When it comes to Irish theatre, there are a couple of famous names: Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, etc. If you want to get a little more historical with it, you have Lady Augusta Gregory, John Millington Synge and William Butler Yeats. I had read about these playwrights while at my home institution, but it is an entirely surreal experience to live in the country that influenced them, to walk the same cobbled streets that they have traveresed themselves.
Moreover, one of my courses here at UCD has exposed me to current (and living!) playwrights. When you're taught about Irish theatre in the states, you only ever really get to hear about the big greats. While here, I have had the amazing opportunity to both read and watch what Irish theatre is like right now. So far, I have seen three different plays in Dublin.
My first show here was a play called The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh, an absurdist dark comedy about the power of storytelling. It had been ages seen I was on the audience side of a production, and I had an amazing time! The play was in the Gate Theatre, and it was a lovely old building. The set was beautiful, even if it was meant to be a prison cell. Funnily enough, the curtain got stuck in the middle of the show.
