Forgotten places: The Eblana Theatre

College Tribune: The general student population will have never heard of the Eblana Theatre, most likely due to its closure in 1995, writes Holly Lloyd

Located in the basement of Busáras, unused and derelict for over 20 years, the Eblana Theatre is set to return to life with Gavin Murphy’s ‘Double Movement’. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times
Located in the basement of Busáras, unused and derelict for over 20 years, the Eblana Theatre is set to return to life with Gavin Murphy’s ‘Double Movement’. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times

Yet, it is a theatre which has been subtly present in Dublin life, and in many commuters’ lives ever since then.

Located in the basement of Busáras, unused and derelict for over 20 years, the Eblana Theatre is set to return to life with Gavin Murphy’s ‘Double Movement’. Murphy’s exhibition will investigate and celebrate a theatre with a rich history, one that had a prominent role in the world of theatre in the 20th century.

The Eblana Theatre opened on the 17th of September 1959 for the very first Dublin Theatre Festival. The theatre was included in the Busáras building due to the original idea that it would be a multipurpose building. In fact, the theatre is small, with no wings, as it was intentionally built to be a cinema, but ended up as left luggage facility.

The person most credited with the success of this theatre is Phyllis Ryan. Phyllis, born in 1920, joined the Abbey Theatre Company at 14 years of age. After a successful career with the company, Phyllis decided to run an independent company.

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