Our StoryA River Runs Through It....
O
tell me all about
Anna Livia! I want to hear all
about Anna Livia. Tell me all. Tell me now. You'll die
when you hear.
So wrote James Joyce in the novel Finnegan's Wake. In Joyce's novel, the character of Anna Livia Plurabelle is a metaphor for the River Liffey which runs through the heart of Dublin City. Indeed, Livia is the Latin name for Liffey!
The river itself rises in the Wicklow Mountains and descends through the city before emptying into the Irish Sea. And what better title for a little theatre company devoted to "plays by and about the Irish"?
Like our namesake, The Liffey Players Drama Society has a long and deep history in Calgary. We started in 1986 and since then have staged well over 35 productions. Our play history is a who's who list of Irish theatre - from Beckett, Synge, and O' Casey, to Brian Friel, Martin McDonagh, and Seamus Heaney - we embrace them all!
Irish history and culture is steeped in the diversities and enlargements of life. In a sense, we all have a little Irish in us! So join us! Come and revel in the vicissitudes of humanity and join us in bringing to the stage, the passion, pathos, depth, and delight of the Irish heart - the human heart.
And in the words of Jonathan Swift, "May you live all the days of your life."
Slan go foill!
Our LogoDesigned by Scott Mushens, the Liffey Player Logo is a depiction of the Ha'penny Bridge over the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. Originally called the Wellington Bridge when it was built in 1816, the bridge was renamed the Liffey Bridge before eventually becoming known as the Ha'penny in reference to the fact that before 1919, people were charged a half-penny toll to cross it. Historical symbol of the City of Dublin and beloved testament to Irish heritage, the Ha'penny Bridge is cast-iron and one of the oldest pedestrian crossings in the world. |
The Liffeys would like to thank Mr. Todd Adams
for graciously giving us permission to use his photo of the Ha'penny Bridge pictured above.
The man takes nice photographs!
Check out his website at www.toddadams.net.
IRELAND'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE STAGE
An entire episode of a BBC series about the roots and evolution of modern theatre was devoted entirely to the Irish stage. Richard Eyre, the director of the English National Theatre, who produced the series, believes that beyond Shakespeare, there has been no more powerful influence on the modern stage than the work of Irish playwrights. The social satire of George Bernard Shaw, the wit of Oscar Wilde, Sean O’Casey’s celebration of working class life, and the haunting, humorous nihilism of Samuel Becket immediately come to mind. If you include Eugene O’Neill (and we do!), the Irish count four playwrights among their Nobel laureates. That is amazing for an island so small!