Stage Migrants: Representations of the Migrant Other in Modern Irish Drama

Ireland, north and south of the border, has witnessed volatile patterns of immigration in the past decade, and stage representations of these fluctuations have begun to emerge. In the Republic, immigration has coincided with, and it has been encouraged by the economic boom known as Celtic Tiger. In the North, the peace process and the easing off of the political tension has contributed to making the region more appealing and hospitable for newcomers. The media have played a significant role in this respect as they have helped re-launch the local tourist industry on the international scene, and consequently to attract both short- and long-term visitors. That Ireland has become the land of opportunities for thousands of people is a phenomenon which scholars from different academic backgrounds have been trying to explain given that mass immigration has had, and continues to have, a big impact on the local economy, social welfare and culture. This volume is dedicated to this final aspect. It investigates how migration has shaped and is reflected in Irish culture today; more specifically, it focuses on the representation of outsiders in Irish theatre and to the way in which theatre practitioners have dealt and engaged with debates of national and cultural identities, hybridity, multiculturalism and racism in post-nationalist Ireland up to 2008 - that is prior to the economic crisis that has swept the whole continent of Europe and the US over the past two years. Although multiculturalism has become an almost jaded theme in academia, much of the material presented here is fresh, original and highly relevant. Some plays are relatively unknown, and many of the texts remain unpublished. They have been staged on a small number of occasions, yet the topics they explore are central, not just to Irish society, but to any community in a global context that hosts immigrants.
About the Author: Loredana Salis is a former graduate from the University of Ulster, where she obtained an MA in Irish Literature in English (2001) and a PhD in Comparative Literatures with a thesis on the reworking of classical theatre in contemporary Irish drama (2005). Between 2006 and 2008 she began a co-financed research project between the Arts Faculty, Universita di Sassari (Italy) and the Academy for Irish Cultural Heritages at the University of Ulster, Derry. While in Northern Ireland she worked as Research Associate in literary heritages and conducted research into the migrant communities of Ireland and their representations on the Irish stage, part of which has formed the basis for the present volume. She has also researched and published articles on the Irish Travellers, the Polish and Lithuanian communities in Northern Ireland, the Antigone myth in Italy, and patterns of pilgrimage in Ireland between tradition and globalisation. She moved back to Italy in 2008 where she began teaching English language. In 2009 she published Miti antichi, storie d'oggi (Pellegrini Editore) based on her doctoral research. She is now a part-time lecturer at the Universita di Sassari.