Feminist Interventions: Making Change at the Abbey Theatre since 2016

Abstract In The Cultural Politics of Emotion , Sara Ahmed asks: “What happens when feminists speak out against forms of violence, power and injustice? What role do emotions play in acts of speaking out and in the ‘spectacle’ of demonstrating against such forms of power?” (168). This article takes Ahmed’s provocation as a departure point to examine a landmark feminist intervention at Ireland’s national theatre, the Abbey. In 2015, the group #WakingTheFeminists responded to the Abbey’s centenary programme “Waking the Nation,” which sidelined women as writers, directors, and theatre workers. Their critique sparked widespread debate, a public meeting at the Abbey, and the commissioning of Gender Counts: An Analysis of Gender in Irish Theatre 2005–2015 . This paper considers what has happened since. It surveys changes in leadership and programming at the Abbey, with reference to selected performances, and assesses how far the campaign has reshaped the national stage. In doing so, it reflects on both the gains achieved and the challenges that persist, asking how feminist voices continue to reframe acts of speaking out in contemporary Irish theatre.