Shavian Arias and Virtuosity: Patrick Mason on Directing Shaw

Abstract

abstract:This interview with award-winning director and former artistic director of the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, Patrick Mason, features a detailed discussion with Mason, regarding his experiences in directing works by Bernard Shaw in Ireland. Mason offers insights from when he first worked as a voice coach on the production of Saint Joan at the Abbey in 1972, directed by Lelia Doolan, and on his later career as a director. Mason discusses directing Shaw at the Gate Theatre along with a series of other Anglo-Irish plays during the 1980s; directing Shaw at the Abbey Theatre including his 1998 production of Saint Joan that starred Jane Brennan; how Shaw is situated today within the canon of Irish and national drama; how Shaw and his plays meet contemporary audiences; and the wider legacy(ies) of Shaw to the theater today.