Wild-Looking But Fine Ciara O’Dowd and Jane Brennan in conversation with Dr Tanya Dean
Illuminating two very different women united by their love of theatre, Wild-Looking But Fine: Abbey Theatre Actresses of the 1930s (UCD Press) traces the lives of Aideen O’Connor and Ria Mooney; from their debuts on the Abbey stage to performing in New York in 1937, and the lives they made for themselves after that tour. Exploring their artistic theories, their economic situations and their personal dilemmas, the book also charts an internationalism in Irish acting and directing, connecting it with the work of feminist artists overseas and painting a vivid portrait of the artistic and inter-personal cultural milieu of the Abbey Theatre of the era. Join author Ciara O’Dowd and actor Jane Brennan in conversation with Script Associate for the Abbey Dr Tanya Dean.
This event takes place in the Abbey Bar at the Abbey Theatre.
Ciara O’Dowd studied English and Theatre in Trinity College Dublin and University of Galway, where she gained her PhD. In 2016, she received the HD Fellowship in English Literature from Yale University’s Beinecke Library. She spent ten years as a theatre assessor and adviser for the Arts Council of Ireland and now works as a consultant in the non-profit and cultural sector. She is an author of the ground-breaking report Gender Counts: An analysis of gender in Irish theatre 2006-15. Her writing on Irish theatre past and present has appeared in journals New Hibernia Review, Critical Stages, Theatre Topics as well as literary magazine Banshee Magazine.
Jane Brennan is an actress known for her work at the Abbey Theatre, where she appeared in Bailegangaire, The Wake, The House, Alice Trilogy (Irish Times Award, Best Actress), A Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocers Assistant, The Crucible, St Joan, Footfalls, Cathleen Ni Houlihan, The Last Apache Reunion, No Escape, Perve, Dancing at Lughnasa, The Secret Fall of Constance Wilde and directed Outrageous Fortune. For Dublin’s Gate Theatre, she has performed in Pygmalion, Jane Eyre, The Rivals, The House of Bernarda Alba, Pride and Prejudice, The Threepenny Opera, Salome, Not I and Catastrophe (Lincoln Centre Festival) The Beacon (Druid/Gate), The New Electric Ballroom and The Loved Ones. She has worked many times with Rough Magic Theatre Company and with Druid and was a founding member of B*Spoke Theatre Company (Electra, Tejas Verdes, Boston Marriage). Film and Television roles include: Brooklyn, (IFTA Best Supporting Actress), Herself, A Good Woman is Hard to Find, Studs, Intermission, Perrier’s Bounty, The Tudors, Striking Out, NW, Love/Hate, Bloodlands and Hidden Assets.
Dr Tanya Dean is a Lecturer and Programme Coordinator for the B.A. (Hons) in Drama (Performance) in the Technological University Dublin Conservatoire. She completed her Doctor of Fine Arts with Yale School of Drama in 2016, where she also received her Master of Fine Arts in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism in 2011. Tanya has worked extensively as a freelance dramaturg on numerous scripts, workshops and productions in Ireland, the UK, the USA, and Iceland. Tanya is a board member for Rough Magic Theatre Company, and is also Associate Dramaturg of Then This Theatre Company in Dublin. From 2015- 2017, Tanya served as a committee member for #WakingTheFeminists, and was a Research Associate on the report, Gender Counts: An Analysis Of Gender In Irish Theatre 2006-15. From 2020 to 2021, Tanya served as one of the judges for the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards. She is currently the Script Associate for the Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s national theatre.
With thanks to our venue partner the Abbey Theatre.
