Poster boys for the history of Irish theatre

Playboys, Paycocks and Playbills, a new exhibition, which opens in Glór this Friday pays tribute to the talents of two graphic artists associated with the Abbey Theatre in the 1970s and 1980s, Kevin Scally and Brendan Foreman.

 

The exhibition features posters from the collection of the National Print Museum largely composed by these two graphic artists.

Kevin Scally and Brendan Foreman worked as in-house designers in the Abbey Theatre from 1974 to 1979 and 1980 and 1988 respectively. Posters had not played a major role in the early years of the Abbey and features as little more than public notices giving limited details of the play, performance times and dates.  However, by the 1970s, there was a growing awareness of the importance of theatre poster design.

Posters could convey the spirit and nature of a production and entice audiences into the theatre. They were also one of the few tangible records of a production once its run had ended, and many have since become collectors’ items.

The exhibition not only represents a changing time in graphic design and the representation of the Abbey Theatre but also represents different styles of printing and a broad range of productions, actors, directors, costume and set designers.

In his preface to the exhibition catalogue, Joe Dowling, artistic director of the Abbey Theatre from 1978 to 1985, writes that “in the hands of these talented artists, the theatre poster can be an important piece of art in its own right as well as providing an impetus for audiences to attend the show. For me, as a director, the poster has a special value because it can identify the aesthetic of the production and indicate the style of the play. It gives the audience an initial sense of what is in store for them when they attend the theatre. The energy of the image can make a difference as to how the audience views the play. A really great poster inspires a warmth about the work even before the curtain rises”.

The exhibition first went on display at the National Print Museum in Dublin in September 2008 and continues to tour the country.

Kevin Scally left the Abbey Theatre in 1979 and worked with a number of theatre companies in London, including English National Opera, the Royal Opera and the National Theatre.

Brendan Foreman worked in advertising before becoming resident graphic designer at the Abbey Theatre from 1980 to 1988. He continued to design theatre posters well into the 1990s for the Abbey and many other Dublin theatres as partner in The Graphiconies design agency. His poster designs have been exhibited in Dublin, Paris, Berlin, and Warsaw.

Playboys, Paycocks and Playbills includes work by writers such as Anton Checkov, GB Shaw, Brien Friel, Samuel Beckett, Flann O’Brien, Tom Murphy, Shakespeare and Clare’s own Edna O’Brien. It is a fascinating archive of some of the iconic theatre images of our time and is well worth a visit.
The exhibition opens on Friday at 10am and runs until Saturday October 27.  Opening hours are from 10am to 5pm and admission is free of charge.