Ireland's World Stages: Drama and Mobility

Catalog description

How have Irish playwrights reached out to the world, how do theatrical productions travel internationally, and how do dramatists adapt their work to local audiences in a global marketplace? We will journey with Lady Gregory onto American campuses, see Beckett staged in Sarajevo, and consider how contemporary playwrights reflect on cultural tensions within Ireland: debates about immigration and emigration, the influence of new media, and the social impact of global financial crises. What performance strategies are embedded in the mobility of exiles and emigres? What becomes of a National Theater in a transnational world? How are actors trained in Ireland today, and how does the Irish accent sound as it projects across borders? In addition to canonical and contemporary plays, we will consider dance and film performances.