Women and Embodied Mythmaking in Irish Theatre

'Hill weaves women's re-workings of myth into the story of the Irish nation and … creates a new, malleable mythology of her own. With fascinating … analysis of both canonical and lesser-known women's theatre art, this book creates a genealogy of Irish theatre in which nothing rests ossified in time and place. Hill's case studies return to speak to each other throughout – fulfilling her promise to embody a feminist genealogy and, further, reminding the reader of the exciting potentials for restaging and reimagining these productions. In the aftermath of #WakingtheFeminists and the referendum to repeal the eighth amendment, and amid continued social movements to redress almost a century of institutionalised Irish misogyny, Hill's work moves the conversation about women's contributions to theatre and to nation forward: from decrying absence to insisting on presence, both in our relationship to history and in the contemporary moment.​' Emer O'Toole, Concordia University, Montreal

'Hill's proposed genealogy opens up possibilities for future research that will shed light on how to rethink the development of Irish theater.' J. S. Baggett, Choice

'In this detailed study, Shonagh Hill traces a lineage of female work and storytelling in Irish theatre, creating a new genealogy and context for plays very often seen through a patriarchal lens. This is a clearly thought-out and well-argued non-linear history of women's interaction with and interpretation of myths and their own corporeality on stage.' Jeda de Brí, Australian Journal of Irish Studies

'Women and Embodied Mythmaking in Irish Theatre is a timely intervention in a cultural narrative still very much in process. It will be essential reading for teachers, students and researchers working in Irish theatre studies, in Irish studies internationally and on Irish literary modernism.' Kim Solga, Theatre Research International

'Shonagh Hill's magisterial study offers many new aspects in the rather well-researched field of drama and myth. Moreover, with its focus on mythmaking by women, it revises the traditional male-dominated canon of Irish drama and provides an alternative history of theatre and performance (not only) in Ireland. The book develops a complex theoretical framework of genealogical writing, covers abroad range of dramatic texts in the widest sense (including ballet and tableaux vivants) and manages to enrich the textual analyses by means of close readings of the productions of the plays … the book is well-written and … clear …' Anette Pankratz, Anglia