<b>Friel and his "sisters"</b><br>

Authors

  • Nicholas Grene Trinity College Dublin

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8026.2010n58p99

Abstract

This essay, occasioned by a revival of Brian Friel's version of Chekhov's Three Sisters at the Abbey Theatre in 2008, considers the circumstances surrounding its first production by the Field Day Theatre Company in 1981, and the motivation behind the decision to translate Chekhov's text into a specifically Irish dialect of English. It also analyses how Friel's plays since that date, notably the award-winning Dancing at Lughnasa (1990), have changed our perspective on the play.

Author Biography

Nicholas Grene, Trinity College Dublin

Nicholas Grene is Professor of English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin. He has written and lectured extensively both on Renaissance and on modern and contemporary Irish theatre.  His most recent publications include Interactions: the Dublin Theatre Festival 19572007 (Dublin: Carysfort Press, 2008), co-edited with Patrick Lonergan, Yeats's Poetic Codes (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008), Shifting Scenes: Irish Theatre-Going, 1955-1985 , conversations with John Devitt and Chris Morash (Dublin: Carysfort Press, 2008), Irish Theatre on Tour: Irish Theatrical Diaspora series 1 (Dublin: Carysfort Press, 2005) , coedited with Chris Morash, Shakespeare's Serial History Plays (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002), Interpreting Synge: Essays from the Synge Summer School 1991-2000   (Dublin: Lilliput Press, 2000) and The Politics of Irish Drama (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999).

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Published

2010-01-01

Issue

No. 58 (2010)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2010 Nicholas Grene

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.