Staging transition: theatre and transitional justice in post-conflict Northern Ireland

Abstract

Since 1998, the marked absence of an effective overarching mechanism to address the legacy of the past has posed significant challenges for victims, survivors, and families in Northern Ireland. Absent an agreed political and legal process to address the past, the arts have played an important role in addressing the legacy of the conflict. This thesis examines the intersection of the fields of transitional justice and theatre in post-conflict Northern Ireland, drawing upon the shared themes of truth, justice, memory and reconciliation. The thesis provides an interpretative thematic analysis of nine plays written or produced since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement which present issues paralleled within the field of transitional justice. In doing so, this thesis posits that theatre is uniquely positioned as an alternative space through which to debate, discuss, and interrogate the difficult questions surrounding how we deal with the past. Theatre facilitates the development of imaginative and creative solutions to these issues while acknowledging the impact of these absences on victims and survivors. In doing so, theatre offers the potential to “thicken” the field of transitional justice through its reflections of reality and capacity to imagine creative approaches to address the past.

Date of Award	Jul 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Sponsors	AHRC Northern Bridge Consortium
Supervisor	Kieran McEvoy (Supervisor), Paul Murphy (Supervisor) & Mark Phelan (Supervisor)