Theatre entertainment in Ireland
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Gaiety Theatre
Opened in 1871, this theatre is used for modern plays, TV shows, musical comedies and revues.
reviewed
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Abbey Theatre
Ireland's national theatre resides in a large concrete box by the river. It puts on new Irish works, as well as revivals of classic Irish plays by writers such as WB Yeats, JM Synge, Sean O'Casey, Brendan Behan and Samuel Beckett. Tickets for evening performances cost up to €25, except on Monday, when they're cheaper. The smaller Peacock Theatre is part of the same complex and stages more fringe work.
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Glór
Clare's cultural centre is in a striking modern building. Art, traditional music, theatre, dance, photography and film are some of the programs offered.
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Civic Theatre
This purpose-built 350-seat theatre is inconveniently located in the southern suburb of Tallaght, but its state-of-the-art facilities are top-notch and include an art gallery. The plays it puts on, an interesting mix of Irish and European works, are uniformly good. The easiest way to get here is by Luas: the theatre is at the terminus of the red line.
reviewed
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Siamsa Tíre
Siamsa Tíre, the National Folk Theatre of Ireland, re-creates dynamic aspects of Gaelic culture through song, dance, drama and mime. There are several shows a week from May to September at 8.30pm. Winter shows range from dance to drama and mainstream musicals.
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Ambassador Theatre
The Ambassador started life as a theatre and then became a cinema. Not much has changed inside, making it a cool retro place to see visiting and local rock acts perform.
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Olympia Theatre
This theatre specialises in light plays and, at Christmastime, pantomimes.
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Draíocht Theatre
This multipurpose arts centre (named after the Irish word for ‘magic’) is one of the most interesting venues in the city. Two separate theatres feature all kinds of work, from reinterpretations of classic plays to brand-new material by cutting-edge writers and performers.
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International Bar
This is one of several pubs that host theatrical performances; it also hosts comedy on Wednesday evening at 9.30pm (admission €9).
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Dock Arts Centre
Set in the grand surroundings of the 19th-century former courthouse, this place hosts performances, exhibitions and workshops. Also here is the Leitrim Design House, which features the work of local artists, designers and craftspeople.
reviewed
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Focus Theatre
The small Focus Theatre is committed to showcasing the work of new Irish playwrights, which is thoroughly laudable even if the quality of the work isn’t always top notch. Still, the company offers challenging work and is well worth checking out.
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New Theatre
Sitting above the left-wing Connolly Books, this refurbished little theatre puts on a pretty palatable fare of ‘fun’ plays and in-your-face work that might challenge social conventions but will hardly disturb the more serious critics.
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Ardhowen Theatre
The program here includes concerts, local amateur and professional drama and musical productions, pantomimes and films. The theatre is about 2km southeast of the town centre on the A4, in an impressive glass-fronted building overlooking a lake.
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Nerve Centre
The Nerve Centre is a multimedia arts centre started in 1990 to encourage young, local talent in the fields of music and film. The centre has a performance area, a theatre, a cinema (with an art-house programme), a bar and a café.
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Project Arts Centre
This art gallery centre puts on excellent productions of experimental plays by up-and-coming Irish and foreign writers.
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Helix
The Helix, Dublin City University's new theatre venue in Glasnevin, has already established its reputation as a serious theatre with its mix of accessible and challenging productions. To get here, take bus 11, 13, 13A or 19A from O'Connell St.
reviewed
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O
Gate Theatre
To the north of the Liffey, the Gate Theatre specialises in international classics and older Irish works with a touch of comedy by playwrights such as Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw and Oliver Goldsmith, although newer plays are sometimes staged too. Prices vary according to what's on, but they're usually around €20.
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Watergate Theatre
The top theatre venue hosts drama, comedy and musical performances. If you're wondering why intermission lasts 18 minutes, it's so patrons can nip into John Cleere's pub for a pint.
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Druid Theatre
This renowned, long-established and award-winning theatre is famed for staging experimental works by young Irish playwrights, as well as new adaptations of classics. Its home is in one of the oldest parts of Galway, in an old tea warehouse, which was renovated in 2009.
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Pavilion Theatre
Like the Draíocht Theatre and Civic Theatre, this modern space in the seaside suburb of Dun Laoghaire offers a dynamic programme of theatre and performance art.
reviewed
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Crane Lane Theatre
An excellent venue for live music, Crane Lane also has a great beer garden during the day.
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An Grianán Theatre
An Grianán Theatre is both a community theatre and major arts venue for the northwest, presenting national and international drama, comedy and music. It also has a good cafe and bar.
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Players' Theatre
The Trinity College Players' Theatre hosts student productions throughout the academic year, as well as the most prestigious plays from the Dublin Theatre Festival in October.
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Regional Cultural Centre
In a stunning glass-and-aluminium structure, Letterkenny's cultural centre mounts performances, fine arts and multimedia exhibits, and film screenings.
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Samuel Beckett Theatre
Used mainly by drama students, the theatre also features the occasional show by established troupes. It’s all pretty cerebral stuff.
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