Abbey Theatre, Dublin. Programme for a performance of Juno and the Paycock: A Tragedy in Three Acts by Sean O’Casey.

Abbey Theatre, Dublin. Programme for a performance of Juno and the Paycock: A Tragedy in Three Acts by Sean O’Casey.

April 9, 1934

Signed by the Abbey Theatre cast, including Eileen Crowe as Juno and Barry Fitzgerald as “Captain” Boyle.

Unlike so many plays about rural life, Sean O’Casey’s famous first plays at the Abbey Theatre showcased the working-class world of Dublin’s tenements. Choosing recent history as his setting, his first trio of plays, though often criticized for the moral ambiguity of their characters, were instant successes. After O’Casey left Ireland upon the rejection of his fourth play, his work remained in repertory and secured the financial survival of the Abbey Theatre.