Dr. Greta McCormick Coger Literary Salon Series: Exploring Literary Renaissance of the Emerald Isle and its mystical Aran Islands. at Tennessee Shakespeare Company

ennessee Shakespeare Company is continuing its Dr. Greta McCormick Coger Literary Salon Series on Sunday, NOVEMBER 8 with an exploration of the Literary Renaissance of the Emerald Isle and its mystical Aran Islands.

The sixth Salon of nine during TSC's 13th season, From Dublin to the Sea: John M. Synge is curated and directed by TSC's Stephanie Shine. It will be presented both in-person on TSC's Owen and Margaret Wellford Tabor Stage and simulcast online beginning at 3:00 pm (CST), to be followed by a brief talkback with the actors.

The Salon will run approximately one hour and is presented in honor of stalwart TSC Board members and ardent fans of Ireland: Pat and Ernest Kelly.

In addition to Shine (an Irish citizen, and playwright of I Am of Ireland), The Acting Company includes Dan McCleary, Lauren Gunn, Carmen-maria Mandley, Jasmine Robertson, Simmery Branch, John Ross Graham, and Blake Currie. (All artist bios MAY be found in TSC's digital playbill at www.tnshakespeare.org)

Interspersed with conversation about Mr. Synge and the creation of his works, the Salon will feature his "perfect" one-act play Riders to the Sea (1904), his playwrighting masterwork that shocked his native land The Playboy of the Western World (1907), his first inspiration The Aran Islands (1907), his friend William B. Yeats' Synge and the Ireland of His Time (1911), and personal correspondence between the two literary titans.

"Young John M. Synge, with the heart of a respectful naturalist," says Shine, "used his uncanny skill of observation to, as Yeats said, 'give expression to the expressionless.' His plays brought the Irish peasantry to the stage for the first time, showcasing their humor and dignity as they forged an existence in deep relationship to both the natural and mystical world. In his short life, Synge's collaboration with W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory ignited the Irish Literary Renaissance. His deep humanity resonates in all of his writings, making them especially welcome today."