Dublin , Abbey Theatre , 1951 . Mr . Ernest Blyth, managing director of the famed Abbey Theatre company , tells the audience of the Abbey ' s future plans , after the company 's first night at their new home , the Rupert Guinness Memorial Hall . Behind him stand the cast of Sean O ' Casey ' s " The Plough and the Stars " - the first night play . Included in the group are Ita O ' Mahony as Rosie Redmond , Marie Kane as Bessie Burgess and Harry Brogan as Uncle Peter . After the destruction of the Abbey Theatre by fire last month , the company continued their run of The Plough and the Stars in the tiny Peacock Theatre , adjoining the shell of the Abbey .