Dublin's Abbey Theatre opened its doors to the public on December 27, 1904. Over the course of the past century, it has survived fire, riot, and perpetual artistic disagreement to become one of the greatest theaters in the world, presenting over 740 new plays by some of the greatest Irish writers of the modern age, including W. B. Yeats, J. M. Synge, Sean O'Casey, and Brian Friel. Christopher Fitz-Simon celebrates the Abbey Theatre's centenary by offering a witty chronological survey of the company's distinguished and colorful history. Beautifully illustrated with cartoons, sketches, and production photographs, The Abbey Theatre: The First 100 Years provides an overview of the great actors, directors, and playwrights of twentieth-century Irish theater, as well as detailing the company's long and illustrious relationship with American theaters and playwrights. It also contains a complete list of plays produced at the Abbey Theatre since 1904 and features a preface by its current artistic director, Ben Barnes. 200 illustrations, 20 in color.

This edition has been revised to sharpen, update, and reinterpret information, and the whole text has been reorganized to highlight European and American theatre, as well as the theatre of Asia. A new chapter has been added on the theatre of Africa, and chapter 17, Theatre and Drama after 1968, has been updated.