The Plough and the Stars, a century on

One hundred years after its first staging, The Plough and the Stars still brings political conviction into collision with the lives it claims to serve. Seán O’Casey’s play follows a Dublin community through the approach to the Easter Rising and its consequences.

BSA’s graduating company performed the play at Bristol Old Vic from 11–18 April 2026. Stuart Wood directed, with Cat Fuller’s scaffolding set giving shape to the tenements and the movement between private rooms and public argument.

Bristol24/7’s Bryan J Mason praised the cast’s handling of O’Casey’s language, including Yzabelle Walker’s Nora Clitheroe and Kirbie-Leigh Dean’s Bessie Burgess. His review also questioned some of the production’s contemporary interventions.

The encounter between a hundred-year-old play and a young company produced an evening in which the text, the performances and the decisions around them were all open to scrutiny.

Sources: Bristol24/7; Bristol Old Vic.