Tag Archives: Political Theatre
From Brazil to Temple Bar: Theatre of the Oppressed
The theatre director was a young idealist, and he wanted to change the world. He brought his theatre group to a rural village, where the people were mired in poverty. In the village square, they put on a play. It was a simple fable of how the rich oppressed the poor. The village audience was… read more +
On David Hare’s The Power of Yes
I’ve been neglecting this site of late but am straining to catch up now. This is a piece on David Hare’s latest play at the National for Le Monde Diplomatique. At the start of David Hare’s play on the financial crisis, The Power of Yes, a character called the Author says: “This isn’t a play”…. read more +
Abuse, institutions, and plays: Michael Kennedy’s ‘Skinners’
“I was a convicted criminal at the age of two.” Michael Kennedy, a costumier by trade, has a story to tell. “I was found wandering in Killenaule, Tipperary.” Soft-spoken and gentle mannered, Kennedy spent his working life backstage at the best theatres and opera houses. But that’s not the story. “My mother had died, and… read more +
David Hare: putting the banks on trial, on stage
Do you believe Brian Lenihan or David McWilliams? IBEC or the Unions? Were the bankers gangsters, or simply suffering from hubris? If conflict is at the heart of drama, then the collapse of the Irish economy should have proved a goldmine for dramatists. A society swept up by irrational exuberance; lone voices shouting stop; pantomime… read more +
From Michael Collins to pastiche Charlie
A great, but tragic, Irish leader struggles with his fate. He is the foremost Irishman of his day, though he divides the country. He is confronted by treachery, and distracted by beautiful women. And as chaos threatens to consume his world, he replies… with a song. Plays dealing with Irish politicians are rare, and Irish… read more +