Abbey Theatre

The Abbey Theatre, also known as the National Theatre of Ireland, is located in Dublin, in Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December, 1904 and, despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has continued to stage performances more or less continuously to the present day. The Abbey was the first state-subsidised theatre in the English-speaking world; from 1925 onwards it received an annual subsidy from the Irish Free State.

Foundation of the Abbey

In the light of the success of the St Theresa's Hall venture, the Irish National Theatre Society was formed in 1903 by Yeats as president, Lady Gregory, Æ, Martyn, and John Millington Synge. Funding was provided by Annie Horniman. At first, performances were staged in the Molesworth Hall. When the Hibernian Theatre of Varieties in Lower Abbey Street and an adjacent building in Marlborough Street became available after the local fire safety authorities closed the Hibernia on fire safety grounds, Horniman and William Fay agreed their purchase and refitting to meet the needs of the society. On 11 May, 1904 the society formally accepted Horniman's offer of the use of the building. As Horniman was not normally resident in Ireland, the Royal Letters Patent required were paid for by her but granted in the name of Lady Gregory. William Fay was appointed theatre manager and took on responsibility for training the actors in the newly established repertory company. Yeats' brother Jack Yeats was commissioned to paint portraits of all the leading figures in the society for the foyer and Sarah Purser designed some stained glass for the same space.

Related Topics:
1903 - John Millington Synge - Hibernian Theatre of Varieties - 11 May - 1904 - Jack Yeats - Sarah Purser

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On 27 December, the curtains went up on the opening night. The bill consisted of three one-act plays, On Baile's Strand and Cathleen Ní Houlihan by Yeats, and Spreading the News by Lady Gregory. On the second night, In the Shadow of the Glen by Synge replaced the second Yeats play and these two bills alternated over a five-night run. Frank Fay, playing Cúchulainn in On Baile's Strand, was the first actor on the Abbey stage. Although Horniman had designed costumes, neither she nor Lady Gregory was present. Horniman had, in fact, returned to England and her main role with the Abbey over the coming years, in addition to providing funding, was to organise publicity and bookings for touring Abbey productions in London and provincial English venues. In 1905, Yeats, Lady Gregory and Synge decided to turn the theatre into a Limited Liability Company without properly consulting Horniman. Annoyed by this treatment, she hired Ben Iden Payne, a former Abbey employee, to help run her new repertory company in Manchester.

Related Topics:
27 December - Cúchulainn - 1905 - Limited Liability Company - Ben Iden Payne - Manchester

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