Streets Apart From Abbey Street

Hans von Göler

Streets Apart From Abbey Street. The Search for an Alternative National Theatre in Ireland since 1980

ISBN 978-3-88476-394-0, ISBN 3-88476-394-6, 194 pp., paperback, € 21,00 (2000)

(Prospekte - Studien zum Theater, Vol. 5)

Over the past two decades, the Irish theatre has changed dramatically. Formerly dominated by a towering National Theatre notorious for its artistic conservatism, it is now one of the liveliest in Europe, thanks mainly to a new wave of independent managements established during the eighties and nineties. Starting from the idea with which modern Irish theatre history began – that of a theatre expressing Ireland and its people – this book examines the reasons for and the consequences of this seemingly sudden upsurge; showing that it was in fact inevitable, and also part of a larger redefinition process Ireland is still undergoing. In addition, some principal Irish theatre groups are introduced, and some quintessential works by Irish dramatists presented to further illustrate the thesis.