★★★★ The Irish Times ★★★★ Irish Examiner ★★★★ Financial Times

To celebrate a century since Brendan Behan’s birth, the Abbey Theatre is proud to present a modern take on The Quare Fellow, directed by Tom Creed. 

To the tune of ‘The Auld Triangle’, the play centres on the arrival of a condemned murderer to Mountjoy Prison, whose diverse inhabitants offer a darkly comic mirror to life outside its walls. In this exciting new production, the traditionally all-male cast will be played exclusively by female and non-binary actors. 

Having premiered at the Pike Theatre in 1954 under the direction of Alan Simpson, this modern classic was first produced at the Abbey in 1956 and had its most recent production at the National Theatre in 1984. 

This new production offers a new generation an opportunity to discover Behan’s unique combination of riotous comedy and deep humanity, brought to life by an exciting collection of the country’s leading theatre makers, designers and performers.  

The cast of 15 brilliant performers, all female and non-binary actors, will perform all of the male characters, continuing Behan’s legacy of subversion, of surprising and confronting audiences, while providing an unforgettable evening of entertainment.

#TheQuareFellow

Show Trailer 

Teaser 

Notes on Survival: Programme Note by Director Tom Creed 

“In this production, it draws attention to the different kinds of masculinities that the characters in the play perform for each other, in order to maintain their status in a prison hierarchy in which everyone, staff and inmates alike, is institutionalised.”

To read the full programme note for The Quare Fellow from Director Tom Creed, click here.

Brendan Behan and the North Inner City: Programme Note by Historian Donal Fallon 

“From a young age Behan loved the community around him on Russell Street, in the shadow of Croke Park. The humour of its people and the folklore of the locality is found throughout his output.”

To read the full programme note for The Quare Fellow from Historian Donal Fallon, click here.

The Old Triangle: Excerpt by Radie Peat (Lankum) 

One of the most uniquely recognisable, and critically and popularly lauded, voices in Irish music, Radie Peat – of multi-award winning Lankum and ØXN – collaborates with the Abbey Theatre on its production of Brendan Behan’s The Quare Fellow, lending her vocals to the lyrics of ‘The Old Triangle’, which ring out hauntingly throughout the performance.

Click here to read more about the history of ‘The Old Triangle’ and hear an excerpt from the song.

Audio Described Programme Notes 

Download the audio-described programme notes here, or listen to them below.

Production Images 

Images: Ste Murray

Meet the Cast 

Artwork by Shane Cluskey 

To see the full company working on the show, click here.