IRISH NATIONAL DRAMA AND THE BRITISH THEATRE, 1897–1951

This chapter explores the emergence of Irish national drama in the context of its interrelationships with the British theatre, focussing on the interplay between the two theatrical cultures from the beginning of the Irish dramatic movement in 1897 to the Abbey Theatre fire of 1951. Suggesting that, perhaps paradoxically, the distinctiveness of the early Irish theatre lay in its rhetorical positioning of itself as England’s opposite, the chapter presents an overview of the shared stage histories of the two countries. That includes the importance for the Irish tradition of English directors (from Frank Benson to Hilton Edwards), English funders (such as Annie Horniman), and English performance traditions and practices (including the musicals of Gilbert and Sullivan, pantomime, and tours of Shakespeare).