The Theatre and Films of Conor McPherson: Conspicuous Communities

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The spellbinding premiere of The Weir at the Royal Court in 1997 was the first of many works to bring Conor McPherson to the attention of the theatre-going public. Acclaimed plays followed, including Shining City, The Seafarer, The Night Alive and Girl from the North Country, garnering international acclaim and being regularly produced around the globe. McPherson has also had significant successes as a theatre director, film director and screenwriter, most notably, with his award-winning screenplay for I Went Down. This companion offers a detailed and engaging critical analysis of the plays and films of Conor McPherson. It considers issues of gender and class disparity, violence and wealth in the cultural and political contexts in which the work is written and performed, as well as the inclusion of song, sound, the supernatural, religious and pagan festive sensibilities through which initial genre perceptions are nudged elsewhere, towards the unconscious and ineffable. Supplemented by a number of contributed critical and performance perspectives, including an interview with Conor McPherson, this is a book to be read by theatre audiences, performance-makers and students who wish to explore, contextualize and situate McPhersons provocative, exquisite and generation-defining writings and performances.

Reviews

Highly recommendable [I] believe Jordans work on McPhersons theatre and films is rigorous, thoughtful and honest, approaching the conspicuous communities inhabiting the fictive world from different perspectives, in a delightful edition and with a style which makes the act of reading a pleasurable experience, something which is not the rule when reading a piece of critical work. * Estudios Irlandeses *
A necessary companion for those interested in the work of McPherson, contemporary Irish theatre, or indeed theatre in general, Eamonn Jordan offers detailed, authorative and accessible insights into McPhersons theatre and film from an impressive range of critical contexts. -- Dr Rhona Trench, Institute of Technology Sligo, Ireland
The Theatre and Films of Conor McPherson offers a comprehensive source of information about McPhersons life, career, and critical reception. It is more up to date than most of the existing books dedicated to McPherson, and by crossing the generic boundary between theatre and film, it allows us to perceive parallels and continuities that can open up new avenues for future scholarship. It is a faithful companion; and for those new to McPherson, it will probably be good company. * Theatre Journal *

Author Bio

Eamonn Jordan is Associate Professor in Drama Studies at the School of English, Drama and Film, University College Dublin. His many publications on Irish theatre include: The Feast of Famine: The Plays of Frank McGuinness (1997); Theatre Stuff: Critical Essays on Contemporary Irish Theatre (2000); The Theatre of Martin McDonagh: A World of Savage Stories (co-edited with Lilian Chambers, 2006); Dissident Dramaturgies: Contemporary Irish Theatre (2010); The Theatre of Conor McPherson:'Right beside the Beyond' (co-edited with Lilian Chambers, 2012); From Leenane to LA: The Theatre and Cinema of Martin McDonagh (2014), and The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Irish Theatre (co-edited with Eric Weitz, 2017).