Druid Theatre Company
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The Druid Theatre Company, was founded in Galway in 1975 by graduates of the NUIG, Garry Hynes, Marie Mullen and Mick Lally- the first Irish professional theatre company to be established outside Dublin. It has led the way in the development of Irish theatre in the ensuing years and is generally credited (along with Macnas, and the Galway Arts Festival) with making Galway one of the premier cultural centres in Ireland. Druid has toured extensively in Ireland and recent international touring includes visits to London, Edinburgh, Sydney, Perth, Washington, D.C., New York and Tokyo; winning a formidable international reputation for both classic work and new work, and making the company one of the most well-known in the English speaking theatre world.
From their home in Galway, and with the help of their small and dedicated team, Druid work with the best writers, actors, directors, designers and crew in the business and try to create a dynamic and supportive environment where they can do their best work. The company has had two artistic directors: Garry Hynes (1975–91 and 1995 to date) and Maeliosa Stafford (1991–94).
Druid’s goal is to create electrifying theatre experiences for every person, in every place and every time they perform. Druid achieves this with the support of their audience, patrons, friends, funders (the Arts Council, Culture Ireland, Galway City Council and Galway County Council, NASC and other agencies), as well as their hosting and co-producing partners.
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[edit] 2008
2008 sees Druid presenting 232 performances in 23 venues across 3 countries. In addition to all of this, Druid is also undertaking a major refurbishment of their home in Chapel Lane, Galway which will mean a roof that no longer leaks and a warm venue in which to make and present work.
Druid’s sizable and wide reaching plans for 2008 further consolidate its status as a major force in theatre nationally and internationally.
The Druid production of The Walworth Farce (Edinburgh Fringe First 2007), which returned from a hugely successful run in New York earlier this year, has been invited to join the repertoire of the National Theatre of Great Britain, playing at the Cottesloe Theatre from September 18th.
In October, Druid will tour a double bill of their award-winning and critically-acclaimed productions of John Millington Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World and The Shadow of the Glen. This double bill will be presented in some of the most prestigious theatres in North America.
The tour of The Cripple of Inishmaan, by Martin McDonagh, is the company’s first co-production with Atlantic Theater Company in New York, will undertake an extensive tour of Ireland including a one-week run at the Olympia Theatre as part of the Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival. This production will also be presented at the Oxford Playhouse, which marks the beginning of a partnership with Oxford Playhouse which will see Druid playing UK venues outside London over the next three years. The Cripple of Inishmaan will also be presented at The Lowry in Salford.
[edit] Recent Successes
Recent successes include The New Electric Ballroom (Edinburgh Fringe First 2008); Long Day’s Journey into Night (2007); The Walworth Farce (Edinburgh Fringe First 2007); and three works by John B. Keane, Sive (2002), Sharon’s Grave (2003) and The Year of the Hiker (2006).
[edit] DruidSynge
DruidSynge, the company’s critically acclaimed production of all six plays of John Millington Synge on the same day, premiered at the 2005 Galway Arts Festival and has since toured to Dublin, Edinburgh, Inis Meáin, Minneapolis and New York. DruidSynge has been described by Charles Isherwood of The New York Times as ‘the highlight not just of my theatregoing year but of my theatregoing life’. [1]
[edit] New Writings Programme
Through it's new writing programme, Druid has premièred Leaves by Lucy Caldwell (2007), Empress of India by Stuart Carolan (2006) and The Walworth Farce by Enda Walsh (2006).
[edit] The Leenane Trilogy
In 1996 Druid premièred Martin McDonagh’s debut work The Beauty Queen of Leenane, in a co-production with the Royal Court Theatre. The Beauty Queen of Leenane opened in Galway and subsequently played in London, Sydney, Dublin, and on Broadway, where the production won four Tony Awards, including Best Director for Garry Hynes, the first woman to win the award. In The Leenane Trilogy (also with the Royal Court), The Beauty Queen of Leenane was joined by premières of McDonagh’s A Skull in Connemara and The Lonesome West.
[edit] Facts and Figures
Some facts and figures you might know about Druid… and some you might not.
- By the end of this year, Druid will have performed in 2008 to the equivalent of a packed Croke Park stadium – approximately 80,000 people.
- In 2008 The Walworth Farce will use 260 packets of pink wafers, 33 pints of stage blood, 1,950 wet wipes, 390 cans of Harp and 26 pints of Maureen’s special blue sauce for
the chicken!
- Upon its release in 2007, a copy of the DVD box set of DruidSynge, filmed by RTÉ and Wildfire, was presented to every school in Ireland by the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism.
- In the past fifteen years, Druid has premiered 23 new plays, 14 of which were the professional debut for the writer, demonstrating Druid's commitment to new writing and to Irish writers.
- The production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane, which played in a parish hall in Bangor-Erris was the same production that played at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway and won Druid four Tony awards.
- Since 1978 Druid has toured to every nook and cranny in Ireland, bringing Druid productions to hundreds of thousands of people in communities from Rathlin Island to Rosmuc, from Strabane to Skibbereen.
- Druid began touring internationally in 1982 and since then has played on four continents making it one of the best known theatre companies in the English speaking world.
[edit] Awards
Since its foundation in 1975 Druid has been the recipient of numerous awards. The following represents a selection of these awards.
2008
- The New Electric Ballroom by Enda Walsh
Scotsman Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
2007
- The Walworth Farce by Enda Walsh
Scotsman Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
2005
- DruidSynge – All six of John Millington Synge’s plays
Bank of Scotland Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh International Festival
- Irish Times Theatre Award - Judges Special Tribute Award to Garry Hynes for her contribution to Irish Theatre.
2002
- Irish Times/ESB Irish Theatre Award for Best Director for Garry Hynes for her production of Sive and The Good Father.
1997
- The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh
Reuters Festival Choice Awards - Best Irish Production (Dublin Theatre Festival)
- The Leenane Trilogy by Martin McDonagh
Irish Times/ESB Irish Theatre Awards Best Theatre Company Award – Druid Best Actor – Brian F. O,Byrne Best Supporting Actress – Dawn Bradfield Best Designer – Francis O’Connor
1998
- Tony (Antoinette Perry) Awards
The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh Best Director Award – Garry Hynes Best Actress in a Leading Role – Marie Mullen Best Actress in a Featured Role – Anna Manahan Best Actor in a Featured Role – Tom Murphy
- Lucille Lortel Awards
The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh Outstanding Direction Award – Garry Hynes Co-winner of Outstanding Play Award
- The Outer Critics Circle Awards
The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh Outstanding Broadway Play Award
- 1998 Theatre World Awards
The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh Outstanding Ensemble Award – Anna Manahan, Marie Mullen, Brian F. O’Byrne and Tom Murphy
- Drama Desk Awards and Drama League Awards
The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh Outstanding play Award
- Obie Awards
The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh Best Actress Award – Marie Mullen
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.druidtheatre.com/press.php?id=42 (retrieved 20 August 2006)
