Марина Карр: Ирландский драматург и автор пьесы «У болота кошек»

Irish playwright (born 1964)

Marina Carr is an Irish playwright, known for By the Bog of Cats (1998).

Carr was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1964, but spent most of her childhood in Pallas Lake, County Offaly, adjacent to the town of Tullamore. Carr's father, Hugh Carr, was a playwright and her mother, Maura Eibhlín Breathnach, was an Irish poet. As a child, Carr and her siblings, John and Deirdre, built a theatre in their shed. Carr attended University College Dublin, studying English and philosophy. In 2011, she received an honorary Doctorate of Literature from her alma mater.

Carr has held posts as writer in residence at the Abbey Theatre and has lectured at Trinity College Dublin, Princeton University, and Villanova University. She lectured in the English department at Dublin City University in 2016. Carr is a member of Aosdána.

The original production of By the Bog of Cats took place at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The play opened on 7 October 1998 and ran until 14 November 1998. The production, totalling 45 performances, was directed by Patrick Mason and designed by Monica Frawley. Other members of the production team included lighting designer Nick Chelton, with sound by Dave Nolan. The lead roles were played by Siobhán Cullen (Josie Kilbride), Olwen Fouéré (Hester Swane), and Conor McDermottroe (Carthage Kilbride). Other characters were played by Joan O’Hara (Catwoman), Fionnuala Murphy (Carline Cassidy), and Tom Hickey (Xavier Cassidy). Irish writer Frank McGuinness wrote the programme note for the Abbey production of By the Bog of Cats in 1998. His description of the play analyses Carr's style of writing, which he likens to Greek writing: By the Bog of Cats is a play about sorrow. Therefore it must be funny. A play about death, so a wedding shall be at the centre of it. A play about saying the things that need to be said, so there will be silence at the end of it. A play about hatred, so love is at its heart. A play whose philosophy is that Carthage must be destroyed, but what happens to the destroyers? This is what By the Bog of Cats tells us.

Woman and Scarecrow centres on a dying woman's last stretch of time on earth, reflecting on her life. We are told very little of the setting, but presume she resides in a domestic space, as the stage directions in the first act indicate she is lying in bed 'gaunt and ill'. Apart from the bed, the only furniture indicated is a wardrobe, which has an ominous presence in the play. The mysterious thing that lurks inside the wardrobe signifies death and its imminent approach. For a good part of the play, the only other character present is Scarecrow. It is unclear what Scarecrow represents, perhaps the woman's subconscious. It is significant to note that all of the characters in the play "are referred to by either pronouns or titles Woman, Him, Scarecrow, Auntie Ah, placing a universal slant on who they are and what they represent." The woman is largely defined in her role as mother and wife throughout the play. She is the mother of eight children, with a ninth having died. As the play progresses, we learn that her husband has been unfaithful. Despite being aware of this, a Woman at times is still dependent on Him, 'I've missed you in bed beside me. On other occasions she redeems herself, asserting her independence by insisting she will not wear her wedding ring to the grave and places value on herself, 'save you were not worthy of my love'. Her independence is consolidated by the fact that she dies when he is absent from the room. The play runs for approximately 2 hours 20 minutes. Woman and Scarecrow was staged for the first time at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre in London in 2006, directed by Ramin Gray and starring Fiona Shaw and Bríd Brennan as Woman and Scarecrow, respectively. Lizzie Clachan designed the set for this production, alongside lighting designer, Mischa Twitchin, and sound designer, Emma Laxton. Later, it was produced in the Peacock Theatre, where it was directed by Selina Cartmell and starred Olwen Fouéré (Woman) and Barbara Brennan (Scarecrow). The play runs for approximately 1 hour 40 minutes. Translated into Spanish as Mármol the play opened in Madrid in November 2016 at the Teatro Valle Inclán, home to the National Drama Centre. It was directed by Antonio C. Guijosa and translated into Spanish by Antonio C. Guijosa and Marta I. Moreno. The cast included José Luis Alcobendas (Ben), Elena González (Catherine), Susana Hernández (Anne) and Pepe Viyuela (Art).

The Mai. London: Dufour Editions, 1995. By the Bog of Cats. The Abbey, Dublin, and Wyndham's Theater, London. 1998
Plays One. London: Faber and Faber, 1999.