Marina Carr facts for kids

By the Bog of Cats at Wyndhams Theatre, London in 2005

Marina Carr is a famous Irish playwright. A playwright is someone who writes plays for the theatre. She is well-known for her play By the Bog of Cats, which came out in 1998.

Early Life and School

Marina Carr was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1964. She spent most of her childhood in Pallas Lake, County Offaly. This area is close to the town of Tullamore.

Marina's father, Hugh Carr, was also a playwright. Her mother, Maura Eibhlín Breathnach, was an Irish poet. When Marina was a child, she and her siblings, John and Deirdre, built their own theatre. They made it in their shed, which sounds like a lot of fun!

Marina went to University College Dublin for her studies. She learned about English and philosophy there. In 2011, her old university gave her a special honorary degree. This award recognized her amazing work in literature.

What She Does

Marina Carr has worked in many important roles. She was a writer-in-residence at the Abbey Theatre. This means she was a writer who worked closely with the theatre. She has also taught at several universities. These include Trinity College Dublin, Princeton University, and Villanova University. In 2016, she taught in the English department at Dublin City University. Marina Carr is also a member of Aosdána. This is a special group that honors Irish artists.

Awards and Recognition

Marina Carr has won many awards for her plays. Her play The Mai won the Best New Irish Play award. This was at the Dublin Theatre Festival in 1994–1995. Portia Coughlan won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 1996–1997.

Other awards she has received include:

• The Irish Times Playwright award in 1998.
• The E. M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
• The American Ireland Fund Award.
• The Macaulay Fellowship.
• The Hennessy Award.

In September 2017, Marina Carr received the Windham-Campbell Literature Award. This award is given by Yale University. She was the second Irish writer to win this prize.

Her Plays

Marina Carr has written many original plays. She has also adapted other stories for the stage.

Original Plays

• Ullaloo (1989)
• The Deer's Surrender (1990)
• This Love Thing (1991)
• Low in the Dark (1991)
• The Mai (1994)
• Portia Coughlan (1996)
• By the Bog of Cats (1998)
• Ariel (2000)
• On Raftery's Hill (2000)
• Meat and Salt (2003)
• Woman and Scarecrow (2004)
• The Cordelia Dream (2006)
• The Giant Blue Hand (2007)
• Marble (2007)
• 16 Possible Glimpses (2009)
• Hecuba (2015)
• iGirl (2021)
• Girl on an Altar (2022)
• The Map of Argentina
• Phaedra Backwards
• Audrey or Sorrow (2024)

Adaptations

• Blood Wedding
• Anna Karenina

By the Bog of Cats

The play By the Bog of Cats was first performed at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. It opened on October 7, 1998. The play ran for 45 shows until November 14, 1998. Patrick Mason directed the play, and Monica Frawley designed the sets.

The main actors included Olwen Fouéré as Hester Swane. Siobhán Cullen played Josie Kilbride. Conor McDermottroe played Carthage Kilbride. Other actors included Joan O’Hara, Fionnuala Murphy, and Tom Hickey.

Irish writer Frank McGuinness wrote about the play in 1998. He said that By the Bog of Cats is about sorrow. He also said it is funny and has love at its heart.

Woman and Scarecrow

Woman and Scarecrow is about a woman who is dying. She thinks about her life during her last days. The play does not tell us much about where it is set. We can guess it is in a home. The stage directions say she is lying in bed, looking "gaunt and ill."

There is a wardrobe on stage that seems important. It might represent death coming closer. For much of the play, the only other character is Scarecrow. It is not clear what Scarecrow means. Maybe Scarecrow is part of the woman's thoughts.

All the characters in the play are called by titles like Woman, Him, Scarecrow, or Auntie Ah. This makes them seem like they could be anyone. The Woman is mostly known as a mother and wife. She has eight children, and one child died. As the play goes on, we learn her husband has not been faithful.

Sometimes, the Woman still depends on her husband. Other times, she shows her independence. She says she will not wear her wedding ring to her grave. She also says her husband was "not worthy of my love." She dies when her husband is not in the room. This shows her independence. The play lasts about 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Woman and Scarecrow was first shown in London in 2006. It was at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre. Ramin Gray directed it. Fiona Shaw played the Woman, and Bríd Brennan played Scarecrow. Later, it was performed in Dublin at the Peacock Theatre.

The play also opened in New York in May 2018. It was at the Irish Repertory Theatre. Ciarán O'Reilly directed it. The cast included Stephanie Roth Haberle as the Woman. Pamela Gray played Scarecrow.

The Mai

The Mai is about a woman in her late 30s. Her husband, Robert, left her and their children. He then comes back and wants to try their relationship again. The play has two acts. The first act is in the summer of 1979, when Robert returns. The second act is a year later. It shows how their relationships are doing.

The main character, The Mai, tries to keep her marriage going. Robert often cheats on her. Her family wants her to leave him. In the end, she tells her daughter Millie that she cannot be happy without Robert. But she also cannot live peacefully with him. Millie is the narrator of the play.

The Mai was first performed at the Abbey Theatre on October 5, 1994. Brian Brady directed it. The main actors included Olwen Fouéré as The Mai. Derbhle Crotty played Millie. Owen Roe played Robert.

The play explores themes found in Marina Carr's other works. These characters often deal with their roles as mothers and wives. Many of them put their husbands before their children. If they do not, they might regret it later. The play also talks about how marriage connects to money and society. The Mai built a strong home for her children when Robert was gone. This success was important to her.

Marble

Marble first opened in Dublin in 2009. It was performed at The Abbey Theatre. The play has four characters: a married couple named Ben and Catherine, and another couple named Anne and Art. The play lasts about 1 hour and 40 minutes.

The play was translated into Spanish as Mármol. It opened in Madrid in November 2016. It was performed at the Teatro Valle-Inclán. Antonio C. Guijosa directed the Spanish version. The cast included José Luis Alcobendas as Ben. Elena González played Catherine. Pepe Viyuela played Art.