Theatre opens its doors for Druid Experience exhibition

Druid Theatre’s headquarters at Druid Lane Theatre have been largely dark in recent years as the company has enjoyed success at home and abroad, most notably with its with its touring productions of DruidMurphy and DruidSynge.

Even when it is performing in Galway, Druid mostly tends to use the Town Hall Theatre and its most recent production in Druid Lane was Enda Walsh’s Penelope for the 2010 Galway Arts Festival. Other companies and individuals have hired the venue occasionally during that time and it’s also been used for Druid rehearsals. Now, the venue which was refurbished in 2009, has opened its doors for the summer months for an exhibition entitled The Druid Experience, which was officially launched by comedian Tommy Tiernan on Monday.

The exhibition features an eclectic collection of memorabilia from the company, which was founded in 1975 by Garry Hynes, Marie Mullen and Mick Lally –including photos and posters from various Druid productions in the last 38 years.

Visitors can also watch two behind-the-scenes documentaries about the company. The first, Back to the Cradle documents Druid’s first ever visit to Inis Meáin in 1982. The second, Mighty Talk charts the staging of DruidSynge from rehearsals to the opening night at the 2005 Galway Arts Festival and beyond, to the glorious occasion of its final performance of 2005 on Inis Meáin.

 Original artwork on display includes portraits by Brian Bourke of the three Druid co-founders; a portrait of one of Ireland’s greatest actors, Siobhán McKenna, painted by John Shinnors in 1985, during what was to become Siobhán’s final performance in Tom Murphy’s Bailegangaire; and the original poster image by John Behan for the 1984 production of Murphy’s Famine. Visitors can also browse the Druid shop and see props from shows.

And there will be action in the venue’s auditorium for the month of July. These include two rehearsed readings for the Arts Festival as part of the Druid Debut series. The pieces getting staged readings are Happy Birthday Jacob by Michael Marshall, which takes place on Tuesday,July  23at 2pm, and Be Infants in Evil by Brian Martin on Friday, July 26 at 2pm. The Druid Debuts series is an initiative started by Druid in 2001 to support the development of talented emerging writers.

Also on this month is a Galway Arts Festival production of Riverrun, adapted and performed by Olwen Fouéré, a production that presents the voice of the river, Anna Livia Plurabelle, from Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. Full details for all these events can be found on www.galwayartsfestival.com or on 091 566577.

The Druid Experience at Druid Lane Theatre is open from 10am to 2pm, Monday to Friday, and by arrangement for visiting groups. Guided tours are also available. For more details see www.druid.ie or call 091 568660.