Abbey Theatre

The Abbey Theatre (Irish Amharclann na Mainistreach ) is the Irish National Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1904 to show work by Irish writers and Irish theme and contribute to the cultural identity of Ireland. It receives subsidies since 1925 the Irish Government and is the first state- subsidized theater in the English-speaking world. After a fire in 1951 took advantage of the ensemble, the Queen's Theatre until 1966, the Abbey Theatre was rebuilt and now provides space for 628 spectators.

The poet William Butler Yeats and the writer Isabella Augusta Gregory was next to Edward Martyn, inter alia, founder and director of the theater, in which the first play was performed on 27 December 1904. In the early years, the theater was narrow ( also Celtic Twilight ) connected to the writers of the Irish Literary Revival, and served as a stage for many Irish playwrights and actors of the 20th century. In addition, the many guest appearances have contributed abroad, especially in North America to the fact that the theater is an important carrier of the Irish tourism.

In the Abbey Theatre Irish writer pieces were premiered, including works by Yeats and Gregory, as well as John Millington Synge, George William Russell and Sean O'Casey. It is known for its productions of works from the early 20th century.

In recent years, young artists and drama students be promoted, the Abbey Theatre is its own experimental theater, the Peacock Theatre, where pieces of the Abbey School of Acting are listed. The Abbey Theatre also shows pieces in the Irish language.

Before the Abbey

The foundation of the Abbey is due to the coming together of three forces.

The first was the failed Irish Literature Theatre. Founded in 1899 by W. B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, George Moore and Edward Martyn, the theater presented a number of pieces in the Ancient Concert Room and the Gaiety Theatre, which were not appreciated by the audience.

The second was the work of the brothers William and Frank Fay. William worked in the 1880s for a while for a group of traveling actors in Ireland, Scotland and Wales, while his brother Frank was engaged for amateur theater in Dublin. After William returned, the siblings began to perform pieces on various stages of Dublin. Eventually they founded the WG Fay 's Irish National Dramatic Company, the promotion of Irish acting talent devoted himself. In April 1902, the Fays gave three performances of Æs piece Deirdre and Yeats ' Cathleen Ní Houlihan in St. Theresa 's Hall in Dublin. The show was aimed primarily at an audience of the working class and not to the usual theater goers from the Dublin middle class. It was, for the most part by the appearance of Maud Gonne in Yeats ' play, a huge success.

The third element was the presence of Annie Horniman. Horniman was an Englishwoman who had had earlier experience of theater production, such as the presentation of George Bernard Shaw's Arms and Man in London. She came to Dublin in 1903 to work unpaid for the production of The King's Threshold as Yeats ' secretary. It was her money that enabled the Abbey.

Founding of the Abbey

In light of the success of the company in St. Theresa 's Hall, the Irish National Theatre Society in 1903 by Yeats as president, Lady Gregory, Martyn E. and John Millington Synge was launched. The funds came from Annie Horniman. Initially the pieces were included in the Molesworth Hall. When the Hibernian Theatre of Varieties in Lower Abbey Street and an adjoining building after its closure were available by the local Fire Commission decided Horniman and William Fay, to acquire the building and rebuild according to the demands of society. As Horniman was not a citizen of Ireland, she had acquired a Royal Letters Patent, vouched for the Lady Gregory. William Fay was appointed theater manager and he was made responsible for the training of the actor was passed. Yeats's brother Jack Yeats was commissioned to paint portraits of the leading members of the Society for the foyer and Sarah Purser designed stained glass windows for the same purpose.

On December 27, the curtains opened for the opening night. The demonstration consisted of three one-act plays, On Baile 's beach and Cathleen Ní Houlihan by Yeats, and Spreading the News by Lady Gregory. The second night was played In the Shadow of the Glen by Synge instead of the second piece of Yeats. The two rows alternated over five evenings. Frank Fay, who played the role of Cuchulainn of On Baile 's beach was the first actor who entered the stage of the Abbey. And although Horniman designed the costumes, neither she nor Lady Gregory were present. Horniman had returned to England and their main work for the Abbey was in the following years in finance, public relations and the organization of tours of the Abbey by London and smaller local theaters.

1905 decided Yeats, Lady Gregory and Synge, to convert the Abbey into a GmbH. As they went over there Horniman felt this badly treated and instructed Ben Iden Payne, a former employee of the Abbey to build their new theater group in Manchester. The senior actor Máire Nic Shiubhlaigh, Honor Lavelle ( Helen Laird ), Emma Vernon, Máire Garvey, Frank Walker, Seamus O'Sullivan, Pádraic Colum and George Roberts left the company.

The Early Years

The new theater was a great success with a huge crowd in most productions. It also was fortunate to have with Synge one of the best English writers as an important member. But the theater also led pieces of known or soon become known authors such as Yeats, Lady Gregory, Moore, Martyn, Padraic Colum, Oliver St. John Gogarty, FR Higgins, Thomas MacDonagh ( one of the leaders of the Easter Rising, 1916), TC Murray and Lennox Robinson on. Many of these authors were also on the board of the theater, with the result that there was a continuous reputation as a writer theater.

To a crisis occurred in January, 1907. At the premiere of Synge's The Playboy of the Western World, there was a complete scandal and violent riots, the first in the theater, and later played out on the surrounding streets and had to be stopped by the police. Irish nationalists felt that the play was not political enough and by his immoral language the dignity of Ireland, especially the Irish women hurt. The conclusion of the first performance was staged as a pantomime.

Although the press opinion was soon against the critics and the protests (which became known as the Playboy Riots ) subsided, the Abbey was shocked and Synge's next ( and last completed ) play, The Tinker's Wedding ( 1908) was not performed for fear of new disorders.

In the same year, the relationship of the brothers Fay ended with the Theatre, who emigrated to the United States, and the daily business was acquired by Lennox Robinson. As on May 7, 1910 in honor of the late King Edward VII, all theaters were closed, Robinson held ( involuntarily ), the theater opened; Horniman then severed all relations with the Abbey. According to their own estimate, she had spent up to that £ 10,350 of their own money for the project, a considerable sum at that time.

With the loss of Horniman, Synge and the Fays, the Abbey under Robinson was bobbing in front of him and suffered nachlassendem interest of the public and lack of revenue at the box office. This trend was stopped by Sean O'Casey, the heir Synge. O'Casey's career began with The Shadow of a Gunman, the 1923 was listed in the Abbey. This was followed by Juno and the Paycock (1924 ) and The Plough and the Stars ( 1926). The last piece led to disturbances, 19 years earlier recalled the at Playboy. Terrified by the public reaction O'Casey's next play was rejected and he emigrated shortly thereafter.

The Abbey after Yeats

In 1924, the Abbey of Yeats and Lady Gregory the Government of the State of Ireland was offered as a gift to the Irish people. Despite reluctance of the Treasury the offer was accepted, mainly because of the support irischsprachiger pieces through the theater. As a result, the Abbey in 1925 to the first state-supported theater company in the English-speaking world was. The following year, the Abbey School of Acting and the Abbey School of Ballet was founded. The Ballet School, which closed in 1933 again led by Ninette de Valois, who also choreographed several pieces of Yeats.

At this time, more space was acquired and a small experimental theater, The Peacock began under the main stage operation. 1928 began Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammoir over the Gate Theatre pieces of important European and American writers on stage at the Peacock listed. Later the gate new Irish authors sought to perform their pieces, and an example shows how deep the Abbey to that time had fallen. Denis Johnston sent his first play Shadow Dance to the Abbey, where it was promptly rejected by Lady Gregory, who wrote the words " The Old Lady Says No" on the cover page. Johnston gave his pieces a new name and in 1928 it was listed by the gate on the stage of the Peacock. The new name was The Old Lady Says 'No'.

The tradition of the Abbey as a writer theater survived Yeats ' withdrawal from daily business. For example, Frank O'Connor was in the years 1935-1939 on the Board in 1937 as a Director and had two pieces, which were performed during his time. The 1940s and 50s was the low point of the number of visitors who do not fell even deeper only by the presence of popular actors like FJ McCormick and authors such as George Shiels. Another tenant of the Abbey was Austin Clarke Dublin Verse Speaking Society, later the Lyric Theatre, which recorded only the Peacock and then the main stage. On 18 July 1951, the Abbey was destroyed by fire and only the Peacock survived. The company rented the old Queen's Theatre in September and take advantage of this temporary until 1966., Queen's was the home of the Happy Gang, a group of comedians, who performed skits, burlesque and pantomime in front of a large audience. With their peasant comedies the new tenants of the Queen's were not far from the old one. In February 1961, the ruins of the Abbey was demolished and reconstruction began under the leadership of the Irish architect Michael Scott. On 3 September 1963, the foundation stone of the new theater was laid by President of Ireland Eamon de Valera, which opened the doors on July 18, 1966.

The Abbey in 1966

The interaction of the new building, a new generation of authors such as Hugh Leonard, Brian Friel and Tom Murphy and the growth of tourism with the National Theatre as one of the attractions helped the resurgence of the theater. Also taking place since 1957 Dublin Theatre Festival, which took part in the Abbey, was a factor.

Pieces such as Friel's Philadelphia Here I Come (1964 ), The Faith Healer (1979) and Dancing at Lughnasa (1990 ), Murphy's Whistle in the Dark (1961 ) and The Gigli Concert (1983 ) and Leonard Da (1973) and A Life ( 1980) supported the Abbey, its international profile through successful performances in London's West end and on Broadway to strengthen. Despite these and other successes, most demonstrations were poorly attended and 2004, occupied in the year of the centenary of less than half the seats.

Currently, the Abbey Theatre is looking for a new building, as well as the new theater is a security risk.

Swell

Offline

• Igoe, Vivien. A Literary Guide to Dublin. ( Methuen, 1994) ISBN 0-413-69120-9

Online

• Denis Johnston and The Old Lady Says 'No' (s)
• Dublin 's Abbey in centenary crisis - Guardian Unlimited ( s)
• Barnes to stay on as Abbey Theatre director - RTÉ News ( en )
• Arts Council voices concern over Abbey - RTÉ News ( en )