Tuesday, April 19, 1:30 p.m.
Brian Friel’s Translations
Set in Ireland in 1833, Brian Friel’s Translations revolves around themes of language and culture. The
first act depicts an Irish “hedge school,” a rural private school that teaches in Latin and Greek. The second
and third acts follow the arrival and actions of English military engineers assigned to map the area and in
doing so “modernize” the traditional Irish place names. An English soldier and an Irish woman fall in
love, although neither speaks the other’s language, and the result is a disaster. The play ends with a quote
from Virgil, drawing attention to the parallels with the story of Dido and Aeneas, another tragic clash of
cultures. Betty Baron and Michael Shaw will be our leaders. Translations will be performed in Belfast April 23-May 29.
https://www.broadwayworld.com/ireland/article/Abbey-Theatre-and-Lyric-Theatre-Belfast-toCo-Produce-Brian-Friels-TRANSLATIONS-20220210