The Synge Summer School

I spent last weekend at the Synge Summer School in Rathdrum, County Wicklow. For four days, I was immersed in the world of academia, as I attended lectures and seminars taught by some of the leading scholars of Irish drama. It was kind of surreal at points- I've cited half of these people in papers I've written for classes at Williams, and now I was hearing them speak. The first lecture was given by Ann Fogarty, chair of the English department at Trinity College. She talked about Synge's legacy in Joyce's writing. A lot of it had to do with Joyce's use of the word "shift," the word for a woman's undergarment that caused such a scandal when the Abbey produced Synge's "The Playboy of the Western World."

Wicklow holds a special significance for Synge's work- Synge was born in nearby Rathfarnham, and his play "The Shadow of the Glen" takes place in Wicklow. When I directed "The Shadow of the Glen" this winter study, we explored the strong sense of man against nature in the play, of the hostile outside world encroaching in upon the cottage. Walking back one night to the hostel, it was pitch dark, except for the moon, which was intense and low in the sky. The sky was a deep, dark blue, like nothing I had ever seen before, and the wind rustled the leaves in the trees. It was very creepy. I definitely got the sense of how Synge was inspired by this environment.

Still, even at its most terrifying, Wicklow is very beautiful. I didn't get to see as much of it as I would have liked because I was in seminars and lectures most of the day, but I caught a few pictures of the landscape:

I stayed at the Avondale Annex, which was right next to Avondale House, the birthplace of Charles Stewart Parnell.

We took a field trip to see a new play called "The Parting Glass" by Dermot Bolger. It a nice piece, a monologue where a man spoke about his experiences emigrating from Ireland, coming to terms with the loss of his wife, and reconnecting with his son and his home country. There was also a post-show discussion where we heard a little bit from the director and the actor about their process and what they think about theatre in Ireland. They were both very gracious, encouraging of young artists, and optimistic about the arts in Ireland today, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the current economic climate.

There was also a reading by Patrick McCabe, a well-known Irish novelist, from his new book. As he was reading, he did all the voices of the different characters- it was pretty great.

The school was directed by Patrick Lonergan, who teaches at NUI Galway. Patrick is interested in McDonagh, and was also very gracious in agreeing to meet with me when I'm in Galway. I'm sure that talking to him will be incredibly helpful for me in my research.

Best of all, I made some great friends in several PhD students who are studying at Trinity and UCD. From left to right: Monica is from Italy, Aideen from Ireland, and Chris from England. When we weren't in lectures, we had a lot of fun at the local pubs.

The four of us drove back to Dublin together. The countryside was so green!

Attending the Synge Summer School was an immensely rewarding experience. Talking to people about McDonagh and Irish Drama in general gave me lots to think about. The most common thought that ran through my near-fried brain upon leaving?: "Oh man, there's so much I have to read..."