In The Shadow of a Gunman, Sean O’Casey explores the Irish War of Independence (1920-21). Set in a tenement house in Dublin, the story centers around the character of Donal Davoren, a struggling poet mistaken for an Irish Republican Army gunman by his neighbors, who approach him with a mixture of fear and intrigue. As the rumor of Davoren’s affiliation spreads, he finds himself caught between his desire to maintain his romantic image as a poet and the harsh reality of being seen as a revolutionary. The tension escalates when an actual IRA gunman arrives, forcing Davoren to confront the consequences of his assumed identity.

“O’Casey’s dramatic toolbag is stuffed with the conventions of his time: comic double acts, maudlin heroines, tragic twists, malaproprisms, and melodrama” (The Irish Examiner) as he highlights the profound impact of political unrest on ordinary lives.

This performance is part of Seán O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy, which includes The Plough and the Stars, The Shadow of a Gunman, and Juno and the Paycock. Get tickets to all three performances and save.