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Overview
Synopsis
It is truly a dark and stormy night in County Wicklow when a Tramp, seeking shelter from the wind and rain, knocks on the door of the loneliest cottage in Glen Malure, and finds himself at an impromptu wake. Dan Burke, aged and cranky, has died suddenly, but not before laying a curse on his younger wife, Nora, that no one is to touch his body or prepare him for laying out except his sister, who lives an inconvenient distance away. As Nora entertains the Tramp with her husband’s whiskey and pipe, and the two keep company and share stories about, and against, the dark night and fear of the unknown, the Tramp comes to realize that not all was well in this isolated cottage.… especially when, during Nora’s brief absence, Dan reveals to the startled Tramp that he is not dead at all, but waiting to catch his friendly wife misbehaving with a man. Enter Micheal Dara, a young and confident neighboring herd, with an eye to marrying the young widow and acquiring her property, and Dan’s suspicions seem confirmed. But Nora’s unhappy ending may be her ticket to freedom. John Millington Synge’s classic In the Shadow of the Glen is a dark, poetic comedy, a meditation on time, loneliness, and personal freedom.
Show Information
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 1903
- Genres
- Drama, Dark Comedy
- Settings
- Period, Simple/No Set, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- An isolated cottage, Glen Malure, County Wicklow, Ireland, Nighttime, 1900s, 1890s
- Cast Size
- small
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Small Cast, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly, Young Adult Characters
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
Songs
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
Scenes
Key Terms
The first Irish national theatre to open in December 1904.
Also called “black comedy,” takes a pessimistic view of the world.
A play with only one act. One-act plays may have several scenes and vary in length, from short single scenes to full-length scripts.
Description of material not protected by copyright law.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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