Crisis, Uncertainty and Scandal (1980–1994)

Economic instability in the 1980s halted the societal change of the previous decades ushering in political uncertainty, renewed Catholic conservatism and moral hypocrisy while the death of political prisoners on hunger strike escalated the violence in the North. Despite these conditions this chapter demonstrates how theatrical activity flourished with new companies formed who embraced collaborative modes of theatremaking, confronted global issues and made sure women’s voices were heard. Playwrights looked to the past to understand the present conflict in the North and confronted systemic abuse in Catholic institutions. Revivals of O’Casey proved popular and controversial. With the end of the 1980s the early 1990s saw the authority of the Catholic Church collapsed by scandals, the decriminalisation of homosexuality and movements towards peace in Northern Ireland.