Abstract

Irish scenography is in urgent need of increased historicisation and critical consideration. Joe
Vaněk, a set and costume designer originally from Stratford-on-Avon who has spent more
than 30 years working professionally in Irish theatre, has made a significant contribution to
addressing that need. He designed the exhibition Scene Change – 100 Years of Theatre
Design at the Abbey for the Irish Museum of Modern Art in 2004 (to commemorate the centenary
of Ireland’s national theatre). His work was featured as part of Ireland’s first ever entry to the
Prague Quadrennial in 2011. These were followed by the publication of his book: a large, exquisitely
illustrated hardback volume that, through visual documentation and textual accounts of
his stage designs, offers an alternative entry into Irish theatre history between 1984 and 2012.
Following a foreword by the late playwright Brian Friel, alongside Vaněk’s very personal and
evocative introduction, the book is comprised of five thematic sections.