Plays

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Spreading the News

A Comedy in One Act

OVERVIEW

  • Playwright

    Lady Gregory 

  • Setting

    The Outskirts of a Fair

  • Synopsis

    In a small village in rural Ireland, a new (English) magistrate inspects stalls at the local fair, expecting the worst. Because of Mrs. Tarpey's hearing impairment and the villagers' love of gossip, a misunderstanding arises and starts to take root, leading to a false arrest for a murder that never happened...

  • Play Type

    Plays General

    Number Of Acts

    One Act

    • Cast size

  • Male

    7

  • Female

    3

  • Total

    10

Original Production

Original Cast  
A Removable Magistrate Frank Fay
Shawn Early J.H. Dunne
Jack Smith P. MacShiubhlaigh
Mrs Tarpey Maire Ní Gharbhaigh
Tim Casey G. Roberts
Mrs Tully Emma Vernon
Bartley Fallon W.G. Fay
Mrs Fallon Sara Allgood
James Ryan Arthur Sinclair
A Police Sergeant R Nash

Published Scripts

  • Title

    Selected Plays of Lady Gregory

  • Year

    1993

  • Published By

    Colin Smythe Ltd.

  • Address

    P.O. Box 6
    Gerrards Cross
    Buckinghamshire SL9 8XA
    England

  • Phone

    + 44 1753 886000

  • Email

    sales@colinsmythe.co.uk

  • Website

    www.colinsmythe.co.uk

  • ISBN

    0-86140-100-X

  • Purchase From Amazon...

  • Title

    Dubhairt Sé Dabhairt Sé

  • Published By

    An Gúm

  • Address

    Foras na Gaeilge, 7 Cearnóg Mhuirfean
    Baile Átha Cliath 2
    Baile Átha Cliath
    Republic of Ireland

  • Phone

    1850 325 325 / 0845 309 8142 (TÉ)

  • Email

    eolas@forasnagaeilge.ie

  • Title

    Five great modern Irish plays : 'The playboy of the Western world', by John M. Synge; 'Juno and the Paycock', by Sean O'Casey; 'Riders to the sea', by John M. Synge; 'Spreading the news', by Lady Gregory; 'Shadow and Substance', by Paul Vincent Carroll /

  • Year

    1941

  • Published By

    Random House

  • Address

    New York
    USA

  • Purchase From Amazon...

  • Title

    Det glade budskab; by Lady Gregory ; [omslag: Marianne Bisballe]

  • Year

    2002

  • Published By

    Publisher not found

  • Address

    England

  • ISBN

    8778652960 9788778652966 8778652979 9788778652973

Rights Information

  • Copyright Expired

Source Of Information

The information for this entry was taken from Ireland's Abbey Theatre: A History 1899-1951 by Lennox Robinson, with additional information from press cuttings of the time.