About Druid

Druid is a writers' theatre, exploring ambitious projects, reimagining classics and premiering new work annually. The company continues to nurture playwrights through its New Writing programme while also presenting classics from both the Irish and international canons. At the heart of our artistic programme is the Druid Ensemble who work closely with the Artistic Director, Garry Hynes and the Druid team to deliver a varied and ambitious body of work.

Druid passionately believes that audiences have the right to see first class professional theatre in their own communities. We’re really proud of our national touring history, having visited all 32 counties over the past five decades. We’ve performed in some of Ireland’s biggest venues and also some of its most unusual and remote, from the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin to a field on Inis Meáin. 1980 marked our first international tour and since then we've performed in the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Hong Kong.

Druid began as a bold idea: to create Ireland’s first professional theatre company outside of Dublin. There were few resources with which to build a theatre company in the West of Ireland in 1975, but through sheer dedication, and with the support of the Galway community, founders Garry Hynes, Marie Mullen and Mick Lally made this bold idea a reality. That reality has since become an international success story of extraordinary dimensions.

Druid has won numerous national and international awards including:

• Tony (Antoinette Perry) Awards
• Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards
• Sunday Independent Theatre Award
• Edinburgh Fringe First Awards
• Irish Theatre Award
• UK Theatre Awards
• Time Out Theatre Award (London)
• Stewart Parker Trust Memorial Award
• Evening Standard Award
• Writers Guild Award (London)
• Lucille Lortel Award
• The Outer Critics Circle Award
• Obie Award

Explore a timeline of key moments and productions in Druid's fifty-year history.

Production highlights from across Druid's five decades of work include:

• 1985, Conversations on a Homecoming by Tom Murphy, world premiere in Galway, a radical reworking of an earlier work, The White House
• 1985, Bailegangaire by Tom Murphy, world premiere in Galway starring Siobhán McKenna, Marie Mullen and Mary McEvoy
• 1996, The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh, in a co-production with the Royal Court Theatre, which went on to win four Tony Awards, including Best Director for Garry Hynes, the first woman to win an award for directing in the history of the Tony Awards
• 1996-2000, The Leenane Trilogy by Martin McDonagh, in a co-production with Royal Court Theatre, London
• 2005, DruidSynge – all six John Millington Synge plays in a single day
• 2012, DruidMurphy – Plays by Tom Murphy, a trilogy of Conversations on a Homecoming, A Whistle in the Dark and Famine
• 2015, DruidShakespeare: Richard II, Henry IV (Pts. 1&2), Henry V, a new adaptation by Mark O’Rowe in a co-production with Lincoln Center, New York
• 2018, DruidShakespeare: Richard III in a co-production with the Abbey Theatre
• 2016-2018, Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett which opened at Galway International Arts Festival and by the end of 2018 had toured Ireland twice, played at the Abbey Theatre, Edinburgh International Festival and several US cities and prestigious venues
• 2020, Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard in a version by Tom Murphy which opened at the Black Box Theatre, Galway and became the first Irish theatre production to be live streamed to cinemas across Ireland and the UK
• 2020, DruidGregory - five of Lady Gregory’s one-act plays, performed by a company of 12 actors and musicians, and directed by Garry Hynes, on a 13-venue, 4-week tour of Gregory’s beloved county Galway
• 2023, DruidO'Casey: Seán O'Casey's Dublin Trilogy (The Plough and the Stars, The Shadow of a Gunman and Juno and the Paycock), performed in single-day theatrical events across Ireland and the US

1975

• The Playboy of the Western World by J. M. Synge
• It’s a Two Foot Six Inches Above the Ground World by Kevin Laffan
• The Loves of Cass McGuire by Brian Friel
• Act Without Words II by Samuel Beckett
• Orison by Fernando Arrabel
• The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
• An Entertainment on Marriage by David Campion & James Saunders
• Children of the Wolf by John Peacock

1976

• Countdown by Alan Ayckbourn
• It Should Happen to a Dog by Wolf Mankowitz
• Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee
• Treats by Christopher Hampton
• The Pongo Plays by Henry Livings
• In the Glens of Rathvanna by J. M. Synge
• The Pot of Broth & Purgatory by W. B. Yeats
• Off Obie, a trilogy of American one-act plays by various authors
• Happy Days by Samuel Beckett
• Mother Adam by Charles Dyer

1977

• S.W.A.L.K. by various authors
• Tom Paine by Paul Foster
• Birdbath by Leonard Melfi
• There Are Tragedies and Tragedies by George Fitzmaurice
• The Playboy of the Western World by J. M. Synge
• The Pursuit of Pleasure by Garry Hynes
• The Promise by Aleksei Arbuzov
• Aladineen O’Druideen by Druid Theatre Company

1978

• The Enchanted Trousers by Oliver St. John Gogarty
• After Magritte by Tom Stoppard
• Sean, the Fool, the Devil, and the Cats by Ted Hughes
• The Proposal by Anton Chekov
• The Tinker’s Wedding by J. M. Synge
• The Colleen Bawn by Dion Boucicault
• Bar and Ger by Geraldine Aron
• Woyzeck by George Buchner

1979

• Eternal Triangle by Frank O’Connor
• The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht
• A Village Wooing by George Bernard Shaw
• An Evening at Coole by Lady Gregory
• A Galway Girl by Geraldine Aron
• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

1980

• Thirst by Myles na gCopaleen
• The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard
• Island Protected by a Bridge of Glass by Garry Hynes
• Fascinating Foundling by George Bernard Shaw
• Sundance by Meir Ribalow
• A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen

1981

• I Do Not Like Thee, Doctor Fell by Bernard Farrell
• Master of Two Servants by Carlo Goldoni (adapted by George Mully)
• Dial M for Murder by Frederik Knott
• The Nightingale and Not the Lark by Jennifer Johnston
• Geography of a Horse Dreamer by Sam Shepard
• Endgame by Samuel Beckett
• Hancock’s Last Half Hour by Heathcote Williams
• Much Ado about Nothing by William Shakespeare

1982

• Private Dick by Richard Maher & Roger Mitchell
• Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo
• The Shaughraun by Dion Boucicault
• The Playboy of the Western World by J. M. Synge
• In the Shadow of the Glen by J. M. Synge

1983

• The Rising of the Moon by Lady Gregory
• Action by Sam Shepard
• Mother Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht
• The Rivals by Richard B. Sheridan
• Bedtime Story by Sean O’Casey
• The Wood of the Whispering by M. J. Molloy

1984

• Famine by Tom Murphy
• Same Old Moon by Geraldine Aron
• The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay
• On the Outside by Tom Murphy & Noel O’Donoghue
• The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

1985

• The Playboy of the Western World by J. M. Synge
• Conversations on a Homecoming by Tom Murphy
• ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore by John Ford
• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
• Bailegangaire by Tom Murphy

1986

• Dracula adapted by Frank McGuinness
• Loot by Joe Orton
• Conversations on a Homecoming by Tom Murphy (New York)
• The Playboy of the Western World by J. M. Synge (New York)

1987

• Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
• A Touch of the Poet by Eugene O’Neill
• A Whistle in the Dark by Tom Murphy (in association with the Abbey Theatre)
• Oedipus by Sophocles (in a version by W. B. Yeats)
• The Hostage by Brendan Behan

1988

• The Factory Girls by Frank McGuinness
• Trumpets and Raspberries by Dario Fo
• Little City by Seamus Byrne
• I Do Not Like Thee, Doctor Fell by Bernard Farrell

1989

• A Little Like Drowning by Anthony Minghella
• Wild Harvest by Ken Bourke
• Lovers by Brian Friel

1990

• St Patrick’s Day by Richard B. Sheridan
• Antigone by Jean Anouilh (translated by Lewis Galantière)
• The Donahue Sisters & The Stanley Parkers by Geraldine Aron
• Lovers’ Meeting by Louis D’Alton

1991

• The Increased Difficulty of Concentration by Václav Havel
• Look Back in Anger by John Osborne
• John Hughdy & Tom John by Vincent Woods
• Cheapside by David Allen
• Shadow and Substance by Paul Vincent Carroll

1992

• Carthaginians by Frank McGuinness
• Werewolves by Teresa Lubkiewicz (translated by Helena Kaut-Howson)
• Odd Habits by Marianne Fahy & Deirdre O’Kane (from the works of Mary Lavin and Francis Molloy)
• Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton
• The Midnight Court by Brian Merriman (adapted by Seán Tyrell from a translation by David Marcus)
• At The Black Pig’s Dyke by Vincent Woods

1993

• Private Dick by Richard Maher & Roger Mitchell
• There Are Tragedies and Tragedies by George Fitzmaurice
• The Ointment Blue by George Fitzmaurice
• Belfry by Billy Roche

1994

• The Playboy of the West Indies by Mustapha Matura (in association with Tricycle Theatre)
• Summerhouse by Robin Glendinning
• Silverlands by Antoine Ó Flatharta
• Song of the Yellow Bittern by Vincent Woods

1995

• Poor Beast in the Rain by Billy Roche
• The Blue Macushla by Tom Murphy

1996

• The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh
• The Loves of Cass McGuire by Brian Friel
• The Singular life of Albert Nobbs by Simone Benmussa (from a story by George Moore)

1997

• Shoot the Crow by Owen McCafferty
• The Leenane Trilogy: The Beauty Queen of Leenane, A Skull in Connemara, The Lonesome West by Martin McDonagh

1998

• Philadelphia, Here I Come! by Brian Friel
• The Way You Look Tonight by Niall Williams

1999

• As You Like It by William Shakespeare
• The Country Boy by John Murphy

2000

• On Raftery’s Hill by Marina Carr
• The Hackney Office by Michael Collins

2001

• The Spirit of Annie Ross by Bernard Farrell
• My Brilliant Divorce by Geraldine Aron

2002

• The Good Father by Christian O’Reilly
• Sive by John B. Keane

2003

• My Brilliant Divorce by Geraldine Aron (West End)
• Sharon’s Grave by John B. Keane

2004

• The Playboy of the Western World by J. M. Synge
• The Well of the Saints by J. M. Synge
• The Tinker’s Wedding by J. M. Synge

2005

• DruidSynge: Riders to the Sea, The Tinker’s Wedding, The Well of the Saints, In the Shadow of the Glen, The Playboy of the Western World, Deirdre of the Sorrows by J. M. Synge

2006

• The Walworth Farce by Enda Walsh
• The Year of the Hiker by John B. Keane
• Empress of India by Stuart Carolan

2007

• Leaves by Lucy Caldwell
• Long Day’s Journey into Night by Eugene O’Neill
• My Brilliant Divorce by Geraldine Aron

2008

• The New Electric Ballroom by Enda Walsh
• One-Act Plays (Gentrification, Lynndie’s Gotta Gun) by Enda Walsh
• The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh

2009

• The Gigli Concert by Tom Murphy

2010

• From Galway to Broadway and Back Again (Druid’s 35th anniversary celebrations)
• Penelope by Enda Walsh
• The Silver Tassie by Sean O’Casey

2011

• The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh
• Give Me Your Hand by Paul Durcan
• Big Maggie by John B. Keane

2012

• DruidMurphy: Conversations on a Homecoming, A Whistle in the Dark, Famine by Tom Murphy

2013

• The Colleen Bawn by Dion Boucicault

2014

• Be Infants in Evil by Brian Martin
• Brigit by Tom Murphy
• Bailegangaire by Tom Murphy

2015

• DruidShakespeare: Richard II, Henry IV (Pts 1&2), Henry V by William Shakespeare, adapted by Mark O’Rowe

2016

• Big Maggie by John B. Keane
• Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
• Helen and I by Meadhbh McHugh
• The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh (20th anniversary production)

2017

• Crestfall by Mark O’Rowe
• King of the Castle by Eugene McCabe

2018

• Sive by John B. Keane
• Furniture by Sonya Kelly
• Shelter by Cristín Kehoe
• DruidShakespeare: Richard III by William Shakespeare

2019

• Epiphany by Brian Watkins
• The Beacon by Nancy Harris

2020

• The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, in a version by Tom Murphy
• DruidGregory: The Gaol Gate, Hyacinth Halvey, McDonough’s Wife, The Rising of the Moon by Lady Gregory; Cathleen Ní Houlihan by Lady Gregory and W. B. Yeats; On the Outside by Tom Murphy & Noel O’ Donoghue

2021

• Once Upon a Bridge by Sonya Kelly
• Boland: Journey of a Poet by Eavan Boland, edited by Colm Tóibín
• The Seagull by Thomas Kilroy (after Chekhov)
• Three Short Comedies: A Pound on Demand, Bedtime Story, The End of the Beginning by Sean O’Casey

2022

• The Cavalcaders by Billy Roche
• The Last Return by Sonya Kelly

2023

• DruidO’Casey: The Plough and the Stars, The Shadow of a Gunman, Juno and the Paycock by Sean O'Casey

2024

• Endgame by Samuel Beckett
• The House by Tom Murphy

2025

• Three Short Comedies: A Pound on Demand, Bedtime Story, The End of the Beginning by Sean O’Casey
• Riders to the Sea by J. M. Synge
• Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Irish performance for the world.

To be a touring theatre without peer, anchored in the West of Ireland and looking to the world, producing and presenting the best work, both new and old, with boldness, agility, passion and flair.