Search Results for 'Jesuit Hall'

Music for Galway, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this autumn, begins its new season with a gala concert next Thursday September 30th, 8pm, at the Town Hall, Galway.

It is hard to believe that it was 46 years ago this week that Druid Theatre first tread the boards. The location was the Jesuit Hall and the play was The Playboy of the Western World. The following night, they put on It’s a two foot six inches above the Ground World by Kevin Laffan and on the third night, it was The Loves of Cass Maguire by Brian Friel.

Druid Theatre Company was founded in May 1975 with the initial aim of providing theatre entertainment for tourists in Galway. It opened with three full length plays on successive nights in the Jesuit Hall. The season was a success so they made the very brave decision to operate the company on a full-time basis. Their productions were presented on a fit-up basis, as were a number of lunchtime shows in the Fo’Castle in Dominick Street. They converted this latter venue into a fully equipped pocket theatre seating 47 people. It was a popular venue, well supported, but there were problems with regard to backstage, storage, and office space.

ONE FATEFUL evening, 40 years ago, in the tiny kitchen of Renmore’s School Hall, the local curate, Seán O’Malley, suggested to some of his fellow badminton players that Renmore should produce a pantomime.