Theatre riots might capture the imagination but audiences, critics and authority figures shape theatre in other less dramatic ways. Guest Dr Barry Houlihan talks about his new book Theatre and archival memory: Irish drama and marginalised histories 1951-77 (2022)
Both these artists were renowned for their religious subject matter but they still offended important people.
Everyone wanted a piece of Roger Casement, but which piece? Carefully extracting his skeleton from heavy London mud in 1965 didn’t end the controversy over his life and lusts.
The scandal over Roer Casement’s diaries is huge. It’s past time I read the smut and examined the censure of the man and his writings.
The real truth about post-independence Ireland is that everyone was reading the British sleazy tabloid, the News of the World. Some people were determined to stop that.
The Playboy Riots were a notoriously rowdy series of audience protests in the Abbey Theatre. The patrons were so offended by The Playboy of the Western World their loud singing and heckling drowned out the actors. This much-studied moment in Irish cultural history deserves a deep-dive into the play itself and the over-reaction to its performance.
With guest, Dr Lloyd (Maedhbh) Houston, I discussed the play and the uproar it caused, paying particular attention to drunken singing and the comedy act of one protestor, Mr Overcoat.
A thrilling desert romance that’s drenched in sex but wasn’t banned in Ireland. Great for the smut seekers, but terrible for anyone who didn’t appreciate a racist rape fantasy.
One of the many bestsellers from the 1930s which was banned. When this novel was on sale after it was banned, the unfortunate bookseller was prosecuted.
I really didn’t like this novel, but millions of James Bond can’t be wrong, can they?
What happens when contraception is technically illegal but voluntary groups provide it anyway? Family planning information began to circulate widely during the 1970s and the censors did not like it. My guest, Dr Laura Kelly, helps me unravel a tale of blind eyes turned and court challenges.
