Featuring original essays by leading scholars in the field, this book explores the immense legacy of women playwrights in Irish theatre since the beginning of theTwentieth century. Chapters consider the intersecting contexts of gender, sexuality and the body in order to investigate the broader cultural, political and historical implications of representing 'woman' on the stage. In addition, a number of essays engage with representations of women by a selection of male playwrights in order to re-evaluate familiar contexts and traditions in Irish drama. Features a Foreword by Marina Carr and a useful appendix of Irish women playwrights and their works.

MARINA CARR Playwright JANELLE REINELT Professor of Performance Studies, Warwick University, UK PAUL MURPHY Lecturer in Drama Studies, Queen's University Belfast, UK VELMA O'DONOGHUE GREENE Doctoral candidate, School of Drama, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland CATHY LEENEY Lecturer in Drama, University College Dublin, Ireland LISA FITZPATRICK Lecturer in Drama, University of Ulster at Magee, UK ANNA MCMULLAN Chair of Drama, Queen's University Belfast, UK MARK PHELAN Lecturer in Drama Studies, Queen's University Belfast, UK EAMONN JORDAN Lecturer in Performing Arts, Institute of Technology, Sligo, Ireland RACHEL O'RIORDAN Lecturer in Drama Studies, Queen's University Belfast, UK ENRICA CERQUONI Teaching Fellow, Drama Studies Centre, University College Dublin, Ireland ANTHONY ROCHE Associate Professor, School of English and Drama, University College Dublin, Ireland BRIAN SINGLETON Head of the School of Drama, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland OLWEN FOUÉRÉ Actor associated with the company Operating Theatre