Performing the Body in Irish Theatre

253 Pages·2008·1.68 MB·English

by  Bernadette Sweeney (auth.)

Performing the Body in
Irish Theatre
Bernadette Sweeney
Performing the Body in Irish Theatre
This page intentionally left blank
Performing the Body in
Irish Theatre
Bernadette Sweeney
©BernadetteSweeney2008
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2008 978-1-4039-9709-8
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Firstpublished2008by
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Sweeney,Bernadette,1969(cid:3)
PerformingthebodyinIrishtheatre/BernadetteSweeney.
p. cm.
Includesindex.
1. Englishdrama“Irishauthors“Historyandcriticism.
2. Englishdrama“20thcentury“Historyandcriticism.
3. Body,Human,inliterature. 4. Theater“Ireland“
History“20thcentury. 5. Body,Human“Social
aspects“Ireland“History“20thcentury. I. Title.
PR8789.S942008
822(cid:2).914093561“dc22 2007050201
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08
For my mother and in memory of my father
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Contents
ListofIllustrations ix
Acknowledgements x
Introduction:A‘SenseoftheBody’ 1
1 TheAbsentBody?PerformingTradition 8
1.1 Culturalspecificity–IsthereanIrishbody? 8
1.2 Performingtradition 20
1.3 Literallytheatrical–TheIrishtheatrecontext 36
2 TheInanimateBody:TheGreatHunger 50
2.1 Contextofthefirstproduction 50
2.2 Stagingamasterpiece 56
2.3 Thebodyasobject 61
2.4 Performance–Acollaborativeprocess 73
3 TheSavageBody:TheSaxonShore 78
3.1 Contextofthefirstproduction 78
3.2 Stagingtransformation 86
3.3 Thebodyinpain 94
3.4 Performance–Anactingproblem? 102
4 TheDancingBody:DancingatLughnasa 111
4.1 Contextofthefirstproduction 111
4.2 Stagingnostalgia 116
4.3 Thebodyasauthenticity 121
4.4 Performance–Amarketingtool 132
5 TheTroubledBody:AttheBlackPig’sDyke 138
5.1 Contextofthefirstproduction 138
5.2 Stagingtradition 145
5.3 Thebodyasterritory 155
5.4 Performance–Unwittinglyinteractive 160
6 TheIndeterminateBody:LowintheDark 168
6.1 Contextofthefirstproduction 168
6.2 Stagingthefemalevoice 173
vii
viii Contents
6.3 Bodyasgender 179
6.4 Performance–Onrecord 186
7 ThePresentBody?EvolvingTradition 194
7.1 PerformingIrishness 194
7.2 StagingthebodyincontemporaryIrishtheatre 200
7.3 Bodyofliterature–Areflexofrealism 212
Notes 218
SelectBibliography 228
Index 237
List of Illustrations
2.1 The Great Hunger, Tom Hickey as Maguire (back to
camera)withTheMothereffigy,andBrídNíNeachtainas
Mary-Anne(1983) 65
2.2 TheGreatHunger,TomHickeyasMaguire,upsidedown
ongate,behindConalKearneyasMaloneandJoan
SheehyasAgnes(1983) 72
4.1 DancingatLughnasa,CatherineByrneasChriscentreon
table,DearbhlaMolloyasMaggie,farleft,BrídBrennan
asAgnes,andBrídNíNeachtainasRoseright(1991) 126
4.2 DancingatLughnasa,RobertGwilymasGerryEvans
danceswithBrídBrennanasAgnesinforeground,with
CatherineByrneasChrisinbackground(1991) 128
5.1 AttheBlackPig’sDyke,DruidCompanyasMummers
(1992) 139
5.2 AttheBlackPig’sDyke,FrankieMcCaffertyasTomFool,
DruidProduction(1992) 153
6.1 LowintheDark,SarahJaneScaifeasBinderleapinginthe
foreground, with Joan Brosnan Walsh as Bender in
background(1989) 169
6.2 LowintheDark,DermodMooreasBone,standing,with
PeterHolmesasBaxter,sitting(1989) 170
7.1 MedeaDeirdreRoycroft,LooseCanonproduction(2005) 206
7.2 Ballads,CoisCéimDanceTheatreCompany(1997) 210
ix