Irish Retain Theatrical Foothold in London Drama Scene

By Martin Hintz

The Irish theatre scene in London has a long tradition, going back beyond the last century and includes contributions from Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. John Dunne, of the British capital’s Outreach Productions, ought to know. He’s been staging Irish productions in Britain for more than a decade and is artistic director of a new company called Irish Theatre presents...

As described by Dunne, Outreech Productions specializes in projects, productions and plays working with non-theater audiences in non-theater spaces. The production company works with statutory bodies, the voluntary sector and the business community, delivering a range of issue-based plays, he said, explaining that Irish Theatre presents... is part of the Outreech group which include Issue Theatre and Classic Theatre.

Outreech offers all its scripts free to schools, drama groups and theater companies looking for plays to perform, according to Dunne. In order to qualify, groups need to provide him with background and contact details on their organization. To see the range of plays available and for applications, contact him at John@outreech.com. 

Catholic Dad, Protestant Mom
Dune confided that his own background contributed to who he is and where he is today. He born in England to an Irish Catholic father and English Protestant mother, with a background further complicated when his father joined the British army. 

"None of this would have made much difference if my family wasn’t stationed in Belfast during the years prior to the civil rights marches of the late ‘60s," he indicated. "Being neither fully Catholic nor Protestant or fully Irish or English led to a feeling of separateness which remains today," he admitted. 

"Having spent my formative teenage years in Belfast, I soon became politicized and concerned about the injustices around me and elsewhere throughout the world," he asserted.

This diverse background also led to a need to make sense of the world around him which found expression in creative writing. That in turn led to an interest in playwriting and theater. After a career as a professional librarian, Dunne became a professional writer and playwright in 1990. 

"Here we are, 14 years later, running a theater company focused on Irish writing," he laughed.

From his insights on the theater world in general, Dunne indicated that Swift, Wilde and Shaw were best described as "more West Briton than Irish and writers who didn’t particularly focus on Irish themes."

But that’s okay. The bulk of the more Irish writers came to the United Kingdom’s shores within the last hundred years or so. "Indeed, 2004 sees the centenary of the establishment of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, which ironically was supposed to champion Irish dramatic writing -- only to wrap up most of that writing and export it to London, Europe and America," Dunne asserted. 

Fame Achieved Overseas
In those far off lands, according to Dunne, the playwrights received greater fame and acceptance. "Generation after generation of Irish writers have experienced a love/hate relationship with the Irish theater establishment and Irish audiences, having to exile themselves for the sake of their sanity and their work," he claimed.

Today, however, the "Irish playwright as exile" is less pronounced, with writers such as Sebastian Barry, Brian Friel, Conor McPherson Frank McGuinness and Martin McDonagh leading the way, according to Dunne. More regional writers such as Billy Roche of Wexford and Belfast’s Gary Mitchell are putting non-Dublin locations on the map, he then pointed out.

Today’s Irish playwrights also include up-and-coming writers such as Marina Carr, Declan Hughes and Tom Murphy, Dunne enthused. In addition, Irish themes vary from the "rural dramas from back home" to the "modern Celtic Tiger plays set in Dublin" to the "experiences of the Irish in England," he reiterated. Classic plays also get an occasional airing, thus offering a varied diet of work.

Theater audiences in London are as diverse as would be expected in any world class city with more than 200 languages spoken on the street. As might be expected, Irish shows attract Irish audiences of all generations, as well as fans who have grown up to expect quality from an Irish pen, Dunne said. 

London critics generally treat Irish work with respect, according to Dunne, given that Irish writers have bailed out English theaters on many occasions. He cited the popularity of Conor McPherson’s The Wier at the Royal Court as a recent example. 

London critics generally treat Irish work with respect. Given that Irish writers have bailed out English theaters on many occasions, Dunne said, citing Conor McPherson’s The Wier at the Royal Court as a recent example. 

"This is hardly surprising. When English critics can be difficult is when work is seen as being too ‘Irish’ or sticks to a number of recurring themes such as the lonely farmstead, bullying father or downtrodden daughters," he continued.

"This is hardly surprising. Yet English critics can be difficult when work is seen as being too ‘Irish’ or sticks to a number of recurring themes such as the lonely farmstead, bullying father or downtrodden daughters," he continued.

"Saying that, Irish audiences do have a habit of treating their actors, writers and theater producers with a healthy respect and it’s not unusual to hear cries of agreement or otherwise from an Irish audience," he went on. "Nor is it unusual to hear hot debates over pints of Guinness after the show."

Different Audiences Noted
This leads on to the different types of audiences in different types of theater. West End audiences are usually there for the occasion and not especially the play itself, according to Dunne. Hence a degree of sweet paper rustling and mobile tones with lives of their own often disturb the quiet. For a more serious and discerning audience. one has to head for the subsidized theater and the fringe, such as the National, Royal Court, Bush, Tricycle and other such houses, he said.

Irish communities have strong networks in London, yet the arrival of new communities from Eastern Europe and further afield and the comparative gentrification and dispersal of Irish people has led to a slight fragmentation of strictly Irish audiences, according to Dunne.

However, Dunne still felt that the future of Irish theater in London is extremely healthy. "The Celtic Tiger economy of Ireland is creating confidence with the Irish population both at home and in England," he said. 

For Dunne, the changing world situation is also helping the theater-going situation, since massive migration from Eastern Europe and other parts of the world is a population movement which the Irish well understand. "In addition, the growth and confidence of second- and third-generation Irish people in England has created a breed of Irish who no longer see a need to apologize for their forefathers who were considered either ‘thick Paddies’ or terrorists. They are now quite happy to assert their Irish identity with some pride," he added. 

And, of course, Dunne was proud the rise of such innovative outfits as his Irish Theatre presents…

As Dunne explained, Irish Theatre presents... aims to fill in whatever gap there may be within London’s Irish theater scene. There is little touring work and not much in the way of permanent residency of work. Newly installed at the London Irish Centre in Camden, Irish Theatre presents... is beginning to develop a range of theatrical work aimed at non-theater audiences in non-theater spaces, as well as catering for the established theatre-goer, said Dunne. 

"As an emerging theatre company, Irish Theatre presents… is also offering drama classes for children and adults, focusing on Irish themes and stories," he added.

New Plays Offered
Plays currently on the go include Tom O’Brien’s Johnjo, starring Tony O’Brien (no relation to Tom). Johnjo is a story of a young hill farmer in Ireland who has to leave the country in a hurry, only to end up digging ditches in England and living in lonely squalor. The play is touring pubs, clubs and small theaters in London.

Tom O’Brien’s second play for Irish Theatre presents… is On Raglan Road, a dramatic celebration of the life of Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh. The play explores his unrequited love for Hilda Moriarty (the inspiration behind Kavanagh’s poem and song, On Raglan Road), as well as his bitter feud with fellow Irish writer, Brendan Behan.

Others in development include a trilogy of Irish plays by Dunne, entitled Famine, 1916 and Belfast. The company is also working with Irish writer Mary Hoey on her Island’s Lament, a play about a lonely island community off the West coast of Ireland.

Audiences are always hard to get into theaters and new Irish work has as difficult a task as anyone else. The many listings magazines like Time Out, Evening Standard and others do a fine job, as does the Irish press such as Irish Times and Irish World, said Dunne. Posturing and leaflet distribution also helps, but those those promotional avenues can be really expensive, he affirmed. 

"If a company is touring, it then becomes dependent on the marketing strategies of host venues which can vary somewhat," Dunne said.

So what of the future? For Dunne, Irish Theatre presents…would like to make an impression on the London theater scene. "It would like to mix touring with the establishment of a permanent venue. It would also like to take work to Ireland and the States," he said.

"Although there is a degree of concern about America in the world today, that concern is tempered by the relationship between Ireland and the Irish and their American cousins – many of whom are actual kith and kin," Dunne said.

Check Out Theaters
And, as for London’s specific Irish theater scene, Dunne suggested checking out Kilburn’s Tricycle Theatre and other new writing venues for the best of new writing that is Irish and otherwise. Dunne felt that Irish touring theater companies were a bit thin on the ground in London these days, with only Ros Scanlon’s Irish Repertory based at the Hammersmith Irish Centre and his owned newly formed company presenting at the London Irish Centre in Camden. 

Most London theaters, be they West End, Fringe or pub theaters, offer a general menu of new work without any particular emphasis on Irish writing, he added. 

As far as tips for the theatergoer, Dunne has some suggestions. An essential weekly purchase for anyone wishing to find the best of new theatre in London is Time Out, available on line and from all news agents (www.timeout.com/london/). Time Out features shows, reviews, recommendations and details of venues, performance times. ticket prices and travel directions. Getting to theaters has never been easier with day travel cards for tube and bus services reasonably priced and easily available, he promised. 

For the e-connected, check out www.transportforlondon.gov.uk for full information. Time Out also publish annual guides for accommodation, as well as the best places to eat and drink in the capital. Theater haunts are also listed which makes a visit to Theaterland mean more than merely seeing a good play.
 
 

Editor’s Note: For further information contact: John Dunne, Outreech Productions, The Croft, Wall Street, Islington, London N1 3NB. Phone: 020 7226 0524 / 0771 359 6436; Email: John@outreech.com. Website: www.outreech.com.