IMPACT OF THE ABBEY THEATRE DIRECTORS’ CIRCLE
The generosity of Directors’ Circle Members is vital in helping to fund strategic priorities and programs to fuel the creation of new plays, productions and growth in impact around the world.
For information on how to join the Directors’ Circle click here to download our information brochure.
The Legacy of Theatre
In 1898 W. B. Yeats and Lady Gregory wrote the manifesto for what would become the Abbey Theatre—one of the most storied, relevant and beloved theatres in the world.
Soon thereafter, in 1904, its first benefactor, Annie Horniman, invested £10,300 to purchase and develop the site that is still home to the Abbey Theatre today.
Horniman’s gift also assisted in underwriting the early works of the Abbey—providing the means to produce many of the world’s most important Irish plays and literary works.
Testimonials
Latest News
US DONOR TRIP TO IRELAND 2017
Pre-Theatre Dinner at St George’s Terrace, Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim in advance of the World Premiere of Jimmy’s Hall.
The finale of the US Donor Trip to Ireland 2017.
Previous News Posts
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh welcomes Abbey Theatre Directors Neil Murray and Graham McLaren to City Hall, before a Welcome to Boston event, kindly hosted by the Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center.
Host Sean Reynolds, Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley and Gary McSharry of McCann FitzGerald at the New York Welcome Reception for the new Abbey Directors (photo, courtesy Nuala Purcell).
THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
The Abbey Theatre was delighted to bring its acclaimed production of The Plough and the Stars to the US and Canada during Fall 2016.
Set amid the tumult of the 1916 Rising while freshly staged in the present day, The Plough and the Stars is the story of ordinary lives ripped apart in the idealism of the time.
The residents of a Dublin tenement shelter from the violence that sweeps through the city’s streets. A revolution that will shape the country’s future rages around them. What kind of Ireland awaits them?
In the historic year of 2016, the Abbey Theatre presented its 57th production of this rich play in a bold new production directed by Olivier Award winner Sean Holmes.
REVIEWS
“The highlight of Ireland 100” Top Theatregoing Experiences in 2016 –BroadwayWorld.com
“You wouldn’t want to pass up a chance to watch the Abbey Theatre perform The Plough and the Stars” –Washington Post
★★★★★ “Honors the play’s historical underpinnings while giving it a powerfully relevant modern significance” –DC Metro
TOUR LOCATIONS AND DATES
Toronto – Bluma Appel Theatre – September 14–18, 2016
Boston, MA – The American Repertory Theater – September 24–October 9, 2016
Philadelphia, PA – The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts – October 13–16, 2016
Montclair, NJ – Peak Performances – October 20–23, 2016
Columbus, OH – Southern Theatre – October 26–30, 2016
QUIETLY AT THE IRISH REPERTORY THEATRE IN NEW YORK
After huge international success, the Abbey Theatre was delighted to bring its award-winning production of Quietly to New York City, where it ran at The Irish Repertory Theatre until from July 28–September 25.
To celebrate the US Premiere of this outstanding show, the Abbey Theatre Foundation hosted a special Abbey Theatre Director’s Circle evening on Thursday, September 8.
To learn more about joining the Director’s Circle and for details of future events please contact Georgina Neal at georgina.neal@abbeytheatre.ie.
REVIEWS
“It is difficult to imagine a piece of theater more perfectly suited to our jittery, antagonistic American moment than Quietly” –New York Times
★★★★★ ‘The phrase “unmissable” is often used to describe shows. This one really deserves it. Quietly puts me in mind of the first time I saw my father cry. The fear and vulnerability in this production is both soul-searingly honest and darkly entertaining. A true powerhouse.’ –Edinburgh Festival Magazine
★★★★★ ‘The most powerful theatrical production I have had the privilege of seeing’ –Metro Herald
★★★★ “rock solid… grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go.” –Time Out NY
★★★★ “TRULY REMARKABLE… like watching an eggshell try to contain a landmine” –Time Out Dublin
IRELAND 100: THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS AT THE KENNEDY CENTER
The Abbey Theatre brought their hit production of Séan O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. on May 18th & 19th as part of the programme for IRELAND 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture.
The Plough and the Stars was first performed at the Abbey Theatre in 1926. Now regarded as a masterpiece, it is one of the plays most closely associated with the Abbey Theatre.
This year, the Abbey Theatre presents its 57th production of this rich play in a bold new production directed by Olivier Award winner Sean Holmes, Artistic Director of the Lyric Hammersmith in London.
We are delighted that The Plough and the Stars will tour to the US and Canada in Fall 2016. To get in touch and learn more about the Abbey Theatre’s plans for this historic tour, please contact Georgina Neal at georgina.neal@abbeytheatre.ie.
Her Excellency Anne Anderson, Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, and the cast of The Plough and the Stars backstage at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC during Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture.