Plough and the Stars, The

Guthrie artistic director Joe Dowling directs Sean O’Casey’s masterpiece, set against the background of the 1916 Easter rebellion. The first audiences for this play (at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre in 1926) so objected to the anti-violence message, that they rioted in the streets. It’s the story of Nora and Jack Clitheroe, a young couple living with poverty, overcrowding, and growing political violence. When Jack decides to join the emerging Citizen’s Army (whose battle flag is the Plough and the Stars) the consequences lead to the destruction of all their hopes and dreams.