Rediscovering unsung female playwrights from Irish theatre history…: As Youth’s the Season - ? takes to the Abbey Stage, Dr Tanya Dean introduces ten works from Irish female writers deserving of fresh attention

The Abbey Theatre’s commitment to interrogating and reimagining the Irish classical canon includes reviving overlooked voices in Irish theatre history. In the spirit of the Gregory Project, the Abbey have undertaken a research initiative to rediscover plays by female playwrights spanning centuries of Irish theatre history. This remit includes any playwright who identifies as female and those who are citizens, long-term residents, or part of the Irish diaspora—a definition drawn from the excellent two-volume collection, The Golden Thread: Irish Women Playwrights, 1716–2016. Building on the invaluable work of Abbey Theatre archivist Mairéad Delaney and scholars like Melissa Sihra, Cathy Leeney, David Clare, Fiona McDonagh, Justine Nakase, and many others, I have been tasked with compiling a database of Irish female playwrights—so far dating back to 1693—in my role as Script Associate in the Abbey’s Literary and New Work Department. Our aim is to locate extant scripts, making them accessible for theatre practitioners eager to read and rediscover these often-overlooked plays. Time and again, we are astonished by how these works—despite being years or even centuries old—feel immediate, relevant, and urgent.