Galway Riders to the Sea / Macbeth double bill The Mick Lally Theatre 10 - 26 July 2025
‘Unnatural deeds do breed unnatural troubles’
In medieval Scotland, the ambitious army general Macbeth is visited by three witches who foretell his ascension to the throne.
In pursuit of this prophecy, and emboldened by his wife, Lady Macbeth, he sets out on a murderous path that threatens to sever the ties that bind their minds, their marriage and even the nation itself.
This is the Scottish Play like you’ve never seen it before. Druid brings its visceral and uniquely Irish perspective to one of Shakespeare’s fiercest and bloodiest tragedies.
Tony Award winner Garry Hynes directs a cast led by Marty Rea as Macbeth and fellow Tony Award winner Marie Mullen as Lady Macbeth, with further casting to be announced.
This new production of Macbeth follows Druid’s internationally acclaimed DruidShakespeare (2015) and Richard III (2018), continuing the company’s exploration of the Bard’s canon, 'a mad dynamic pageant of fire, blood, guts and spunk' (Irish Examiner).
Macbeth will be presented in a double bill with Riders to the Sea by J. M. Synge at The Mick Lally Theatre this July as part of Galway International Arts Festival to mark Druid’s 50th anniversary. Macbeth will then transfer to the Gaiety Theatre for Dublin Theatre Festival this September and October.
Read more about Druid's 50th anniversary season.
Tickets
Galway
- 10 – 26 July 2025
- The Mick Lally Theatre as part of Galway International Arts Festival
- Presented in a double bill with Riders to the Sea
- Tickets sold out - please join the waiting list
Dublin
- 25 September – 5 October 2025
- Gaiety Theatre as part of Dublin Theatre Festival
- Tickets on sale now
Show Info
Reviews of DruidShakespeare
‘ripping entertainment … I’ve never before found these plays so easy to follow or so gripping'
The New York Times
‘remarkable … pure exhilarating theatre … a sweeping epic … extraordinary … astonishingly articulate … the lines have been completely absorbed into the actors’ Irish voices, the result is a startling eloquence.’
The Irish Times
‘a mad dynamic pageant of fire, blood, guts and spunk … sinking their teeth into Shakespeare, this brilliant Druid ensemble clutch him down to the sad, saving, and sacred earth where his work belongs, and you leave stunned by the measure and the ferocity of their bite’
Irish Examiner
‘we are splattered with rain, vomit, peaty mud, blood … it is visceral, it is alive … a huge achievement, Shakespeare brought to life in a brazenly Irish way that gives the lines fresh meaning and relevance’
Irish Independent
'enthralling … stunningly engrossing, powerfully emotional’
Sunday Independent
'an overwhelming experience … not to be missed'
The Sunday Times
‘exhilarating epic … a staggering study of the instability of power … nothing can quell the extraordinary vitality of Hynes’s production’
The Guardian
Reviews of Richard III
'a coherent symphony of crafted perfection'
The Sunday Times
‘marvellously twisted … striking, intoxicating, disturbing … like a horror show seen through a haze of laughing gas … the remarkable thing about the Irish voices here is how clear they make the play sound, in both comedy and grim hypocrisy’
The Irish Times
‘theatre heaven … a rare occurrence when every component of a production converges in perfect harmony to create a tour de force’
Broadway World
‘soaring performances and lustrous design’
Irish Independent
GALWAY
The estimated running time of Riders to the Sea is 25 minutes. There will then be a 30-minute break followed by Macbeth which is estimated to run at approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes (interval TBC).
DUBLIN
The estimated running time of Macbeth is 2 hours and 10 minutes (interval TBC).
Suitable for ages 12+. Please note that Macbeth features depictions of violence and murder, and references to suicide, self-harm and the death of children. The production also features loud noises, strobe effects, haze and smoke.
ripping entertainment
The New York Times on DruidShakespeare
pure exhilarating theatre
The Irish Times on DruidShakespeare
we are splattered with rain, vomit, peaty mud, blood … it is visceral, it is alive … a huge achievement
Irish Independent on DruidShakespeare