer 2008
On The Cover
Mikel Murfi in The New Electric Ballroom by Enda Walsh. Photo by Keith Pattison.
Contents
Peter Crawley reports, Summer dates to watch out for, Tanya Dean keeps up, Enda Walsh talks to Jesse Weaver about his collaborations with dramaturgs and directors, and the creation of The New Electric Ballroom, If it's site-specific, they will come. Rachel Andrews examines the appeal- and limitations- of site-specific theatre, From panto to Cabaret, from period drama to the dark visions of Marina Carr, Barbara Brennan has done it all. She talks to Sara Keating about her determination not to be pigeon-holed., Performer and playwright Gina Moxley comes back to earth after Pan Pan's international tour with Oedipus Loves You, Performance Corporation invited artists to pool ideas for new work in a residential workshop. Michelle Read studies The Space Project , As Dublin Dance Festival became an annual event, Seona Mac Réamoinn surveys a programme that was full of surprises, Tom Maguire reads a new collection of essays examining the monologue form, Our critics review 29 productions
Volume 8, Number 36 Winter 2008
On The Cover
Aaron Monaghan in Druid Theatre Company's production of The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh. Photo by Keith Pattison.
Contents
Peter Crawley reports, Ian R. Walsh tracks recent career moves, Aaron Monaghan brings distinctive physical expressiveness to every role he plays, from Romeo to Cripple Billy. But there's no 'method', he tells Sara Keating, Sophocles' Oedipus is 'a play that claws into you', says Frank McGuinness, as his new version runs at London's National Theatre, Brian Friel's recent versions of plays by Chekhov and Ibsen ripple with the themes that have preoccupied him for six decades, writes Emilie Pine, The First Festival of New Irish Theatre took place in New York in September and included specially commissioned short works set on the subway. Belinda McKeon reports on its success, Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival joined forces with Theatre Forum and The Abbey to run 'The Next Stage', an intensive programme for practitioners. Raymond Scannell found time to take notes., How do you turn thirteen short stories into a play? Kevin Barry had no idea, but got some clues from a Robert Altman film, he tells Rachel Andrews, A writer's debut is lavished with attention. Then reality bites. Three recently produced playwrights talk to Jesse Weaver about the perils of 'development limbo'., Thomas Conway on a collection of essays marking fifty years of the Dublin Theatre Festival, Our critics on 15 productions , Ian R. Walsh marks your diaries for winter nights