The Daily Star Ireland
The National Theatre of Ireland will mark its 120th anniversary with a special live event titled Spreading The News, set to take place on the Abbey Stage at 6pm on Sunday, 8th December.
In collaboration with RTÉ, the event will be recorded before a live audience and will air on RTÉ Radio 1 at 6pm on Friday, 27th December, exactly 120 years after the theatre first opened its doors in 1904.
The event is named after a play by Lady Gregory, one of the Abbey Theatre’s founders, which was performed on the theatre’s opening night. Spreading The News will feature a range of well-known Irish performers who have graced the Abbey stage over the years.
The lineup for the evening includes Barbara Bergin, Peter Coonan, Kate Gilmore, Domhnall Herdman, Patrick Martins, Seán McGinley, Bríd Ní Neachtain, Stephen Rea, Kate Stanley Brennan, Sexy Tadhg, and Eileen Walsh.
The event will include live music and will highlight the stories, performances, and works that have defined the National Theatre of Ireland since its inception. Writers featured in the program include Marina Carr, Brian Friel, Lady Gregory, Tom Murphy, Anna Mullarkey, Frank McGuinness, Conor McPherson, Nuala Ní Dhomhnail, Sean O’Casey, JM Synge, W.B. Yeats, and Enda Walsh.
