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Origins of Irish Drama

Ireland is known as the “state of drama” and Dublin is the “drama capital” of Europe. Dublin had theatres as early as 1637.

But it’s all about the British conqueror’s repertoire. In 1742, one of the most important plays in history, the classic work of German composer Handel, the oratorio “Messiah” based on the biblical story, premiered in Dublin, under the direction of the composer himself.

In the eighteenth century, Dublin’s eloquent statesman and MP Richard Sheridan wrote several excellent comedies, the most famous of which is the satirical, snarky Dubliners’ rap-talking School of Rumors.

In the nineteenth century, the bourgeois aestheticist writer Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin. His outstanding play “Lady Windermere’s Fan” and the play “Salome” written in French are well-known works in European theater.

In 1856, Bernard Shaw, an Irish writer who was a popular figure in the 19th century literary world and the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925, was born in Dublin. . By the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, with Dublin’s Abbey Theatre as the center, there was an unprecedented boom in Irish theatre.

Since then, Dublin has become the “drama capital” of Europe, and various forms of theatre festivals are held every year. Although drama is an art with dialogue as the carrier, the role of music in drama and the promotion of music by drama art are mutual, and the prosperity of music can be seen from the prosperity of drama. Music and drama have created Dublin, and the artistic atmosphere of Dublin has continuously improved the artistic level of Irish people, so that Irish music will not run out of inspiration and last for a long time.

Bernard Shaw Although the earliest documented history of Irish dramatization dates back to 1601, the recognized first Irish playwright was William Congreve, who excelled at “restoration comedies”.

19th century playwright Dion Butchcourt’s comedy was all the rage. It wasn’t until the end of the 19th century, however, that Irish theatre truly gained international fame. Writers who have earned this great reputation for Irish theatre include George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde and Yeats’ “Irish Literary Theatre”, founded in Dublin in 1899.

Bernard Shaw’s plays have a typical Irish humor and satire style, and his representative works include “Mrs. Warren’s Occupation” and “Back to Mercer’s Salad”. Oscar Wilde is a representative figure of aestheticism literature, whose creative fields include fairy tales, novels, plays, poems and so on. His play “Salome” is regarded as a model work of aestheticism in the field of drama.

Later, Yeats founded the Abbey Theater on the basis of “Irish Literary Theater”, and its creative team included Yeats himself, Mrs. Gregory, John Singer and so on. Under the influence of the poet Pound, the creation of the Abbey Theater was influenced by Eastern mysticism, especially Japanese Noh. In addition, some of the Abbey Theatre plays use the Irish dialect in their creation. These qualities have had an indelible influence on the development of later Irish theatre.

Irish theatre continued to flourish in the 20th century, represented by Samuel Beckett, Brandon Beham, Denis Johnstone, Brian Freer, Thomas Killow, Tom Murphy, Hugh Leonardo and John Keane. The most accomplished of them was Samuel Beckett. Influenced by existentialism, Beckett created a series of postmodernist plays, including “Waiting for Godot”, which showed the absurd and nihilistic features of modern society. Beckett is regarded as a master of “absurdist” drama.

The creation of Gaelic plays also developed in the 20th century. Established in 1928, the “Gate Theatre” is dedicated to the creation and dissemination of Gaelic plays and has had a certain influence throughout Europe.

From the 1970s, a large number of nascent theatres began to rise, and the dominance of the Abby Theatre in the field of Irish theatre was challenged. These nascent theaters include Focus Theater, Children’s Theater, and Druid Theater, among others. These theaters have produced a large number of outstanding playwrights, actors and directors.

The earliest plays in Ireland were mystery plays performed in churches in Latin. At the end of the 18th century, theatres were built in many Irish cities such as Belfast, Cork, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny and Limerick. The theatre industry in Ireland began to flourish, with some world-famous actors and playwrights appearing one after another.