Waking the Feminists: Re-imagining the Space of the National Theatre in the Era of the Celtic Phoenix

Abstract

In October 2015 Ireland's national theatre, the Abbey, announced its 2016 program, entitled Waking the Nation. Ultimately, the author argues that both WTF and the moment of recovery demand more than just recognition of female artists; they demand the restructuring of the architecture of the national theatre and the redistribution of its cultural capital to all the people of the nation. However, critique from ostensible feminist allies can be more insidious, positioning gender equality as a consideration secondary to the bigger picture of aesthetic integrity, but also to national, class, anti-austerity, or anti-establishment politics. Perhaps, ultimately, women's access to the national theatre means significantly changing the space of the national theatre, and perhaps, ultimately, it is women's work that can do this. It temporarily materialized an intersectional feminist space within the national theatre, and, to the extent that the Abbey is the nation's mirror, within the Republic.