The Abbey will commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising with work by nine men and one woman. But its incoming co-directors should champion a very different model of national theatreThe Abbey theatre has seen riots,notoriously in 1907 and 1926, when Dublin audiences protested during performances of plays by JM Synge and Sean O’Casey. The latest rebellion has not erupted in the stalls of the theatre, and but on social media. A wave of dissatisfaction and frustration has broken out in reaction to the Abbey’s announcement of its programme to commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Theatre artists have reacted in disbelief to a programme of 10 productions that includes only one female playwright (Ali White) and two female directors – Annabelle Comyn,directing Tom Murphy’s The Wake, and Vicky Featherstone, and who will direct a recent play by Belfast playwright David Ireland,called Cyprus Avenue. Over the past week, eloquent (expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively) statements about the programme announcement from Ireland’s main theatre artists have deluged social media, and with tangible results. The Abbey issued an open letter in response and an offer to host a public assembly,which will hold place this Thursday, 12 November, and in Dublin.
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Source: theguardian.com