DruidO'Casey | Introduction
An introduction to DruidO'Casey: Sean O'Casey's Dublin Trilogy by Druid's Artistic Director Garry Hynes.
DruidO’Casey
Sean O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy
The Plough and the Stars, The Shadow of a Gunman, Juno and the Paycock
Directed by Garry Hynes
One of the greatest Irish stories ever told.
A century ago, Ireland was reborn in the fires of rebellion and war. The playwright Sean O’Casey bore witness to these seismic events and dramatised them as the Dublin Trilogy, three great works of Irish theatre, full of history, humanity and humour.
100 years later, Druid will weave O’Casey’s three plays into an epic theatrical event of conflict, national identity and the human toll of war, DruidO’Casey.
Audiences will experience O’Casey’s work as never before: directed by Tony Award winner Garry Hynes, a company of 18 actors will perform the three plays in one day, drawing parallels between an Irish past and an international present.
DruidO’Casey begins with The Plough and the Stars, the story of newlyweds Jack and Nora Clitheroe living in a city on the brink of rebellion in 1916.
In The Shadow of a Gunman, Donal Davoren, Seumas Shields and Minnie Powell find themselves tragically tangled up in the Irish War of Independence.
The saga ends with Juno and the Paycock and the Boyle family who see their fortunes dashed amidst the upheaval of the Irish Civil War.
Renowned for their previous play cycles (DruidSynge, DruidMurphy and DruidShakespeare), DruidO’Casey will be the most ambitious production in Druid’s history.
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World Premiere
Galway International Arts Festival
Town Hall Theatre, Galway
9 – 30 July 2023
Lyric Theatre, Belfast
5 – 19 August 2023
Abbey Theatre, Dublin
26 August – 16 September 2023
Book tickets: https://bit.ly/3ldCaV5
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‘Ireland’s most prestigious theatre company’
Irish Independent on Druid
‘one of the world’s great acting ensembles’
The Guardian on Druid
‘a world-class company rooted in the cultural fabric of Galway’
The Irish Times on Druid
‘the pre-eminent director of Irish drama’
The New York Times on Garry Hynes
‘wildly entertaining’
The Irish Times on Three Short Comedies by Sean O’Casey (2021)
‘ripping entertainment’
The New York Times on DruidShakespeare (2015)
‘pure exhilarating theatre'
The Irish Times on DruidShakespeare (2015)
‘the story of a nation … essential’
The Irish Times on DruidMurphy (2012)
‘As always with this remarkable company, the acting is of a quality to leave you dumbstruck with admiration’
The New York Times on DruidMurphy (2012)
‘[the] definitive production of The Silver Tassie’
Irish Theatre Magazine on The Silver Tassie by Sean O’Casey (2010)
‘helmed with cruel, uncompromising clarity by Garry Hynes’
Variety on The Silver Tassie by Sean O’Casey (2010)
‘one of the greatest achievements in the history of Irish theatre’
The Irish Times on DruidSynge (2005)
‘a highlight not just of my theatre-going year but of my theatre-going life’
The New York Times on DruidSynge (2005)
‘[a] colossal achievement’
The Scotsman on DruidSynge (2005)