The Abbey Theatre's substantial tribute to Brian Friel in his 70th year - four of his plays, with lectures, discussions, readings and exhibitions - opens with The Freedom of the City on Wednesday. This play, which has not been revived by the Abbey since its premiere there in 1973, is perhaps the most overtly political of his works. A dramatic meditation on Derry's infamous Bloody Sunday, it is set in that city's historic Guildhall in 1970. The author probes the characters and motivations of three civil rights marchers who have taken refuge there from the street violence outside, and juxtaposes this with a subsequent tribunal of inquiry into the outcome. The play certainly has its echoes for today, loud and clear.
Dancing at Lughnasa, Living Quarters and Making History will also be performed by the National Theatre during the celebration of the life and work of Brian Friel,