Richard Allan Cave

Irish theatre in England has frequently illustrated the complex relations between

two distinct cultures. How English reviewers and audiences interpret Irish plays is often decidedly

different from how the plays were read in performance in Ireland. How certain Irish performers have

chosen to be understood in Dublin is not necessarily how audiences in London have perceived their

constructed stage personae. Though a collection by diverse authors, the twelve essays in this volume

investigate these issues from a variety of perspectives that together chart the trajectory of

Irish performance in England from the mid-nineteenth century till today.