Scene Change: One Hundred Years of Theatre Design at the Abbey

This exhibition is being staged as part of the Abbey Theatre’s Abbeyonehundred celebrations, the National Theatre’s celebration of its first one hundred years. In particular, the exhibition focuses on theatre design, both sets and costumes, and aims to shed light on the role of the designer as creative artist. Included in the exhibition is key visual material of signature designs by designers of recent set and costume designs, set against the context of past Abbey Theatre and Peacock Theatre designs, such as model boxes selected from both the Abbeyonehundred productions, Francis O’Connor’s designs for The Shaughraun and Guido Tondino’s designs for The Playboy of the Western World. Earlier works by important designers Carl Fillion (The Burial at Thebes), Joe Vanek (Dancing at Lughnasa), and Monica Frawley (By the Bog of Cats) are also on show. Photographic images, sketches, design plans and programme material from the Abbey archive are also included in the exhibition.

Key costume designers such as Joan O’Clery, Johanna Connor, Wendy Shea and Bronwen Casson will be presented alongside works from the Abbey archive which includes early designs by Dorothy Travers –Smith, Norah MGuinness and Charles Ricketts.