Wife to James Whelan

About the show

1937, a small Irish town. Up a sunlit hill, Nan Bowers and her friends are waiting to hear which local lad has won a life-changing job in Dublin. James Whelan shows up triumphant and ready to celebrate with his sweetheart, Nan, only to be blindsided by news of her own departure. Seven years later, they’re both back home. Will they get a second chance at first love?

Teresa Deevy was at the height of her fame when the Abbey Theatre rejected Wife to James Whelan amid the growing conservative backlash of the 1930s. In 2026, Mint Theater’s Jonathan Bank reintroduces Ireland’s forgotten genius with this timeless play that pits love against pride.