"Th' time is rotten ripe for revolution." Set amidst the tumult of the Ireland's 1916 Easter Rising, Sean O'Casey's searing The Plough and the Stars is the story of ordinary lives ripped apart by idealism and revolution. The play opens with the domestic hum of a Dublin tenement and its residents just before the uprising's violence sweeps through the streets and dramatically impacts their lives.
Once the smoke has cleared, what kind of Ireland awaits them?
The Plough and the Stars was first performed at the
Abbey Theatre in 1926 and caused riots by Nationalists who thought it defamed the patriots. Now considered a masterpiece, it has become essential in our understanding of the forces that rocked Ireland in 1916, one hundred years ago and included members of The
Abbey Theatre.
The Plough and the Stars is the third play in O'Casey's Dublin Trilogy which began with
Shadow of a Gunman and
Juno and the Paycock. Sean Holmes won the Olivier Award for
Sarah Kane's
Blasted and brings a new perspective to Sean O'Casey's timeless and absorbing play. "An appropriately irreverent handling of a legendarily irreverent script. This vigorous performance...convincingly reinforces the mettle of O'Casey's great play."- (
Washington Post). The cast for this production includes: Ian Lloyd Anderson, Kate
Stanley Brennan, Tony Clay, Lloyd Cooney,
David Ganly, Rachel Gleeson,
James Hayes, Liam Heslin, Ger Kelly, Janet Moran, Ciaran O'Brien, Nima Talghani,
Eileen Walsh and Nyree Yergainharsian. Set design is by
Jon Bausor; costumes are by Catherine Fay; lighting is by
Paul Keogan; and music and sound design are by
Philip Stewart. Watch costumer Donna Geraghty demonstrate how they recreated 1916 Dublin:
http://bit.ly/2d94qQq
Founded by
W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory in 1904 as the voice of an emerging nation, the Abbey proudly remains Ireland's national theater and the birthplace of great plays that have achieved worldwide recognition as classics, among them
The Playboy of the Western World, Sean O'Casey's
Dublin Trilogy,
Brian Friel's
Faith Healer and
Dancing at Lughnasa, among many others. The
Abbey Theatre's acclaimed production of
Quietly is currently on view at Irish Repertory Theater and has extended its run. These productions come at the end of
Fiach MacConghail's successful 12 years as the Abbey's artistic director in which he found even more new ears for the glorious music of Irish plays.
Honored with a Citation for Excellence from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Peak Performances continues to honor its audience by presenting daring, world class entertainment at an affordable (and astonishing) $20 ticket.
Abbey Theatre, The Plough and the Stars, directed by Sean Holmes
Performances: Thursday, October 20th at 7:30 pm; Friday, October 21st at 7:30 pm; Saturday, October 22nd at 8 pm; and Sunday, October 23rd at 3 pm.
Running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, 2 intermissions.
Admission: $20 for all performances.
WHERE TO GO
The Alexander Kasser Theater at Montclair State University is located at 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, New Jersey 07043. All tickets are $20 and are available at the box office, www.peakperfs.org or by calling 973 655 5112.
FUNDERS
Programs in this season are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Dept. of State, a Partner Agency of The National Endowment for the Arts and The
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
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