mss0475.xml Finding aid for Abbey Theatre playbills and related materials 1907–1955, 1994 University of Delaware Library, Special Collections University of Delaware Library
Special CollectionsNewark, Delaware 19717-5267Phone: 302-831-2229Fax: 302-831-6003URL: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/
Date encoded (2006 March 29) Finding aid encoded 2006 March 29 English Abbey Theatre playbills and related materials1907–1955, 1994 Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library
Newark, Delaware 19717-5267Phone: 302-831-2229Fax: 302-831-6003URL: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/
 Abbey Theatre. Abbey Theatre playbills and related materials 1907–1955, 1994 MSS 475 1 linear foot and 1 oversize folder (1 box) The Abbey Theatre collection comprises playbills and a small number of additional items for productions of the Abbey Theatre, established during 1904 in Dublin as a venue for Irish playwrights. Materials entirely in English. University of Delaware Library - Special Collections Source

Purchase, 2000.

Gift of Bernard McKenna, September 2007.

 Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

 Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, http://www.lib.udel.edu/cgi-bin/askspec.cgi

 Citation

MSS 475, Abbey Theatre playbills and related materials, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.

 Shelving Summary Box 1: Shelved in SPEC MSS record center cartons F109: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (18 inches) Processing

Processed by Theresa Hessey, December 2001. Encoded by Debra Johnson, 2007.

 Historical Note

The Abbey Theatre was established in Dublin in 1904 as a venue for Irish playwrights. It developed out of the Irish Literary Theatre, which had been founded by William Butler Yeats and Lady Gregory in 1899.

In 1902, that organization was taken over by the Irish National Dramatic Society and in 1903 became the Irish National Theatre Society. Yeats enlisted financial assistance for the Abbey from Edward Martyn in exchange for producing several of Martyn's plays. Yeats found further monetary patronage through Miss Annie E. F. Horniman, an English woman interested in the work of the Irish National Theatre Society. It was she who provided the funds to purchase the building in which the Abbey Theatre was established. The Theatre officially opened on December 27, 1904, with productions of On Baile's Strand by W. B. Yeats and Spreading the News by Lady Gregory. J. M. Synge joined the other two as co-director.

During the 1900s and 1910s, the Theatre was plagued with financial troubles, which were accentuated by World War I and the Irish Rebellion of 1916. Artistic disputed between Yeats and his backers also almost cut short the life of the theatre. However, the Theatre continued to produce and, in 1924, it became the first state-sponsored theatre in the world. As a result of their lifelong commitment to Irish theatre, the Abbey nurtured the careers of such influential playwrights as Lennox Robinson, Sean O'Casey, J. M. Synge, George Bernard Shaw, and Padraic Colum.

In 1928, a smaller theatre, the Peacock, was opened in a building adjacent to the Abbey. This theatre was to serve as a forum for experimental productions. In July 1951, fire destroyed the entire back stage area of the Abbey and all performances were transferred to the Queen's Theatre. The Abbey Theatre did not reopen until 1966. It was rebuilt on its original site with the Peacock Theatre installed on the basement level.

While Yeats preferred to maintain absolute control over Abbey productions, as he and Lady Gregory advanced in age, he employed a series of carefully selected managers to handle the day-to-day affairs of the Theatre. After the death of Lady Gregory in 1932 and Yeats in 1939, the Abbey Theatre continued to mainly produce the works of Irish writers.

Kavanagh, Peter. The Story of the Abbey Theatre. New York: Devin Adair Co., 1950. Welch, Robert. The Abbey Theatre, 1899–1999: Form and Pressure. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Scope and Content Note

The Abbey Theatre playbills and related materials comprise one hundred and six playbills for Abbey Theatre productions that took place between 1909 and 1955 and in 1994. The playbills document the works of important Irish writers, including Lady Augusta Gregory, W. B. Yeats, J. M. Synge, Lennox Robinson, George Bernard Shaw, Padraic Colum, and Sean O'Casey.

The specific plays produced were often important first-time productions. The collection includes playbills for productions of The Rising of the Moon (Gregory), The Jackdaw (Gregory), Spreading the News (Gregory), The Gaol Gate (Gregory), Hyacinth Halvey (Gregory), The Hour Glass (Yeats), On Baile's Strand (Yeats), Kathleen Ni Houlihan (Yeats), A Pot of Broth (Yeats), Riders to the Sea (Synge), and In the Shadow of the Glen (Synge). A small number of the playbills contain related newspaper clippings.

The collection includes other materials associated with Abbey Theatre productions. A program from 1907 lists plays performed during a visit of the company to Cambridge, England. One pamphlet collects the opinions of the London press regarding the Second Company of the Abbey Theatre. The collection also houses an original poster from the production of Frank O'Connor and Mary Manning'sThe Saint and Mary Kate and a playbill from a 1994 touring production of Jimmy Murphy's Brothers of the Brush.

 Arrangement

The materials in the collection are arranged chronologically in each of two series: I. Playbills, 1909–1955, 1994 and II. Other materials, circa 1907–1994.

 Selected Search Terms Personal Names Gregory, Lady, 1852-1932. Yeats, W. B. (William Butler), 1865-1939. Synge, J. M. (John Millington), 1871-1909. Topical Terms English drama--Irish authors--20th century--Sources. Theater--Ireland--20th century--Sources. Geographic Names Dublin (Ireland)--History--20th century--Sources. Form/Genre Terms Playbills. Clippings (information artifacts) Posters. Related Materials in this Repository

MSS 313, Proscenium Press records

 Detailed Contents List Series I. Playbills 1909–1955, 1994 1 F1 Lady Gregory, The Gaol GateLady Gregory, The Miser1909 January 21–23 1 F2 Lady Gregory, KincoraLady Gregory, The Rising of the Moon1909 February 11–13 1 F3 R. J. Ray, The White Feather Lady Gregory, Spreading the News1909 September 16–18 1 F4 W. M. Letts, The ChallengeW. F. Casey, The Surburban Groove1909 October 14–16 1 F5 Lady Gregory, The ImageLady Gregory, The Rising of the Moon1909 November 11–13 1 F6 W. B. Yeats, The Green HelmetS. L. Robinson, Harvest1910 May 19 and 21 1 F7 S. L. Robinson, The Casting-OutLady Gregory, The Workhouse Ward1910 September 29, 30 , and October 1 1 F8 Padraic Colum, Thomas MuskerryLord Dunsany, The Glittering Gate1910 October 31 and November 1, 2 1 F9 S. L. Robinson, The Cross RoadsLady Gregory, The Full Moon1910 November 10–12 1 F10 Bernard Shaw, The Shewing-Up of Blanco PosnetLady Gregory, CoatsWilliam Boyle, The Building Fund1910 December 1–3 1 F11 Lady Gregory, The DelivererW. B. Yeats, The Hour GlassBernard Shaw, The Shewing-Up of Blanco Posnet1911 January 14 1 F12 Lord Dunsany, King Argimenes and the Unknown WarriorW. F. Casey, The Man Who Missed the Tide1911 January 26–28 1 F13 W. B. Yeats, The Land of Heart's DesireT. C. Murray, BirthrightW. B. Yeats, A Pot of Broth1911 February 16–18 1 F14 A. Patrick Wilson, The CobblerEdward McNulty, The Lord Mayor1911 April 13, 15 1 F15 Lennox Robinson, PatriotsLady Gregory, Hyacinth Halvey1912 April 11–13 1 F16 Lady Gregory, The Gaol GateJoseph Campbell, JudgementW. B. Yeats, A Pot of Broth1912 April 15–17 1 F17 St. John G. Ervine, The Magnanimous LoverWilliam Boyle, Family Failing1912 October 17–19 1 F18 W. B. Yeats, The Hour GlassLady Gregory, Damer's GoldLady Gregory, The Gaol Gate1912 November 21–23 1 F19 Mrs. Bart Kennedy, My LordLennox Robinson, Patriots1913 October 16–18 1 F20 R. J. Ray, The Gombeen ManLady Gregory, Spreading the News1913 November 11–12 1 F21 St. John G. Ervine, The CriticsSt. John G. Ervine, Mixed Marriage1913 November 20–22 1 F22 St. John G. Ervine, The CriticsSeamus O'Kelly, The Bribe1913 December 18–20 1 F23 Lady Gregory, The Gaol GateSeamus O'Brien, DutyWilliam Boyle, The Building Fund1913 December 16–17 1 F24 W. B. Yeats, Kathleen Ni HoulihanVictor O'D. Power, David MahoneyLady Gregory, The Jackdaw1914 January 29–31 1 F25 St. John G. Ervine, The OrangemanEdward McNulty, The Lord Mayor1914 March 13–14 1 F26 Lady Gregory, Revival of KincoraLady Gregory, Spreading the News1914 April 14–16, 18 1 F27 Lennox Robinson, The Dreamers1916 February 22–26 1 F28 St. John Ervine, Mixed MarriageW. B. Yeats, Kathleen Ni Houlihan1916 March 7, 9–11 1 F29 Bernard Duffy, The CoinerGeorge Fitzmaurice, The Country Dressmaker1916 March 14 1 F30 Bernard Shaw, John Bull's Other Island1917 April 9 1 F31 Lady Gregory, The White Cockade1917 October 2 1 F32 Seamus O'Kelly, The Parnellite1917 October 23 1 F33 George Bernard Shaw, John Bull's Other Island1919 March 25 1 F34 Lady Gregory, The DragonLord Dunsany, A Night at an Inn1919 Aug 25, 27, and 29 1 F35 Lennox Robinson, The Whiteheaded Boy1921 April 12 1 F36 St. John G. Ervine, Mixed Marriage1921 April 21 1 F37 Lennox Robinson, PatriotsLady Gregory, Hyacinth Halvey1923 February 6 1 F38 Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House1923 March 22–24 1 F39 George Bernard Shaw, Arms and the ManBernard Duffy, The Coiner1923 October 8 1 F40 J. M. Synge, The Shadow of the GlenGeorge Fitzmaurice, The Country Dressmaker1923 November 19 1 F41 George Bernard Shaw, Fanny's First PlayLennox Robinson, Crabbed Youth and Age1926 April 19 1 F42 G. Martinez Sierra, The Two ShepardsFand O'Grady, Apartments1926 September 27 1 F43 Dorothy Macardle, Ann KavanaghWilliam Boyle, The Eloquent Dempsey1931 April 14 1 F44 G. Bernard Shaw, You Can Never Tell1934 January 1 1 F45 E. W. Tocher, The Moon in the Yellow River1934 January 22 1 F46 Lady Gregory, The Workhouse WardLennox Robinson, The White Blackbird1934 February 19 1 F47 Eugene O'Neill, Days Without End1934 April 16

Includes two newspaper clippings.

 1 F48 W. R. Fearon, Parnell of Avondale1934 October 1

Includes "Announcement" of upcoming productions.

 1 F49 G. B. Shaw, Jitta's Atonement1935 January 28–February 2 1 F50 Lady Gregory, The Rising of the MoonJ. M. Synge, Deidre of the Sorrows1935 May 13 1 F51 T. C. Murray, Maurice HarteF. R. Higgins, A Deuce O' Jacks1935 September 16 1 F52 José María Pemán, A Saint in a Hurry1935 December 2

Translated by Hugh De Blacam. Includes one newspaper clipping.

 1 F53 Lady Gregory, The Rising of the MoonW. B. Yeats, The Land of Heart's DesireSeamus O'Kelly, Meadowsweet1935 December 29

"Complimentary Performance to Dr. J. F. Larchet"

 1 F54 William Shakespeare, Coriolanus1936 January 13

Includes one newspaper clipping.

 1 F55 Sean O'Casey, The Plough and the Stars1936 February 17 1 F56 St. John G. Ervine, Boyd's Shop1936 February 24 1 F57 Teresa Deevy, Katie Roche1936 March 16 1 F58 Denis Johnston, The Moon in the Yellow River1936 May 11 1 F59 Ernst Toller and Denis Johnston, Blind Man's Bluff1936 December 26 1 F60 Ernst Toller and Denis Johnston, Blind Man's Bluff1937 January 4 1 F61 Cormac O'Daly, The Silver JubileeSean O'Casey, The End of the Beginning1937 February 8 1 F62 Hugh Hunt and Frank O'Connor, The Invincibles1938 January 31 1 F63 Sean O'Casey, The Plough and the Stars1938 August 29 1 F64 Lady Gregory, The Rising of the MoonW. B. Yeats, PurgatoryLady Gregory, Damer's Gold1938 August 10 1 F65 T. C. Murray, Maurice HarteLennox Robinson, Church Street1938 August 12 1 F66 Sean O'Casey, The Plough and the Stars1938 August 16 1 F67 Paul Vincent Carroll, Shadow and Substance1938 August 20 1 F68 Sean O'Casey, Juno and the Paycock1938 October 31 1 F69 Elizabeth Connor, Mount Prospect1940 April 22 1 F70 Brinsley MacNamara, The Glorious Uncertainty1940 May 6 1 F71 W. D. Hepenstall, To-Day and Yesterday1940 July 22 1 F72 George Shiels, The Rugged Path1940 September 2 1 F73 George Shiels, The Rugged Path1940 October 14 1 F74 Frank Carney, Peeping Tom1940 November 25 1 F75 Francis Stuart, Strange Guest1940 December 16 1 F76 Roger McHugh, Trial at Green Street Courthouse1941 January 20 1 F77 George Shiels, The Summit1941 February 10 1 F78 Louis D'Alton, The Money Doesn't Matter1941 March 10 1 F79 Mervyn Wall, The Lady in the Twilight1941 May 19 1 F80 Rutherford Mayne, Peter1941 July 21 1 F81 Elizabeth Connor, Swans and Geese1941 September 22 1 F82 Paul V. Carroll, Shadow and Substance1941 November 17 1 F83 Brinsley MacNamara, The Three Thimbles1941 November 24 1 F84 Lennox Robinson, The Clancy NameLennox Robinson, Church Street1942 December 6 1 F85 Walter Macken, Mungo's Mansion1946 February 11 1 F86 George Shiels, The Jailbird1949 November 3 1 F87 Bernard Shaw, Village WooingSean O'Casey, The Shadow of a Gunman1950 July 17 1 F88 Lennox Robinson, The Whiteheaded Boy1950 November 20 1 F89 George Shiels, Professor Tim1950 November 27 1 F90 T. C. Murray, Maurice HarteBernard Shaw, The Shewing-Up of Blanco Posnet1951 March 24 1 F91 Bernard Shaw, Village WooingSean O'Casey, The Shadow of a Gunman1951 November 5 1 F92 Brinsley Macnamara, Look at the Heffernans1952 March 10 1 F93 Michael J. Molloy, The King of Friday's Men1952 July 14 1 F94 Walter Macken, Home is the Hero1952 August 15 1 F95 Sean O'Casey, The Plough and the Stars1955 May 9 1 F96 Frank McGuinness, The Bird Sanctuary1994 February 15 1 F97 Tom MacIntyre, Sheep's Milk on the Boil1994 February 17 1 F98 Teresa Deevy, Katie Roche1994 April 13 1 F99 Frank O'Connor and Hugh Hunt, Moses Rock1994 April 20 1 F100 John Banville, The Broken Jug1994 June 1 1 F101 Bernard Shaw, The Doctor's Dilemma1994 July 20 1 F102 Donal O'Kelly, Asylum! Asylum!1994 July 27 1 F103 Hugh Leonard, Chamber Music1994 August 23 1 F104 Marina Carr, The Mai 1994 October 5 1 F105 Frank McGuinness, Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme1994 October 13 1 F106 J. M. Synge, The Well of the Saints1994 December 27 Series II. Other materialscirca 1907–1994 1 F107 Programme1907 May 20–24

Irish plays presented at the Victoria Assembly Rooms in Cambridge, May 20–24, 1907. Plays performed by the National Theatre Society Ltd. of the Abbey Theatre included performances of The Rising of the Moon by Lady Gregory; The Hour Glass by W. B. Yeats; Riders to the Sea by J. M. Synge; The Jackdaw by Lady Gregory; On Baile's Strand by W. B. Yeats; Kathleen Ni Houlihan by W. B. Yeats; Spreading the News by Lady Gregory; The Gaol Gate by Lady Gregory; A Pot of Broth by W. B. Yeats; In the Shadow of the Glen by J. M. Synge; and Hyacinth Halvey by Lady Gregory.

 1 F108 London press opinions of the acting of the Second Company[1910s?]

Printed pamphlet

 1 F109 Removed to: SPEC MSS oversize boxes (18 inches) Frank O'Connor and Mary Manning, The Saint and Mary Kate poster[1968?] 1 F110 Jimmy Murphy, Brothers of the Brush[1994]

Playbill for touring Abbey Theatre production.