When Grandpa Trod the Boards: From The Colleen Bawn to the Irish Cultural Garden
Title page from The Colleen Bawn script. In 1933, when Joseph John Gilbride was 23 years old, he took to the stage. Grandpa had a bit part as a soldier in a production of the 19th century Irish play, The Colleen Bawn , by Dion Boucicault. The play was produced in Cleveland's Little Theater in Public Hall. 1 My grandpa's name and address in The Colleen Bawn cast list. 2 Now, it's not a huge stretch to imagine Grandpa doing a bit of theater. He was an outgoing fella, prone to jokes, puns, and visual nonsense that made his grandkids laugh. Cut-up Grandpa checks out his new headphones, getting a smile from Grandma! 3 But beyond the novelty of thinking about a young Grandpa playing a soldier, it was the context of this Theater of Nations endeavor and the groups that helped produce The Colleen Bawn that grabbed my attention. Beginnings It began with this announcement on 13 December 1929 in The Plain Dealer: Races of City to Give Plays with P...
