LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Abbey Theatre
built 642 days ago
The Abbey Theatre is a product of the Irish cultural revival that began in the last decade of the 19th century and flourished until the 1920s. The revival was initiated largely by the Irish poet and dramatist William Butler Yeats, who urged Irish writers to draw their inspiration directly from Irish life and traditions rather than from English and European sources. In 1899 Yeats helped to establish the Irish Literary Theatre, reorganized in 1902 as the Irish National Theatre Society. With financial assistance provided by the English theater manager Annie Elizabeth Fredericka Horniman (1860-1937), the Irish National Theatre Society established in 1904 the repertory company that became known as the Abbey Theatre, which, since 1924, has received an annual government subsidy. The new group introduced realistic and poetic elements into the Irish theater and soon gained a popular following. Notable Irish dramatists whose works were presented at various times included Yeats, John Millington Synge, Lady Isabella Augusta Gregory, Æ (George William Russell), Padraic Colum, St. John Greer Ervine (1883-1971), and Sean O'Casey.
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The Abbey Theatre (1904- ) is the Irish theatrical company devoted primarily to indigenous drama (presenting the Irish character with an Irish audience in mind). W. B. Yeats was a leader in founding (1902) the Irish National Theatre Society with Lady Gregory, J. M. Synge, Edward Martyn and A. E. (George Russell) contributing their talents as directors and dramatists. In 1904, Annie Horniman gave them a subsidy and the free use of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The theater was bought for them by public subscription in 1910. Among the many dramatists whose works the Abbey Theatre first presented are Padraic Colum, Lennox Robinson, Sean O'Casey, and Paul Vincent Carroll. The Abbey began touring America in 1911 and was not well received.
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The Abbey Theatre repertory company introduced realistic and poetic elements into the Irish theater and gained a popular following. Notable Irish dramatists whose works were presented at various times include Yeats, Lady Gregory, John Millington Synge, George William Russell, Padraic Colum, St. John Greer Ervine, and Sean O'Casey. Some of the plays presented by the company include Cathleen ni Houlihan (1902) by Yeats, Riders to the Sea (1904) and Playboy of the Western World (1907) by Synge, and Juno and the Paycock (1924) and The Plough and the Stars (1926) by O'Casey. The quality of the presentations declined after the death of Yeats in 1939. In 1951 the Abbey auditorium was severely damaged by fire, and the company moved to the Queen's Theatre. On July 18, 1966, the completely new, 628-seat Abbey Theatre was opened on the site of its predecessor.
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The Abbey Theatre repertory company introduced realistic and poetic elements into the Irish theatre and gained a popular following. Notable Irish dramatists whose works were presented at various times include Yeats, Lady Gregory, John Millington Synge, George William Russell, Padraic Colum, St John Greer Ervine, and Sean O'Casey. Some of the plays presented by the company include Cathleen ni Houlihan (1902) by Yeats, Riders to the Sea (1904) and Playboy of the Western World (1907) by Synge, and Juno and the Paycock (1924) and The Plough and the Stars (1926) by O'Casey. The quality of the presentations declined after the death of Yeats in 1939. In 1951 the Abbey auditorium was severely damaged by fire, and the company moved to the Queen's Theatre. On July 18, 1966, a new building designed by Michael Scott and Partners was opened on the site of its predecessor, encompassing a fan-shaped proscenium auditorium with a seating capacity of 628 and an adaptable 157-seat studio space, the Peacock Theatre, situated beneath the Abbey foyer.
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The Abbey Theatre was founded in 1904 as the Irish National Theatre Company. After purchasing the Mechanics Institute on Marlborough Street, they refitted it as the Abbey Theatre. On the night of the 17-18 July 1952, the Abbey was badly damaged by fire and a replacement building was designed by Michael Scott and Partners (Scott was himself a former Abbey actor) on a larger site on Abbey Street and which opened in 1966. There are now suggestions to replace or substantially renovate this building. Architect Daithi Hanley salvaged the façade of the original building.
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The Abbey Theatre, or the Irish National Theatre, was founded by W.B. Yeats & Lady Augusta Gregory in 1904, with money from a Miss Horniman, (a unionist whose money was conditional in that there were no politics involved). The theatre was named for the street it was built on, Lower Abbey Street, in Dublin. A significant part of the Irish Renaissance the theatre was conceived to represent and inspire Irish Culture. By 1910 it did not need the monetary support of Miss Horniman; therefore when she threatened to pull out many were relieved. It was a near impossible task to represent Irish culture in such a volatile time and the definition of "politics" was too vague.
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Abbey Theatre