Thomas MacAnna (c. 1926 - 17 May 2011) was a Tony Award

24th Tony Awards

The 24th Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by NBC television on April 19, 1970 from the Mark Hellinger Theatre in New York City. Hosts were Julie Andrews, Shirley MacLaine and Walter Matthau....

 winning theatre director and playwright.

Born in Dundalk

Dundalk

Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...

, he was educated at the College of Art in Dublin, worked as a customs officer 1945-47, and then at the Abbey Theatre

Abbey Theatre

The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...

 as a producer of Gaelic plays, subsequently becoming Artistic Adviser to the Board in 1966, then Artistic Director 1972-79 and 1984-85. His work as an innovative stage director was crucial in modernizing the Abbey style after its re-opening in 1966.

He co-wrote the Irish pantomimes for years. Amongst his original plays are Winter Wedding (1956), Dear Edward (1973), Scéal Scéalaí (1977), and Glittering Spears (1983), a drama-documentary on O'Casey's The Silver Tassie

The Silver Tassie (play)

The Silver Tassie is a four-act Expressionist play about the First World War, written between 1927 and 1928 by the Irish playwright Seán O'Casey. It was O'Casey's fourth play and attacks imperialist wars and the suffering that they cause. O'Casey described the play as "A generous handful of stones,...

.