The collection draws on a wide range of perspectives and voices including critics, playwrights, directors and performers. The result is a series of fascinating and provocative debates about the myriad functions of comedy in contemporary Irish theatre. – Anna McMullan As Stan Laurel said, it takes only an onion to cry. Peel it and weep. Comedy is harder'. 'These essays listen to the power of laughter. They hear the tough heart of Irish theatre – hard and wicked and funny.' Frank McGuinness Eric Weitz is a Lecturer in Theatre Studies, Principal Acting Teacher, at the Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College Dublin. He holds a Ph.D. in theatre studies from Trinity College Dublin, with research specialties in humour, comedy, and theatre performance. Originally an actor in New York and U.S. regional theatre, he has since taught and directed in the theatre, having founded his own Dublin theatre company, Tricksters.
