Machiavelli at the Abbey Theatre: Reflections on W B Yeats

In order to further his own particular agenda, Yeats from the beginning stood in need of vital support in three areas: finance; production skills (and recruitment of actors); advancement to prominence of like-minded playwrights.

It was not just Yeats, Lady Gregory and their particular circle who were advocating a national theatre. There was intense interest also from the sort of nationalists having links with the Gaelic League – from figures like Maud Gonne, Arthur Griffith, Douglas Hyde. Offshoots of the Gaelic League sprang into being with the precise purpose of furthering this cultural initiative – and Maud Gonne’s women’s organisation threw themselves into theatre-work for the cause. These groups were also a source of financial backing. (An earlier initiative ran into the ground when Yeats alienated a wealthy benefactor of his, Edward Martyn).

Also having loyalties of a nationalist hue were the brothers Willie and Frank Fay – indispensable for their production and promotional skills. (The Fays attracted directly some independent financial backing for the new venture. And actors themselves would contribute towards the leasing of a hall). A playwright, too, as crucial to the new theatrical stirrings as George Russell (AE) inclined towards the nationalist wing.

From the beginning, a three-way conflict of interest tended to flare up : Maud Gonne and the nationalist grouping; Yeats and Lady Gregory; the Fay brothers. And the flash-point was often the choice of plays: whether to favour playwrights from [to use shorthand tags] the Celtic Twilight circle – represented by Yeats and Gregory – or from the Irish Ireland circle. Even with a Reading Committee in place for this purpose, there were attempts to short-circuit its decision-making.

Eventually, by the 1904 opening session of The Abbey Theatre, the political balance was swinging in favour of Yeats. A wealthy London admirer, Annie Horniman, had come to his rescue financially. And, alongside Yeats and Gregory, J.M. Synge now represented a decisive counterweight to the nationalist influence. Both Horniman and the Fays were in turn to make one further bid to consolidate their interest. But both overplayed their hand; and this left the field to Yeats.

Anthony Jordan’s latest book is, W.B. Yeats: Vain, Glorious, Lout. A Maker of Modern Ireland.  It is published by westportbooks@yahoo.co.uk