Eblana Theatre
| Address |
Busáras, Store Street Dublin 1 Ireland |
|---|---|
| Construction | |
| Opened | 17 September 1959 |
| Years active | 1959-1995 |
| Architect | Michael Scott |
The Eblana Theatre was situated in the basement of Busáras, Dublin's central bus station, operated by Bus Éireann. A tiny theatre, famously without wings, it was open from 17 September 1959 until 1995. It was run by Phyllis Ryan and home to her company Gemini Productions. Ryan was in the 1960s and 1970s the major producer of new plays in Ireland outside of the Abbey Theatre. Phyllis Ryan and her Gemini Productions kept independent theatre alive in Dublin and premièred most of the work of playwright John B. Keane. The playwrights - Brian Friel, Joe O'Donnell, Tom Murphy etc., that Gemini nurtured were later adopted by the Abbey and other theatres but owe their first productions to the courage of Phyllis Ryan.
In the mid 1990s, the Eblana was run for a short time by Andrew's Lane Theatre. Following this it was leased by Northside Theatre Company. It closed in 1995, was gutted, and turned into a left luggage facility.