GALWAY-based theatre company Druid will be marking its 50th anniversary this year and will stage a double bill of John Millington Synge’s ‘Riders to the Sea’ and William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ to celebrate the occasion.
Each of these productions will be staged at the Galway International Arts Festival before taking to the road. Druid will then bring ‘Macbeth’ to the Gaiety Theatre for the Dublin Theatre Festival in September.
It is expected that Garry Hynes will direct an all-star cast with Marty Rea as the titular Macbeth and Marie Mullen as Lady Macbeth. Further casting will be announced closer to the time, but given the expertise and world-beating nous of Druid’s production staff, anticipation is already at fever pitch.
Previous Shakespeare productions from the company have clocked up an impressive four Tony Award wins, including Best Actress for Druid co-founder Marie Mullen and Best Director for fellow Druid co-founder Garry Hynes, who became the first woman in history to win the award for Best Director.
The company’s 50th birthday celebrations do not stop there, however, with two books earmarked for publication. The first will be an illustrated history of Druid Theatre written by Patrick Lonergan titled ‘1975-2025: 50 Years of New Irish Plays’.
University of Galway (NUIG) will then host a symposium between 31st October and 2nd November, which organisers say explores ‘the past and future directions of Druid’s work in local, national and global contexts’.
There will be an exhibition and a short series of public talks, with further details to be announced.
Druid was founded by Garry Hynes, Marie Mullen and the late Mick Lally in the summer of 1975 as an alternative to Ireland’s then relatively closed theatre scene, which was perceived as being disproportionately weighted towards Dublin.
Garry Hynes, who is current Artistic Director said: “It’s not lost on me how lucky we all are at Druid to have made it to this milestone. When Marie, Mick and I founded the company in 1975, we could never have imagined reaching our 50th anniversary.
“There are so many people to thank for helping us along the way, but I’d like to especially thank the people of Galway for their belief in us since day one, as well as our audiences far and wide… Because it’s not theatre until someone’s watching!”
President Michael D Higgins, who is a patron of Druid said: “On this special anniversary, may I express my profound gratitude to all who have shaped Druid over the past five decades, past and present, to its founders, its creative teams, its actors and its audiences.
“May you continue to shine brightly in the decades ahead, carrying forward that wonderful spirit of innovation, excellence, and artistic courage that has defined Druid from its inception.”
