The central dramatic device of Philadelphia, with two actors playing the protagonist on stage – of whom only Public is seen and heard by the other characters in the play – gives Friel a special freedom to reflect on the dilemmas of migration. Find out more about the play, with specially commissioned illustrations by Fuchsia MacAree.

The Plays: 'Philadelphia, Here I Come!' (1964)

The fragmented feeling of the play, akin to a breaking news bulletin, would have been only too familiar for audiences at the time. The events of the day begin to become clearer as Friel contextualises them from numerous angles, to reveal how such a perilous situation could have emerged from the simple, instinctive decision to run through a side door for cover. Find out more about the play, with specially commissioned illustrations by Lydia Hughes.

The Plays: 'The Freedom of the City' (1973)