The Play ‘The Plough and the Stars is named after the banner of the Irish Citizen Army, of which Seén © Casey was a member for a while. The story is set in the Dublin tenements in the year 1916. It centres on a young married couple called Jack and Nora Clitheroe. Jack is a member of the Irish Citizen Army. Nora is ambitious to move out of the tenements and to prevent her husband from, involving himself further in politics. The action of the play concerns the events of Easter Week and their repercussions on Dublin tenement dwellers, who represent a cross section of political and religious opinion. The Plough and the Stars, with its unsympathetic treatment of the participants in the Easter Rebellion, touched off ariot in the theatre when first performed in 1926, and after this event O'Casey left Ireland for England, never to return, The play was made into a film in 1936, directed by the legendary John Ford. It starred Barbara Stanwyck as Nora Clitheroe and Preston Foster as Jack, with Barry Fitzgerald as Fluther Good. SPECIAL THANKS Sligo Drama Circle wishes to express its thanks to the following for their help and co-operation with this production: Ann-Marie Byrne Brooks, Finisklin Morgan Kerins Cllr. Sean MacManus Wayne McDermott Declan Byrne Joan Fitzpatrick Paul McGowan Cllr. Deirdre Healy-McGowan Grange Players Nick McCall Staff of the Hawk’s Well Theatre For more information, history, photographs and memorabilia about Sligo Drama Circle, visit our website at www.sligodramacircle.ie Sligo Drama pelwecteor pte The Plough & The Stars BY SEAN O’CASEY ‘TUESDAY 24TH - SATURDAY 28TH APRIL, 2007 Hawks WELL ‘THEATRE 0% 5THE CAST in order of appearance Mrs. Gocan: ‘Maire Hynes FLutHer Gop: Jetty Ryan Peter FLYNN: Ultan Burke ‘Tine Covey: Nora CurrHenor: Bessie Burces: Jack Currneror: Dermot Ryan Averyl Dooher Siobhin Dooney Barry Deignan Cap, BRENNAN: Kevin Boyle Moutser: Elaine Burke Barman: Gerry Norman Rosie REDMOND: Muireann Téibin Figure in tHE Winpow: Michael Leyden Liput, LANGON: Vinnie Holland Woman: Réisin Kileoyne Corporat StoppanD: Adrian O° Neill SenGrant TINLEY: Michael Mc Morrow THE SETTING Act ONE: ‘The living room of the Clitheroe flat in a Dublin tenement Act Two: A public house, outside of which a meeting is being held Act THREE: ‘The street outside the Clitheroe tenement Act Four: ‘The attic room of Bessie Burgess THE TIME Acts one and two: November 1915 Acts three and four: Easter Week 1916 ‘A few days elapse between acts three and four ‘There will be an interval of fifteen minutes between acts two and three. THE CREW Direcror: Ursula Smullen Stace Manacer: Frances Ryan Stace Crew: Aoife Rooney, Liam Cunningham, Alan Crawley & Angela Maguire Maire Hynes Ser Construction: Francis Heraughty, ‘Michael Doherty, David Daly and the cast Ser Desicn: Costumes: ‘Maire Hynes Postew/PRocRAMME: Damien Quinn PRINTIN ‘Tiger Print & Design, Sligo Pusuicrry: Fintan Whelan, Damien Quinn, Averyl Dooher, Pat Sweeny LIGHTING Design: — Ray Duffy LiGHTING OPERATION: Niall Burke Props: The Cast Sounp: Damien Quinn BANNeR: Eamon Dowdican THE PLAYWRIGHT Sein © Casey (1884 — 1964) had a grim childhood of poverty, poor eyesight, and ill health, Although a chronic eye disease forced him to stay away from school because of his eye treatments, his passion for learning stayed with him. He became active in various socialist movements in the carly part of the ewentieth century. During the 1916 Easter Rebellion, O'Casey was arrested as a suspected instigator of the violence. He was released when the conflict was over. He had several poetry collections and pamphlets published before finally having a play accepted on his fourth attempt for production by the Abbey Theatre, Shadow of a Gunman (1923) marked his entry into the world of drama, Together with Juno and the Paycock (1924) and ‘The Plough and the Stars (1926) these plays became known as his Dublin trilogy and are widely recognised as being his best work.