What We Do
Since its founding by writers in 1904 the Abbey Theatre has been fostering and producing new work. The aim of the Literary Department is to commission new and established Irish writers to write the plays of the future.
The Literary Department has up to 25 playwrights under commission at any given time. Plays commissioned by the Abbey Theatre which have recently appeared on the Abbey and Peacock stages include The Last Days of a Reluctant Tyrant by Tom Murphy, Marble by Marina Carr, Kicking a Dead Horse and Ages of the Moon by Sam Shepard, Lay Me Down Softly by Billy Roche and Only an Apple by Tom Mac Intyre.
Alongside its commissioning work the Literary Department encourages new writing through ongoing development initiatives including regular in-house play readings, workshops and script discussions. We also manage the publication of the Abbey Theatre Playscript Series, in association with various publishing houses. In order to keep in touch with emerging talent, we consider and respond to up to 400 unsolicited scripts every year. These scripts are read by the Literary Department’s readers and each writer is responded to individually.
For more information please contact Jessica Traynor, Literary Assistant or call +353 (0)1 887 2200 or by email to
