| Through its attention to the cultural and political context, this dissertation argues that the Irish Theatre Movement of 1899-1916 was a strictly Nationalist effort by demonstrating precisely how the Movement functioned. In so doing, this work asserts that the Irish Theatre Movement created two distinctly Irish aesthetics in order to deliver its goal of de-colonization. These aesthetics, one based on a perception of rural west Ireland and the other on the urban Irish experience, reflected two well-defined philosophies within the Nationalism of the time. The discussion of these philosophies and aesthetics leads to a re-evaluation of the major playwrights like W. B. Yeats and J. M. Synge (identifying the true Nationalist response to The Playboy of the Western World), but also to a long overdue examination of such forgotten playwrights (via revisionist fall-out) as Frederick Ryan, Seumas O'Kelly, Eimar O'Duffy, W. F. Casey, Edward McNulty, George Fitzmaurice, and James Connolly (including the first critical discussion of Connolly's thought-to-be-lost Under Which Flag). As a consequence, this study also delves significantly into the Abbey and the smaller theatres of the Movement, reflecting not political differences between them but the two distinct aesthetics.;Such a project also leads to a discussion of the acting style, too often overlooked, which was developed specifically to stage the plays of the rural and urban aesthetics. It is also argued that the two aesthetics led to and delivered the Easter Rebellion--in effect, the Theatre Movement's final staging. At is conclusion, "Rouse This Sleeping Land" offers a highly detailed record of every production of the Irish Theatre Movement, including premieres and revivals--unlike previous studies which have only listed premieres. |
