This active theater, which frequently puts on elaborate productions of the plays that catapulted writers such as O'Casey and Behan to prominence, had its creative heyday under the direction of W.B. Yeats after it was founded in 1903 by Yeats and Lady Augusta Gregory. Its first productions began in 1904; the controversial works presented here incited riots in some theatergoers. The historic building has a remarkably plain exterior, but the ornate foyer and stairwell includes portraits of former actors and playwrights, as well as historic information.