The Irish Playography is defined as a comprehensive catalogue of new Irish plays produced since 1904, the year of the formation of the National Theatre.

www.irishplayography.com is a online, searchable catalogue of all new plays produced professionally in Ireland, North and South, since 1904.

• Over 2200 plays are included, each containing a synopsis, cast list, crew list and details of where and when the first production took place.
• Over 800 playwrights are represented, in most cases with biographical information and rights contact details for their work.
• 4000 performers are included. A simple search will display all new Irish plays in which an actor has performed.
• The contribution of over 11800 theatre practitioners to this new work, including directors, designers, lighting designers, stage managers, scenic artists and many others, is acknowledged and documented.
• irishplayography.com is updated on an ongoing basis. All new work which fits our existing criteria is included.

irishplayography.com not only defines the Irish theatrical repertoire for the first time, but also aims to revitalise that repertoire by reintroducing many lost scripts and provide a gateway for locating and clearing rights for all existing scripts. As the Irish Playography allows writers to attach downloadable versions of their plays to the database, it is also acts as an online script repository as we move forward.

A Fully Searchable Resource:
The information in Irishplayography.com is fully searchable. From the advanced search page you can search by play title, playwright, company, venue, year produced or type of play. You can limit your search by cast size. You can search for published translations of Irish plays. You can search by theme or by keyword through all the play synopses. You can also search for an individual from the 9000 theatre practitioners: performers, directors, designers, composers, photographers, stage managers and hundreds of other job titles contained in the database. An icon appears beside the name of individuals who have compiled a profile on the Irish Theatre Artists database, and will direct you to their listing where you will find contact details and further information on their work.

The Research Parameters:
The Irish Playography provides detailed information on each new Irish play produced in Ireland by professional theatre companies, venues, festivals, and commercial producers from 1904 to the present day. It also contains plays produced by fringe (unsubsidised) companies and by semi-professional organisations, where the work is deemed to be of particular significance to the Irish repertoire. The Irish Playography also includes the work of key Irish playwrights whose work has been premiered abroad. The Irish Playography includes full-length plays, one-act plays, Theatre-in-Education plays, plays for young audiences, adaptations, translations, improvised and devised works. Plays can be searched for in a variety of ways including by cast size or theme.

The project has been developed since 2000 by Irish Theatre Institute co-directors: Siobhán Bourke and Jane Daly, playography director 2004-2008 Caroline Williams, playography director 2000-2003: Loughlin Deegan, a team of ten part-time researchers and an advisory panel of theatre professionals.

Fascinating facts and figures
Please click here to read our Irish Playography Findings Report 1904-2006


For further information, contact Playography, Irish Theatre Institute at playography[at]irishtheatreinstitute.ie