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Marina Carr

マリナ・カー

Marina Carr

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1964-01-01 （Dublin, Ireland）
Nationality
Ireland
Languages
English
Residence History
Pallas Lake, County Offaly, Ireland (childhood) → Near Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland → Dublin, Ireland

Career

Occupations
Playwright, Dramatist, Adapter/Translator
Active Years
1989-2025
Affiliations
Abbey Theatre (writer-in-residence), Trinity College Dublin (lectures), Princeton University (lectures/residence), Villanova University (lectures), Dublin City University (English department, lectured in 2016), Aosdána (member)
Memberships
Aosdána (Irish affiliation of artists)

Education

University College Dublin
English and Philosophy
Degree: 学士
Period: 〜1987
Year of Graduation: 1987
Country: Ireland
Studied English and philosophy
University College Dublin (honorary)
Degree: 名誉文学博士
Period: 2011
Year of Graduation: 2011
Country: Ireland
Received an honorary Doctorate of Literature

Awards

Hennessy Award
1994
Organization: The Hennessy New Irish Writing
Result: 受賞
Dublin Theatre Festival Best New Irish Play
1994
Work: The Mai
Organization: Dublin Theatre Festival
Result: 受賞
Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
1997
Work: Portia Coughlan
Organization: Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
Result: 受賞
The Irish Times Playwright Award
1998
Organization: The Irish Times
Result: 受賞
E. M. Forster Award
2001
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Letters / The American Ireland Fund
Result: 受賞
Macaulay Fellowship
Organization: Macaulay Fellowship
Result: 受賞
Puterbaugh Fellowship
2012
Organization: Puterbaugh Festival of International Literature & Culture
Result: 受賞
Windham–Campbell Literature Award
2017
Organization: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (Yale University)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Mai

1994 Play

A two-act play about a woman (The Mai) whose husband returns after abandoning the family, exploring motherhood, marriage and social expectations against an Irish folkloric backdrop.

MotherhoodFamilyMarriageIrish folkloreWomen's roles

Portia Coughlan

1996 Play

A powerful play depicting self-destruction and personal collapse, notable for its intense female protagonist and dramatic language.

Self-destructionFemale sufferingFamily

By the Bog of Cats

1998 Play

A play entwining sorrow, hatred, love and revenge; structurally influenced by Greek tragedy, balancing tragedy with dark humour.

SorrowRevengeLoveFate
Adaptations
  • [Stage production] By the Bog of Cats (Abbey Theatre production) / Patrick Mason (1998)
  • [Stage production] By the Bog of Cats (Wyndham's Theatre) (2005)

Woman and Scarecrow

2004 Play

Centers on a dying woman's final reflections on her life; characters are referred to by roles (Woman, Scarecrow), giving a universal quality to the drama.

DeathMemoryMotherhoodSelf-worth
Adaptations
  • [Stage production] Woman and Scarecrow (Royal Court) / Ramin Gray (2006)

Marble

2007 Play

A shorter play about two couples (Ben/Catherine and Anne/Art), exploring domestic tensions and silence.

Couple relationshipsSilenceDomestic rupture
Adaptations
  • [Translated stage production] Mármol (Spanish-language production) / Antonio C. Guijosa (2016)
Translations
  • Mármol (Spanish translation)

iGirl

2021 Play

A more recent play addressing elements of youth and contemporary identity.

ModernityIdentity

Girl on an Altar

2022 Play

A recent play published/performed in 2022; detailed synopsis available in publication materials.

SacrificeComing-of-age

Audrey or Sorrow

2024 Play

A 2024 play with stage productions documented by the Abbey Theatre.

GriefFamily

The Boy / The God and His Daughter

2025 Play (double bill)

A 2025 double-bill production combining classical themes with contemporary perspectives.

Intersection of classical and contemporaryMythic themes

Bibliography

  • The Mai. London: Dufour Editions, 1995.
  • By the Bog of Cats. Abbey / Wyndham's Theatre, 1998.
  • Plays One. London: Faber and Faber, 1999.
  • On Raftery's Hill. London: Faber and Faber, 2000.
  • Ariel. Oldcastle, Co. Meath: Gallery Books, 2002.
  • Woman and Scarecrow. London: Faber and Faber, 2006.
  • Marble. Oldcastle, Co. Meath: Gallery Books, 2009.
  • Plays Two. London: Faber and Faber, 2009.
  • 16 Possible Glimpses. The Abbey Theatre, 2011.
  • Plays Three. London: Faber and Faber, 2015.
  • Girl on an Altar. London: Faber and Faber, 2022.

Adaptations

  • Blood Wedding (stage adaptation)
  • Anna Karenina (stage adaptation)

Translations by Author

  • Anna Karenina (adapted for the stage by Marina Carr)

Translations of Works

  • Marble → Spanish translation 'Mármol'

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Structurally influenced by Greek tragedySymbolist, poetic dialogueDarkly humorous tone
Recurring Motifs
Motherhood and maternal figuresDeath and partingFamily breakdownRural landscape and folklore

Legacy

Marina Carr is one of contemporary Ireland's leading playwrights, internationally recognized for powerful dramas that probe family, motherhood and grief. She has received multiple awards and seen productions abroad.

Academic Societies

  • Aosdána

Quotes

  • "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."
    Source: Frank McGuinness, 'By the Bog of Cats...' Programme Note, 1998. (1998)

Trivia

  • As a child she and her siblings built a theatre in their shed.
  • She has four children.
  • Raised in a literary household: father a playwright, mother a poet.
  • Received an honorary Doctorate of Literature from University College Dublin in 2011.