Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh (University of Galway President), Professor Patrick Lonergan (Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies), Garry Hynes (Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Druid), Marie Mullen (Actor and Co-Founder of Druid), Luke Heffernan and Ethel Rose Murray (University of Galway students), photo by Boyd Challenger.
The Druid Academy supports a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Drama, Theatre and Performance, as well as PhD research opportunities.
Born out of a vision of Galway as a location for the creation of excellent theatre, teaching in the Druid Academy follows the Druid approach, focusing on ensemble as a mode of performance, rigorous critical analysis of theatre, by both practitioners and audiences, and an awareness of the importance of audience, in a variety of locations: locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
The partnership sees Druid delivering masterclasses, facilitating access to dress rehearsals, facilitating internships and career pathways, and offering discounted ticket prices. Druid staff work alongside University of Galway's Drama and Theatre scholars to provide world-class training in directing, design, playwriting, and many other areas of theatre studies. The Academy also facilitates a Druid artist-in-residence at University of Galway.
Druid Academy masterclasses cover a range of topics - from casting, to direction, to set design – and complement third-level drama training at NUI Galway. Previous masterclasses have been delivered by theatre professionals including Annabelle Comyn, Derbhle Crotty, Maureen Hughes, Garry Hynes (Adjunct Professor), Rory Nolan, Francis O’Connor, Mark O’Rowe and Marty Rea.
The Druid Academy is the centrepiece of Druid's 10-year academic partnership with University of Galway.
Read more about studying Drama and Theatre at the University of Galway on their website.