Both controversial and respected in his homeland, Irish playwright Tom Mac Intyre has been chosen as this term's Montgomery Fellow by the Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Fellowship program.
His stay at the College from Feb. 18th to Feb. 25th coincides with the Dartmouth Drama's performance of one of Mac Intyre's most recent plays, "Sheep's Milk on the Boil."
Tom Mac Intyre was born in County Cavan in 1931 and earned an undergraduate degree in English at University College Dublin. Alongside his work in the theatre world, he has published volumes of short stories, poetry and adapted librettos for various operas.
Over the last 28 years, Mac Intyre has had at least 25 productions of his plays in theatres all over Ireland, including the National Theatre of Ireland in Dublin, as well as international productions in London, Paris, Russia and the United States.
Writing in both English and Irish, the bilingual Mac Intyre has worked hard to preserve and promote the Irish language in contemporary literature. He has not only translated Irish works into English, but he has also translated several English writings into Irish for presentation in Irish-speaking parts of Ireland. This ability and drive to work in both languages makes him relatively rare among Irish playwrights today, and an important motivator in the maintenance of Irish culture.
In his writing, Mac Intyre puts the world of Irish tradition and mythology at the forefront. These traditional roots are his starting place, but from there on, he expands into uncharted territories, exploring new possibilities and formats for not only Irish theatre, but for theatre in general.
Besides living and working in many parts of Ireland, Mac Intyre also taught in the United States for a period of time. He taught at Oberlin College in Ohio, the University of Michigan and in New York City. He now permanently lives and writes in County Cavan, Ireland. He has published two new plays in 2000 alone and his newest work, "The Gallant John Joel," is now on national tour in Ireland.
With "Sheep's Milk on the Boil," Mac Intyre has taken the typical Irish kitchen drama and deconstructed it into a much more basic, yet infinitely complex form.
Paul Gaffney, Professor of Drama and the director of the department's production of "Sheep's Milk on the Boil", has worked intensely on bringing Mac Intyre's work to the forefront in our community. He not only worked with Mac Intyre last year in Ireland but was instrumental in bringing Mac Intyre to Dartmouth as a Montgomery Fellow.
