W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

Lady Gregory Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (''née'' Persse; 15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932) was an Irish dramatist, folklorist and theatre manager. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, ...

and Edward Martyn published a "Manifesto for Irish Literary Theatre" in 1897, in which they proclaimed their intention of establishing a national theatre for Ireland. The Irish Literary Theatre was founded by Yeats, Lady Gregory, George Moore and Edward Martyn in

Dublin, Ireland Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, in 1899. It proposed to give performances in Dublin of Irish plays by Irish authors. In 1899 Lady Gregory secured a temporary licence for a play to be given at the Antient Concert Rooms in Great Brunswick St in Dublin, and so enabled the Irish Literary Theatre to give its first production. The play chosen was ''

The Countess Cathleen ''The Countess Cathleen'' is a verse drama by William Butler Yeats in blank verse (with some lyrics). It was dedicated to Maud Gonne, the object of his affections for many years. Editions and revisions The play was first published in 1892 in ...

'' by W. B. Yeats. It was done by a very efficient London company that included Miss May Whitty (Dame May Webster) and Mr. Ben Webster. The next production given was Martyn's play The Heather Field. In the following year the Irish Literary Theatre produced at the Gaiety Theatre three plays: ''Maeve'' by Edward Martyn, ''The Last Feast of Fianna'' by Alice Milligan, and ''The Bending of the Bough'' by George Moore. The ''Bending of the Bough'' was staged during the Boer War which begun on 11 October 1899. The Irish Literary Theatre project lasted until 1901, when it collapsed due to lack of funding. The use of non-Irish actors in these productions was perceived to be a failure, and a new group of Irish players was put together by the Fay brothers, among others. These went on to form the

Irish National Theatre Society The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...

, which led to the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the p ...

.The Abbey 1904-1978, pp. 37-39

External links

The Advent of the Irish Dramatic Movement: From Politics to Drama
by Kaoru Imanishi
Archived version here.

References

{{Authority control 1899 establishments in Ireland Theatres in Ireland 1901 disestablishments in Europe

See also

External links

References