Welcome to Drama and Theatre Studies at NUI Galway!

NUI Galway is the leading international centre for the study of Irish theatre and offers students and researchers exciting opportunities to learn from excellent lecturers and leading theatre practitioners. We offer a range of courses in the area of drama and theatre at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. We have particular expertise in Irish theatre, theatre archives, playwriting, and much more.

New Druid Academy to train future theatre-makers launches at NUI Galway

Druid Theatre Company and NUI Galway launch a new Druid Academy

This unique development for Drama and Theatre teaching in Ireland is part of a 10 year partnership between the two organisations. The Druid Academy is part of the Centre for Theatre and Performance at NUI Galway, and covers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Drama, Theatre Studies and Performing Arts, as well as PhD research opportunities. 

 ‌

Borne out of a vision of Galway as a location for the creation of excellent theatre, teaching in the Druid Academy will follow the Druid approach, focusing on ensemble as a mode of performance, rigorous critical analysis of theatre and an awareness of the importance of audience, in a variety of locations.

Led by Tony Award-winning Director, Dr Garry Hynes, Druid staff will work alongside NUI Galway's Drama and Theatre scholars to provide world-class training in directing, design, playwriting, and many other areas of theatre studies. 

Inaugural Theatre Season Brings World Classics and New Drama to Galway Theatres

NUI Galway has just announced its inaugural theatre season. Featuring prodcutions of _Yerma_, _Electra_, David Greig's _Monster in the Hall_, a new street-theatre performance with Macnas, and a residency by Brokentalkers, these events will be performed in Galway Theatres from February to April 2014. More info.

Drama and Theatre Studies at NUI Galway:

We have a range of courses, including two undergraduate courses (the BA in Drama and Theatre and a BA Connect with Performing Arts Studies). in September 2013, we will be launching a new part-time MA in Drama and Theatre Studies, and our full-time MA remains very popular. PhD applications are also being accepted.

NUI Galway also has one of the world's most important collections of Irish theatre archives, including the digital Abbey Theatre archive, the papers of such major Irish companies as Druid Theatre, Galway Arts Festival and the Lyric Players' Theatre, the papers of leading writers such as Thomas Kilroy, and many others.

One of the key features of drama at NUI Galway is our work with Irish theatre practitioners, especially with Druid Theatre, which was described in 2012 as ’one of the world’s great theater companies’ by The New York Times. 

As Ireland’s cultural capital, Galway’s reputation as an international centre for innovative drama, theatre and performance is well known. NUI Galway, in turn, has provided a breeding ground for the development of artistic talent in successive generations of students.

The city has seen the establishment of several flourishing theatre companies whose founder members were students of the University. Among the  most illustrious of our graduates are the three Druid Theatre Company founding members, Tony-Award-winning Director Garry Hynes and the actors Marie Mullen and the late Mike Lally.  Recent graduates have gone on to achieve success with many leading theatres in Ireland and in London, joining such schemes as the Abbey  Theatre’s New Playwrights’ Programme and the Rough Magic SEEDS  project. In recent years, NUI Galway graduates have won such awards as the PJ O’Connor Prize (RTÉ), the JMK Trust award for finding Britain’s finest theatre directors, and more.

The west of Ireland is also firmly associated with traditional Irish culture and performance, and our students have unique opportunities to develop their knowledge of this important aspect of Irish life. Students on our programmes regularly see productions by Ireland's leading theatre companies at the local Town Hall Theatreand in field trips to Dublin, Sligo, and elsewhere. 

The University has forged a number of dynamic partnerships with key arts organisations including Druid Theatre Company, the Galway Arts Festival,  Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe (the national Irish language theatre), Macnas, and many more.

Our students benefit from the University’s unique combination of groundbreaking academic expertise, professional practice, and access to some  of Ireland’s leading artists. There really is no better place to study drama, theatre and performance than in Galway!

We welcome enquiries from prospective students, visiting researchers and others. For queries, please CONTACT US.