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Overview

Synopsis

Ireland is still under the rule of Great Britain, and the Irish people are preparing to rebel. In a small tenement in one of Dublin’s working class neighborhoods live the Clitheroes. Jack Clitheroe used to belong to the Irish Citizen Army, and his wife, Nora, would do anything to keep him from returning to the dangerous cause. Her voice is an unpopular one; almost all of their friends and neighbors support the Nationalist cause. But as fighting breaks out in the streets, there is little that any of the tenement’s residents can do to stay unaffected by the violence of the rebellion. Centered around Dublin’s Easter Rising in 1916, The Plough and the Stars is one of playwright Sean O’Casey’s most renowned and poignant works. The play examines the powerful force of political idealism and the lives of those swept up in its tide. It is the final play in Sean O’Casey’s Dublin trilogy.

Show Information

Book
Sean O'Casey
Category
Play
Age Guidance
Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
Number of Acts
4
First Produced
1926
Genres
Drama, Historical/Biographical
Settings
Period, Multiple Settings
Time & Place
Dublin, Ireland, November 1915 - Easter week 1916
Cast Size
large
Orchestra Size
None
Dancing
None
Licensor
Samuel French
Ideal For
College/University, Community Theatre, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly, Late Teen Characters, Large Cast

Context


Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Jack Clitheroe

Lead

Male

Spoken, Tenor, Baritone, Bass

Nora Clitheroe

Lead

Female

Spoken, Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto

Peter Flynn

Supporting

Male

Spoken

The Young Covey

Supporting

Male

Spoken, Tenor, Baritone, Bass

Bessie Burgess

Supporting

Female

Spoken, Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto

Mrs. Gogan

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Mollser

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Fluther Good

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Lieutenant Langon

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Captain Brennan

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Corporal Stoddart

Supporting

Male

Spoken, Tenor, Baritone, Bass

Rosie Redmon

Supporting

Female

Spoken, Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto

Bartender

Featured

Male

Spoken

Woman

Featured

Female

Spoken

Figure in the Window

Featured

Male

Spoken

Sergeant Tinley

Featured

Male

Spoken, Tenor, Baritone, Bass

Songs

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A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

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Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Key Terms

    The first Irish national theatre to open in December 1904.

    A civil war in the United States fought between the Union and the Confederacy from 1861 to 1865.

    A government and economic system in which people do not own individual property.

    Study of the cultural, economic, and political impacts of colonialism, often focusing on the stories of the colonized people.

    An economic and political system which believes that the common or public ownership of resources and means of production will result in a more equal society.

Videos

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Themes, Symbols & Motifs

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Guide Written By:

Marielle Renée Rousseau

Marielle Renée Rousseau