Theatres and the arts in Ireland
The Irish tend to agree with the late theatre critic Kenneth Tynan, who once noted Ireland's sacred duty to send over, every few years, a playwright to save the English theatre from inarticulate glumness. The contribution of this nation´s writers is outstanding and all out of proportion to the island's small population.
The names Sheridan, Goldsmith, Wilde, Shaw, Synge, 0' Casey, Behan, and Beckett, to ame but a few inevitably crop up whenever great drama is under discussion and with them, the names of such late great actors and actresses as Barry Fitzgerald and Siobhan McKenna as well as those of their successors.
With all this going on, settling on an evening's entertainment (or an afternoon's, for that matter) can pose some problems. When it comes to theater, one man s meat is another's poison, so before settling on a play, ask a friend or check the dally papers In Dublin, Cork, and Belfast; Galway's Connacht Tribune; the fortnightly events guide In Dublin; and the monthly In Belfast.
Some theatres reliably turn out productions and concerts that are more InterestIng or wonderful than others, and some are worth a visit in their own right because they are either particularly beautiful or unusually historic.
A few are quite small, so that even the most remote corner affords a fine view of the activities on stage and the prices are usually relatively low . A few of the best theaters are listed here, by county.
ABBEY THEATRE, Dublin, Irish Republic: The fine collection of portraits; including likenesses ofW. B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, John Millington Synge, and Sean O'Casey, that graces the foyer of the Abbey Theatre the country's national theatre is a vivid reminder of those heady days when the premieres of O'Casey's Plough and the Stars and Synge's The Playboy of the Western World were greeted by riot and disorder.
Though audiences are less boisterous now and the company is less lIkely to be arrested (as it was in Philadelphia in 1912, for performing immoral and indecent plays), the Abbey still presents the best of contemporary Irish play writing, includIng productions of works by Brian Friel, Hugh Leonard, and Thomas Murphy, among others, as well as revivals of the classics that made the old Abbey Players famous. Work of a more experimental nature is presented downstairs, in the Peacock; the opportunity to visit this wonderfully intimate auditorium should not be missed.
After the show, slip across the road for a drink in The Plough, full of posters of past Abbey successes, or in The Flowing Tide, with attractive stained glass panels set into the walls and mingle with the actors who have just taken their bows.
ANDREWS LANE THEATRE, Dublin, Irish Republic: Tucked in an alley off Dame Street and not far from Trinity College, this is one of Dublin's newer theatres, making its mark with performances of such contemporary plays as Agnes of God. In addition to the main theater, there is a small studio which serves as a stage for avant-garde productions, including occasional lunchtime shows and performances by all-female acting troupes.
FOCUS THEATRE, Dublin, Irish Republic: Dublin's smallest theatre is also one of its most exciting. In 1963, when Deirdre O'Connell returned to Ireland after studying in New York at Lee Strasberg's Actors' Studio, she began to train some Dublin actors in Stanislavskian technique and, by 1967, had formed the nucleus of a company and moved into a converted garage in a lane off Pembroke Street. An evening in this tiny, 72-seat auditorium is never disappointing, whether the play be a classic by Chekhov or the latest offering of a young Irish writer.
Besides the resident Focus Company, there is a Studio Company of young actors in training who occasionally present their own improvised and very original adaptations of Irish legends and literature. It is no exaggeration to say that, along with some of the finest actors in Dublin (including O'Connell herself), Focus theatergoers glimpse the stars of tomorrow.
GAIETY THEATRE, Dublin, Irish Republic: The Gaiety is where many a Dublin child, brought for a special occasion to a pantomime perhaps or a Gilbert and Sullivan musical, gets a first taste of the magic of theatre.
It was founded in 1871 by Michael Gunn and his brother John (a bust of whom can be seen on the staircase that leads to the circle), and although the original gallery, or gods, was removed when the theatre was renovated in 1955, the theatre remains a very fine example of the typical late-Victorian playhouse: It is marvellously opulent, with red carpets, dark pillars, golden draperies, and ornate pink cream plasterwork, and the orchestra pit's brass surround enhances the total effect.
In a private box, patrons feel like no less than visiting royalty. The letters patent issued at the theatre´s founding allows for the production of any interlude, tragedy, comedy, prelude, opera, burletta, play, farce or pantomime, and today's repertoire remains just that broad. As a result, the list of the famous who have played at the Gaiety is formidable, including Lily Langtry, the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Burgess Meredith, Siobhan McKenna, Paulette Goddard, the Bolshoi Ballet, Peter O'Toole and Dublin's own Jimmy O'Dea, who for nearly 30 years appeared in pantomime and musical and, in the character of Biddy Mulligan, captured the true spirit of the city.
GATE THEATRE, Dublin, County Dublin, Irish Republic: The name of the Gate Theatre is synonymous with those of the late Michael MacLiammoir and Hilton Edwards, who organized the company in 1928 to present plays of unusual interest, regardless of nationality or period, at a time when the Abbey devoted itself entirely to Irish work.
The founders' tradition continues under the direction of Michael Colgan, and theatre-goers here are as likely to find a play by Tennessee Williams as one by Brian Friel or a young unknown. The visual emphasis is strong, and the theater has received awards for its stage designs. The auditorium is quite small and, as might be expected from the Gate's reputation for stage design, beautifully decorated, so that it feels less like a modern playhouse than an 18thcentury aristocrat's court theatre.
The young Orson Welles was once employed by the Gate, after exaggerating his previous experience, but proved his talents there as, subsequently, elsewhere. James Mason and Geraldine Fitzgerald also began their careers here.
OLYMPIA THEATRE, Dublin, Irish Republic: This stage occupies a very special place in the hearts of Dubliners, perhaps because of its connection with music hall, always the most popular form of theatre here. Patrons on the 1879 opening night at Dan Lowrey's Star of Erin (as the playhouse was then called) enjoyed such wonders as Mademoiselle Miaco, the Boneless Wonder, and Signor Zula, who swung from a high trapeze by his feet, with weights suspended from his teeth.
Part of the theatre's charm may be gauged from the fact that one of its bars is named not for some famous performer or patron, but for Kathleen Kelly, who served wit and kindness as well as drink from behind its counter for many decades. The only theatre in Dublin that still retains its gallery, or gods, from whose dizzying heights one can see the tops of the performers' heads far below, it is also notable for the Waterford cut-glass chandeliers and the two huge mirrors on either side of the circle in which the spectators can monitor their own reactions while watching the performance.
And, though television has meant the end of theatrical variety, the Olympia still presents concerts and pantomimes as well as plays, both Irish and foreign, and hosts visiting performers such as mime king Marcel Marceau. After each show, the bars remain open for half an hour and the actors congregate in Kelly's bar, attached to the theater, to drink to the memory of days gone by.
THE POINT, Dublin, Irish Republic: Also known as the Point Depot because it was formerly a depot building, this theatre-cum-concert hall presents everything from U2 concerts to Broadway hits, such as Cats. Ticket prices are heftier here than at any other performing arts venue in Dublin, and most events are booked well in advance.
ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY CONCERT HALL, Dublin, Irish Republic: While most people think of traditional Irish music when they think of Dublin, it's also true that high quality classical music can be found here. This is at least in part thanks to the Royal Dublin Society (RDS), which stages recitals from November to March in its 1,206-seat Members' Hall, also known as the RDS Concert Hall.
Although the acoustics are not all that one might desire for small chamber ensembles and soloists, the attractive booklined walls add a touch of intimacy that is not often encountered in concert halls nowadays, and many distinguished musicians have played here in recent years among them the Smetana String Quartet.
DRUID LANE THEATRE, Galway, County Galway, Irish Republic: Installed in a former grocery warehouse in the oldest part of the city, near the Spanish Arch, the quays, and the old city walls, the home of the Druid Theatre Company is perhaps the most attractive small theatre in Ireland, its intimacy enhanced by the way in which the seating surrounds the stage on three sides.
The company was founded in 1975 by Garry Hynes, still the artistic director, and in a short time has become renowned for its productions oflrish classics such as Boucicault's The Colleen Bawn and Molloy's Wood of Whispering, as well as contemporary Irish plays (in particular, those by Tom Murphy) and works from abroad.
There's good reason to believe that the lane on which the theatre is built is haunted by the ghost of a nun who walks slowly through the street at night.But don't let this get in the way of an evening with this exciting young group.
GRAND OPERA HOUSE, Belfast, Northern Ireland: When architect Robert McKinstry first went into the deserted building of Belfast's Grand Opera House and Cirque in the summer of 1975, he found the house manager's black jacket still hanging on the back of his office door. Crates of bottled beer stood unopened behind the bar where 4 years of dust topped the dour liquids in the half-empty glasses.
An upturned chair floated in the orchestra pit. The ashtrays on the backs of the seats in the circle were stuffed with the detritus of chocolate box wrappings and butts of now unfashionable local cigarette brands. In a drawer in the projection room lay a single copy of a pamphlet entitled How to Emigrate. But now the Opera House has come back to life. The brass rails that once reflected the footlights that illuminated Pavlova and the Divine Sarah (Bernhardt) glisten again, and the turn-of-thecentury theatre has been restored to its full plush and stucco glory.
Christmas pantomimes share the bill with drama companies from all over Britain and Ireland, international opera and ballet companies, and major popular entertainers among them the National Theatre. the Royal Flanders Ballet, the Centaur Theatre of Montreal, the Berlin Chamber Orchestra. Carlo Bergonzi, the Scottish Ballet, the Moscow Balalaika Orchestra. a harp ensemble from Japan, the Peking Opera.
Airport car hire Ireland
If you enjoy the theatre, and want to make the most of the wonderful theatres in Ireland, hire a car from Dublin Airport, Shannon Airport, Galway Airport, Knock Airport or Cork Airport and make the most of the wonderful venues in Ireland.
James Galway, the Chieftains, and modern dancers from New York. In July and early August, the house usually is dark.
The names Sheridan, Goldsmith, Wilde, Shaw, Synge, 0' Casey, Behan, and Beckett, to ame but a few inevitably crop up whenever great drama is under discussion and with them, the names of such late great actors and actresses as Barry Fitzgerald and Siobhan McKenna as well as those of their successors.
With all this going on, settling on an evening's entertainment (or an afternoon's, for that matter) can pose some problems. When it comes to theater, one man s meat is another's poison, so before settling on a play, ask a friend or check the dally papers In Dublin, Cork, and Belfast; Galway's Connacht Tribune; the fortnightly events guide In Dublin; and the monthly In Belfast.
Some theatres reliably turn out productions and concerts that are more InterestIng or wonderful than others, and some are worth a visit in their own right because they are either particularly beautiful or unusually historic.
A few are quite small, so that even the most remote corner affords a fine view of the activities on stage and the prices are usually relatively low . A few of the best theaters are listed here, by county.
ABBEY THEATRE, Dublin, Irish Republic: The fine collection of portraits; including likenesses ofW. B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, John Millington Synge, and Sean O'Casey, that graces the foyer of the Abbey Theatre the country's national theatre is a vivid reminder of those heady days when the premieres of O'Casey's Plough and the Stars and Synge's The Playboy of the Western World were greeted by riot and disorder.
Though audiences are less boisterous now and the company is less lIkely to be arrested (as it was in Philadelphia in 1912, for performing immoral and indecent plays), the Abbey still presents the best of contemporary Irish play writing, includIng productions of works by Brian Friel, Hugh Leonard, and Thomas Murphy, among others, as well as revivals of the classics that made the old Abbey Players famous. Work of a more experimental nature is presented downstairs, in the Peacock; the opportunity to visit this wonderfully intimate auditorium should not be missed.
After the show, slip across the road for a drink in The Plough, full of posters of past Abbey successes, or in The Flowing Tide, with attractive stained glass panels set into the walls and mingle with the actors who have just taken their bows.
ANDREWS LANE THEATRE, Dublin, Irish Republic: Tucked in an alley off Dame Street and not far from Trinity College, this is one of Dublin's newer theatres, making its mark with performances of such contemporary plays as Agnes of God. In addition to the main theater, there is a small studio which serves as a stage for avant-garde productions, including occasional lunchtime shows and performances by all-female acting troupes.
FOCUS THEATRE, Dublin, Irish Republic: Dublin's smallest theatre is also one of its most exciting. In 1963, when Deirdre O'Connell returned to Ireland after studying in New York at Lee Strasberg's Actors' Studio, she began to train some Dublin actors in Stanislavskian technique and, by 1967, had formed the nucleus of a company and moved into a converted garage in a lane off Pembroke Street. An evening in this tiny, 72-seat auditorium is never disappointing, whether the play be a classic by Chekhov or the latest offering of a young Irish writer.
Besides the resident Focus Company, there is a Studio Company of young actors in training who occasionally present their own improvised and very original adaptations of Irish legends and literature. It is no exaggeration to say that, along with some of the finest actors in Dublin (including O'Connell herself), Focus theatergoers glimpse the stars of tomorrow.
GAIETY THEATRE, Dublin, Irish Republic: The Gaiety is where many a Dublin child, brought for a special occasion to a pantomime perhaps or a Gilbert and Sullivan musical, gets a first taste of the magic of theatre.
It was founded in 1871 by Michael Gunn and his brother John (a bust of whom can be seen on the staircase that leads to the circle), and although the original gallery, or gods, was removed when the theatre was renovated in 1955, the theatre remains a very fine example of the typical late-Victorian playhouse: It is marvellously opulent, with red carpets, dark pillars, golden draperies, and ornate pink cream plasterwork, and the orchestra pit's brass surround enhances the total effect.
In a private box, patrons feel like no less than visiting royalty. The letters patent issued at the theatre´s founding allows for the production of any interlude, tragedy, comedy, prelude, opera, burletta, play, farce or pantomime, and today's repertoire remains just that broad. As a result, the list of the famous who have played at the Gaiety is formidable, including Lily Langtry, the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Burgess Meredith, Siobhan McKenna, Paulette Goddard, the Bolshoi Ballet, Peter O'Toole and Dublin's own Jimmy O'Dea, who for nearly 30 years appeared in pantomime and musical and, in the character of Biddy Mulligan, captured the true spirit of the city.
GATE THEATRE, Dublin, County Dublin, Irish Republic: The name of the Gate Theatre is synonymous with those of the late Michael MacLiammoir and Hilton Edwards, who organized the company in 1928 to present plays of unusual interest, regardless of nationality or period, at a time when the Abbey devoted itself entirely to Irish work.
The founders' tradition continues under the direction of Michael Colgan, and theatre-goers here are as likely to find a play by Tennessee Williams as one by Brian Friel or a young unknown. The visual emphasis is strong, and the theater has received awards for its stage designs. The auditorium is quite small and, as might be expected from the Gate's reputation for stage design, beautifully decorated, so that it feels less like a modern playhouse than an 18thcentury aristocrat's court theatre.
The young Orson Welles was once employed by the Gate, after exaggerating his previous experience, but proved his talents there as, subsequently, elsewhere. James Mason and Geraldine Fitzgerald also began their careers here.
OLYMPIA THEATRE, Dublin, Irish Republic: This stage occupies a very special place in the hearts of Dubliners, perhaps because of its connection with music hall, always the most popular form of theatre here. Patrons on the 1879 opening night at Dan Lowrey's Star of Erin (as the playhouse was then called) enjoyed such wonders as Mademoiselle Miaco, the Boneless Wonder, and Signor Zula, who swung from a high trapeze by his feet, with weights suspended from his teeth.
Part of the theatre's charm may be gauged from the fact that one of its bars is named not for some famous performer or patron, but for Kathleen Kelly, who served wit and kindness as well as drink from behind its counter for many decades. The only theatre in Dublin that still retains its gallery, or gods, from whose dizzying heights one can see the tops of the performers' heads far below, it is also notable for the Waterford cut-glass chandeliers and the two huge mirrors on either side of the circle in which the spectators can monitor their own reactions while watching the performance.
And, though television has meant the end of theatrical variety, the Olympia still presents concerts and pantomimes as well as plays, both Irish and foreign, and hosts visiting performers such as mime king Marcel Marceau. After each show, the bars remain open for half an hour and the actors congregate in Kelly's bar, attached to the theater, to drink to the memory of days gone by.
THE POINT, Dublin, Irish Republic: Also known as the Point Depot because it was formerly a depot building, this theatre-cum-concert hall presents everything from U2 concerts to Broadway hits, such as Cats. Ticket prices are heftier here than at any other performing arts venue in Dublin, and most events are booked well in advance.
ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY CONCERT HALL, Dublin, Irish Republic: While most people think of traditional Irish music when they think of Dublin, it's also true that high quality classical music can be found here. This is at least in part thanks to the Royal Dublin Society (RDS), which stages recitals from November to March in its 1,206-seat Members' Hall, also known as the RDS Concert Hall.
Although the acoustics are not all that one might desire for small chamber ensembles and soloists, the attractive booklined walls add a touch of intimacy that is not often encountered in concert halls nowadays, and many distinguished musicians have played here in recent years among them the Smetana String Quartet.
DRUID LANE THEATRE, Galway, County Galway, Irish Republic: Installed in a former grocery warehouse in the oldest part of the city, near the Spanish Arch, the quays, and the old city walls, the home of the Druid Theatre Company is perhaps the most attractive small theatre in Ireland, its intimacy enhanced by the way in which the seating surrounds the stage on three sides.
The company was founded in 1975 by Garry Hynes, still the artistic director, and in a short time has become renowned for its productions oflrish classics such as Boucicault's The Colleen Bawn and Molloy's Wood of Whispering, as well as contemporary Irish plays (in particular, those by Tom Murphy) and works from abroad.
There's good reason to believe that the lane on which the theatre is built is haunted by the ghost of a nun who walks slowly through the street at night.But don't let this get in the way of an evening with this exciting young group.
GRAND OPERA HOUSE, Belfast, Northern Ireland: When architect Robert McKinstry first went into the deserted building of Belfast's Grand Opera House and Cirque in the summer of 1975, he found the house manager's black jacket still hanging on the back of his office door. Crates of bottled beer stood unopened behind the bar where 4 years of dust topped the dour liquids in the half-empty glasses.
An upturned chair floated in the orchestra pit. The ashtrays on the backs of the seats in the circle were stuffed with the detritus of chocolate box wrappings and butts of now unfashionable local cigarette brands. In a drawer in the projection room lay a single copy of a pamphlet entitled How to Emigrate. But now the Opera House has come back to life. The brass rails that once reflected the footlights that illuminated Pavlova and the Divine Sarah (Bernhardt) glisten again, and the turn-of-thecentury theatre has been restored to its full plush and stucco glory.
Christmas pantomimes share the bill with drama companies from all over Britain and Ireland, international opera and ballet companies, and major popular entertainers among them the National Theatre. the Royal Flanders Ballet, the Centaur Theatre of Montreal, the Berlin Chamber Orchestra. Carlo Bergonzi, the Scottish Ballet, the Moscow Balalaika Orchestra. a harp ensemble from Japan, the Peking Opera.
Airport car hire Ireland
If you enjoy the theatre, and want to make the most of the wonderful theatres in Ireland, hire a car from Dublin Airport, Shannon Airport, Galway Airport, Knock Airport or Cork Airport and make the most of the wonderful venues in Ireland.
James Galway, the Chieftains, and modern dancers from New York. In July and early August, the house usually is dark.
Labels: Airport car hire Ireland
posted by The Car Hire Guy at
01:59
0 Comments
