Podcast appearances and mentions of Garry Hynes

The co founder and artistic director of the Druid Theatre, Garry Hynes, joined Oliver in studio today as she marks its 50th year of the hugely ambitious and successful theatre company.

Chat with the Druid Theatre artistic director Garry Hynes, who has just been named Best Director in the UK Theatre Awards for DruidO'Casey staging of three Sean O'Casey plays in one day (The Plough and The Stars, The Shadow of a Gunman and Juno and the Paycock)

Garry Hynes, Tony Award Winning Director, discusses the staging of three of Seán O'Casey's plays back to back with the Druid Theatre Company.

Garry Hynes is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Druid Theatre - one of Ireland's most prestigious theatre companies. Originally hailing from Ballaghaderreen in Co. Roscommon, Hynes has been a leading light in Irish theatre for years, becoming the first woman to win a Tony award for Director of a play in 1998. She joins us now.

Gary McKeone, Friel family friend, and Garry Hynes, Druid Theatre

Gary McKeone, Friel family friend, and Garry Hynes, Druid Theatre

Emma Jane Purcell chats to people at the top of their game about failure - from their first memory of failure to how they cope with it now. After recently graduating from drama school, Aggi has already made her TV debut in the BBC drama Ridley Road, where she plays the leading role of Vivien Epstein. She has also worked with Druid, playing the role of Nina in The Seagull, directed by Garry Hynes and is currently filming the lead role of Maud in the feature film Uncle Silas. Aggi is the great-granddaughter of dramatist Sean O'Casey. But Aggi is not here to talk about success - she's here to talk about failure. Follow Emma Jane on: Instagram @emmajanepurcell Twitter @emmajanepurcell Music: Leah Moore Art: Shane Kelleher

Garry Hynes and Marty Rea discuss Druid Theatre taking three O'Casey plays on tour, Peter Whelan on the 300th anniversary of Bach's Brandenburg concertos, and Chris Wasser chats about the new Apple TV series The Shrink Next Door

Sorry Wrong Number by Lucille Fletcher directed by one of Ireland's leading theatre directors and Tony Award winning Garry Hynes.

Druid Theatre members, director Garry Hynes and actors Marie Mullen, Brian Doherty and Seán McGinley speak about their careers and working on Sorry Wrong Number by Lucille Flecther for Drama on One

Theatre has long been considered a feminine interest for which women consistently purchase the majority of tickets, while the shows they are seeing typically are written and brought to the stage by men. Furthermore, the stories these productions tell are often about men, and the complex leading roles in these shows are written for and performed by male actors. Despite this imbalance, the feminist voice presses to be heard and has done so with more success than ever before.  In From Aphra Behn to Fun Home: A Cultural History of Feminist Theatre (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2019), Carey Purcell traces the evolution of these important artists and productions over several centuries. After examining the roots of feminist theatre in early Greek plays and looking at occasional works produced before the twentieth century, Purcell then identifies the key players and productions that have emerged over the last several decades.  This book covers the heyday of the second wave feminist movement—which saw the growth of female-centric theatre groups—and highlights the work of playwrights such as Caryl Churchill, Pam Gems, and Wendy Wasserstein. Other prominent artists discussed here include playwrights Paula Vogel Lynn and Tony-award winning directors Garry Hynes and Julie Taymor. The volume also examines diversity in contemporary feminist theatre—with discussions of such playwrights as Young Jean Lee and Lynn Nottage—and a look toward the future. Andy Boyd is a playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. He is a graduate of the playwriting MFA at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the Arizona School for the Arts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Theatre has long been considered a feminine interest for which women consistently purchase the majority of tickets, while the shows they are seeing typically are written and brought to the stage by men. Furthermore, the stories these productions tell are often about men, and the complex leading roles in these shows are written for and performed by male actors. Despite this imbalance, the feminist voice presses to be heard and has done so with more success than ever before.  In From Aphra Behn to Fun Home: A Cultural History of Feminist Theatre (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2019), Carey Purcell traces the evolution of these important artists and productions over several centuries. After examining the roots of feminist theatre in early Greek plays and looking at occasional works produced before the twentieth century, Purcell then identifies the key players and productions that have emerged over the last several decades.  This book covers the heyday of the second wave feminist movement—which saw the growth of female-centric theatre groups—and highlights the work of playwrights such as Caryl Churchill, Pam Gems, and Wendy Wasserstein. Other prominent artists discussed here include playwrights Paula Vogel Lynn and Tony-award winning directors Garry Hynes and Julie Taymor. The volume also examines diversity in contemporary feminist theatre—with discussions of such playwrights as Young Jean Lee and Lynn Nottage—and a look toward the future. Andy Boyd is a playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. He is a graduate of the playwriting MFA at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the Arizona School for the Arts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/performing-arts

Theatre has long been considered a feminine interest for which women consistently purchase the majority of tickets, while the shows they are seeing typically are written and brought to the stage by men. Furthermore, the stories these productions tell are often about men, and the complex leading roles in these shows are written for and performed by male actors. Despite this imbalance, the feminist voice presses to be heard and has done so with more success than ever before.  In From Aphra Behn to Fun Home: A Cultural History of Feminist Theatre (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2019), Carey Purcell traces the evolution of these important artists and productions over several centuries. After examining the roots of feminist theatre in early Greek plays and looking at occasional works produced before the twentieth century, Purcell then identifies the key players and productions that have emerged over the last several decades.  This book covers the heyday of the second wave feminist movement—which saw the growth of female-centric theatre groups—and highlights the work of playwrights such as Caryl Churchill, Pam Gems, and Wendy Wasserstein. Other prominent artists discussed here include playwrights Paula Vogel Lynn and Tony-award winning directors Garry Hynes and Julie Taymor. The volume also examines diversity in contemporary feminist theatre—with discussions of such playwrights as Young Jean Lee and Lynn Nottage—and a look toward the future. Andy Boyd is a playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. He is a graduate of the playwriting MFA at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the Arizona School for the Arts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

Theatre has long been considered a feminine interest for which women consistently purchase the majority of tickets, while the shows they are seeing typically are written and brought to the stage by men. Furthermore, the stories these productions tell are often about men, and the complex leading roles in these shows are written for and performed by male actors. Despite this imbalance, the feminist voice presses to be heard and has done so with more success than ever before.  In From Aphra Behn to Fun Home: A Cultural History of Feminist Theatre (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2019), Carey Purcell traces the evolution of these important artists and productions over several centuries. After examining the roots of feminist theatre in early Greek plays and looking at occasional works produced before the twentieth century, Purcell then identifies the key players and productions that have emerged over the last several decades.  This book covers the heyday of the second wave feminist movement—which saw the growth of female-centric theatre groups—and highlights the work of playwrights such as Caryl Churchill, Pam Gems, and Wendy Wasserstein. Other prominent artists discussed here include playwrights Paula Vogel Lynn and Tony-award winning directors Garry Hynes and Julie Taymor. The volume also examines diversity in contemporary feminist theatre—with discussions of such playwrights as Young Jean Lee and Lynn Nottage—and a look toward the future. Andy Boyd is a playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. He is a graduate of the playwriting MFA at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the Arizona School for the Arts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Theatre has long been considered a feminine interest for which women consistently purchase the majority of tickets, while the shows they are seeing typically are written and brought to the stage by men. Furthermore, the stories these productions tell are often about men, and the complex leading roles in these shows are written for and performed by male actors. Despite this imbalance, the feminist voice presses to be heard and has done so with more success than ever before.  In From Aphra Behn to Fun Home: A Cultural History of Feminist Theatre (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2019), Carey Purcell traces the evolution of these important artists and productions over several centuries. After examining the roots of feminist theatre in early Greek plays and looking at occasional works produced before the twentieth century, Purcell then identifies the key players and productions that have emerged over the last several decades.  This book covers the heyday of the second wave feminist movement—which saw the growth of female-centric theatre groups—and highlights the work of playwrights such as Caryl Churchill, Pam Gems, and Wendy Wasserstein. Other prominent artists discussed here include playwrights Paula Vogel Lynn and Tony-award winning directors Garry Hynes and Julie Taymor. The volume also examines diversity in contemporary feminist theatre—with discussions of such playwrights as Young Jean Lee and Lynn Nottage—and a look toward the future. Andy Boyd is a playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. He is a graduate of the playwriting MFA at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the Arizona School for the Arts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/film

Theatre has long been considered a feminine interest for which women consistently purchase the majority of tickets, while the shows they are seeing typically are written and brought to the stage by men. Furthermore, the stories these productions tell are often about men, and the complex leading roles in these shows are written for and performed by male actors. Despite this imbalance, the feminist voice presses to be heard and has done so with more success than ever before.  In From Aphra Behn to Fun Home: A Cultural History of Feminist Theatre (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2019), Carey Purcell traces the evolution of these important artists and productions over several centuries. After examining the roots of feminist theatre in early Greek plays and looking at occasional works produced before the twentieth century, Purcell then identifies the key players and productions that have emerged over the last several decades.  This book covers the heyday of the second wave feminist movement—which saw the growth of female-centric theatre groups—and highlights the work of playwrights such as Caryl Churchill, Pam Gems, and Wendy Wasserstein. Other prominent artists discussed here include playwrights Paula Vogel Lynn and Tony-award winning directors Garry Hynes and Julie Taymor. The volume also examines diversity in contemporary feminist theatre—with discussions of such playwrights as Young Jean Lee and Lynn Nottage—and a look toward the future. Andy Boyd is a playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. He is a graduate of the playwriting MFA at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the Arizona School for the Arts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Theatre has long been considered a feminine interest for which women consistently purchase the majority of tickets, while the shows they are seeing typically are written and brought to the stage by men. Furthermore, the stories these productions tell are often about men, and the complex leading roles in these shows are written for and performed by male actors. Despite this imbalance, the feminist voice presses to be heard and has done so with more success than ever before.  In From Aphra Behn to Fun Home: A Cultural History of Feminist Theatre (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2019), Carey Purcell traces the evolution of these important artists and productions over several centuries. After examining the roots of feminist theatre in early Greek plays and looking at occasional works produced before the twentieth century, Purcell then identifies the key players and productions that have emerged over the last several decades.  This book covers the heyday of the second wave feminist movement—which saw the growth of female-centric theatre groups—and highlights the work of playwrights such as Caryl Churchill, Pam Gems, and Wendy Wasserstein. Other prominent artists discussed here include playwrights Paula Vogel Lynn and Tony-award winning directors Garry Hynes and Julie Taymor. The volume also examines diversity in contemporary feminist theatre—with discussions of such playwrights as Young Jean Lee and Lynn Nottage—and a look toward the future. Andy Boyd is a playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. He is a graduate of the playwriting MFA at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the Arizona School for the Arts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Garry Hynes and Colm Tóibín explain their collaboration on a new Druid work celebrating the life and work of poet Eavan Boland

"To have the opportunity of seeing Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, the final play of the great Russian writer will always be a guaranteed pleasure. To see this enduring classic in a version by Tom Murphy, directed by Garry Hynes with the Druid ensemble, is a special experience. Chekhov’s great work was written in conditions of great change where the life-world of those who enjoyed a privileged existence on estates and in great houses, on which, and within which, serfs owned in body and soul lived out their lives, was being challenged by a new modernity, the rise of Nouveau Riche. Emancipated serfs are familiar with the sentiment of such a class, but positioned for their replacement. Irish playwrights saw the parallels between these Chronicles of Chekhov and the incumbents of the big houses of the 19th Century landlord class in Ireland. Of these playwrights, the great wordsmith of dialogue and poetic feeling is Tom Murphy. The partnership between Druid’s Garry Hynes, the entire company, and Tom Murphy’s work has yielded a rich expression of contemporary Irish creativity for the stage. That now so many more will have access to what was given to us by Anton Chekhov, through his collaboration with Konstantin Stanislavski and the Moscow Art Theatre in their time and Tom Murphy and the Druid Company in our time, reminds us that the stage is, above all else, a space for the soul. In that space the cloying pretentiousness of property possession, respectability and their serving institutions are confronted. Of this Irish gift to the world, among all the gifts, let us hope that they will not only endure but become seeds for the future. Bain taitneamh as an dráma seo, is uaimse, beir beannacht."

DruidGregory is an evening of plays by Lady Gregory - in a month-long tour of county Galway that begins at Coole Park, director Garry Hynes & actor Marie Mullen discuss, Chris Wasser reviews Away, a new science-fiction series about the first manned mission to Mars, Eileen Walsh on The South Westerlies & Emma Martin on Bird Boy at Dublin Fringe.

Des Cahill's guest today is Tony award winning director and co founder of the Druid Theatre Garry Hynes

Garry Hynes founder Druid Theatre, Galway

Garry Hynes founder Druid Theatre, Galway

Kay Sheehy tours the galleries, providing an update as they reopen today after a three month period of closure, Druid Theatre Debuts, Garry Hynes of Druid & Peter Daly, playwright discuss the online festival& also Mary McGill takes us to Amsterdam, specifically, in the Dutch Golden Age, in which all three of her novels of choice are set.

Barbara Dixon on her incredible career from folk clubs to Top of the Pops and 17 gold and platinum albums. Druid Theatre artistic director Garry Hynes on the first Tom Murphy production after his death; and music from the devastatingly good David Keenan. Also, poet Paul Muldoon and historian Dr. Eamon Phoenix speak about the return of Stormont

This is a post show talk of 'Epiphany' at Galway International Arts Festival 2019. It features moderator Miriam Haughton, Lecturer in Drama at NUI Galway; writer Brian Watkins, director Garry Hynes and cast members Marie Mullen and Bill Irwin.

An icon and a trailblazer, Garry Hynes is director with a global reputation for excellence. Here, she talks about directing her first play in 5th class, the founding of Druid, the impact of Tom Murphy on the company, her time at the Abbey, becoming the first woman to win the Tony Award for Best Director, and how central the Druid ensemble has been to the work. It’s the Rise Productions: Irish Theatre Podcast, Series 2, Episode 50 – Enjoy!

Waiting for Godot is a play by the Irish writer Samuel Beckett that revolutionised 20th century theatre when it was first performed more than 60 years ago. Often referred to as a play in which nothing happens, it is about two characters who spend their time waiting for a mysterious person called Godot who never appears. Today it is one of the world's most important and best- known plays and has become a comment on our political and social climate, as its themes of hope and despair have led to it being re-interpreted in a number of conflict situations around the world, from South Africa to Sarajevo. Joining Rajan Datar is the South African theatre director Benjy Francis who was the first to stage Waiting for Godot with an all-black cast in Apartheid South Africa in 1976, the Irish theatre director Garry Hynes whose current production of Waiting for Godot is at the Edinburgh International Festival, and Professor of theatre at Reading University, Anna McMullan, who is also co-Director of the Beckett International Foundation. Photo:The Druid Theatre Company's production of Waiting for Godot (Matthew Thompson).

On this episode of Sparking Change, Dil is joined by photographer Brian Teeling to discuss his latest exhibition, Uncover, which has recently finished in Dublin, and will be at The Lavit Gallery in Cork from the 2nd–9th of August (more info here). Uncover will feature over fifty portraits of subjects drawn from a diverse cross-section of Irish LGBT+ life. The subjects of the exhibition are drawn from all walks of Irish society and include politicians, musicians, artists, activists and unsung heroes. Figures include: Senator Fintan Warfield; theatre director, Garry Hynes; drag artist, Veda Beaux Reeves; and broadcaster and designer, Brendan Courtney. Funds raised through the sale of the prints, will go towards Gay Switchboard Ireland, accompanied by the sale of limited edition Gay Switchboard Ireland merchandise (to be sold in a pop-up shop at Hen’s Teeth Prints). Founded in 1974, Gay Switchboard Ireland is the oldest LGBT+ community service in the Republic of Ireland. The helpline has seen an increase in calls since 2015. Currently, the organisation relies solely on the goodwill of the community it serves to stay in operation. As well as Uncover, Brian and Dil discuss further improvements that can be made for LGBTQI+ rights post the marriage quality referendum, the HIV crisis amongst young gay men in Ireland and how sex education needs to be improved to help combat this, the arrival of the Pope, and Brian’s way of protesting, and Brian’s experience of talking to his mother about the Abortion referendum this year. Dil also advises on renting children! See Brian’s work here and here, and be sure to see Uncovered in the Lavit Gallery, Cork from Thursday the 2nd until Saturday the 11th of August!

Sean Doyle is a Dublin-based actor well known on the Irish stage and screen. Sean has just been cast alongside Tommy Tiernan and a host of other theatre stars in The Druid Theatre Company’s production of Sive at The Gaiety Theatre which will be directed by Irish Theatre legend Garry Hynes. Sean has also appeared […] La entrada Sean Doyle plays Personality Bingo with Tom Moran se publicó primero en Headstuff.

Thursday 3 May 2012It’s the 6 month anniversary of the podcast, and we’re celebrating it with the brilliant Frank Laverty. We chat about discovering his love for the business in rural Donegal, his time training at the prestigious Gaiety School of Acting, being offered a year-long contract at the Abbey Theatre by Garry Hynes, his role in hit RTE drama “On Home Ground,” recent successes at the Old Vic in London, and the Abbey’s forthcoming production of Tom Murphy’s “The House.” It’s episode 26 of the Rise Productions: Irish Theatre Podcast – Enjoy!

Frank reviews the Westminster Choir concert and Waiting for Godot from the 2017 Spoleto Festival USA. Read Full Dispatch > There are few settings in Charleston more idyllic for a concert than the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul. Watching the late afternoon light as it slants through the windows on the west side of the sanctuary, with the stained glass behind the altar providing a dramatic backdrop to the Westminster Choir in their evening attire, you feel like you’re in for a special experience, and indeed, you are. The Westminster Choir has been the Choir in Residence at the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston for many years, since the days when the ensemble was led by the legendary Joseph Flummerfelt. Upon Flummerfelt’s retirement, Joe Miller assumed the role, and he continues the tradition of presenting sublime a cappella concerts in that special hour before a late spring evening gets underway. Miller has distinguished himself by programming especially thoughtful and inventive choral performances, and the concert I attended on Memorial Day is a perfect example of his approach. Contemporary settings of sacred texts in Latin formed the bookends of the first part of the concert. “Lux surgit aurea” – “See the golden sun arise” – by Bernat Vivancos harkens back to medieval chant and Renaissance polyphony at the opening and close, but in the middle enters an ethereal, contemporary realm. On the far side of the concert program, “Laudibus in Sanctis” – “Celebrate the Lord Most High” – by Ugis Praulins had dramatic shifts in mood propelled by driving rhythms reminiscent of Carl Orff. In between there was an Abendstandschen, or Evensong, by Johannes Brahms that featured his characteristically rich choral writing, and a setting by Kile Smith of the words of the Apollo 8 astronauts on Christmas Eve of 1968 which was made otherworldly by the use of hand bells and the resonant droning of high soprano voices. There was also an infectious pair of folk hymns, sung in the distinctive, American 18 th century shape note style of singing. These were sung by a subset of the choir separating from the group and assembling in the crossing between the transepts of the cathedral; and a stirring spiritual, “Yonder Come Day,” with alto soloists Taria Mitchell and Pauline Taumalolo, as well as percussion provided by choir members using a tambourine and a broom handle. Paul Crabtree’s “Death and Resurrection” brought us back to the present day. It concludes with a haunting Shaker text: “Do all your work as though you had a thousand years to live/And as you would if you knew you must die tomorrow.” The second part of the program consisted of the American folk tunes in choral arrangements that have become a signature of the Westminster Choir, including the nostalgic “Shenandoah.” I have never been to concert by this choir at the festival that hasn’t received a standing ovation at the end, and this one was no exception. In exchange, we were rewarded with two encores, one of them an apt and exquisite setting of the standard, “I’ll Be Seeing You.” The choir repeats the program on Saturday, June 3 rd . Playwright Samuel Beckett’s absurdist masterpiece Waiting for Godot has attracted legendary performers, from familiar movie character actors Tom Ewell and Burt Lahr in the first U.S. production, to comic icons Steve Martin and the late Robin Williams, and more recently distinguished knighted thespians Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan. No doubt the attraction for performers is the challenge of keeping an audience engaged over two and a half hours of theater where the meaning can be elusive, though the rewards are plentiful. By turns bawdy and poetic, and frequently hilarious, in one sense the play isn’t all that mystifying when taken at face value as a rumination on existence. The cast of this production from Ireland’s Druid Theater is more than up to the challenge. In their tattered costumes, and with their distinct physical types, they have some of the pathos of silent film comedians, but with their broad physical humor, exaggerated stances, heightened gestures and manic expressions, they seem like Warner Brothers cartoon characters come to life. The team of director Garry Hynes and designer Francis O’Connnor, who worked such magic with the Festival production of the Vivaldi opera Farnace, deliver another visually rich experience with this play. To borrow a recurring bit of dialogue between Vladimir and Estragon: “Is this a good thing?” “It will pass the time.” To which I would add, “It will pass it very well.” Waiting for Godot has numerous performances through the end of the festival at the Dock Street Theatre. Check the schedule at spoletousa.org for show dates and times.

Frank reviews two productions from the 2017 Spoleto Festival USA: the U.S. premiere of Vivaldi’s most popular opera, and the return to Charleston of an internationally acclaimed flamenco dance company. Read Full Dispatch > This WDAV Dispatch from Spoleto reviews two productions from the 2017 festival: the US premiere of a once-celebrated, now obscure opera; and the return to Charleston of an internationally acclaimed flamenco dance company. Antonio Vivaldi is one of my favorite composers, but like most classical music lovers, I know him primarily because of his instrumental concertos, with the set known as The Four Seasons his most familiar and ubiquitous. Yet during his career, Vivaldi enjoyed far more success as an opera composer, and of his more than forty operas, Farnace enjoyed the greatest popularity. So I really looked forward to seeing and hearing my first Vivaldi opera, and the Spoleto Festival USA production running at the Dock Street Theater did not disappoint, with a staging and performance that matched Vivaldi’s music in energy, invention and sheer beauty. The libretto is the opera’s weakest point. The title character is the defeated King of Pontus, who orders his wife to kill their son and then herself rather than subject to humiliation and slavery at the hands of the Roman conquerors. So it’s hard to warm up to this character, to say the least. And his captured sister, the beautiful Selinda, seduces two enemy suitors in order to turn them against their leaders and win her freedom, as well as restore her brother to the throne. By the time all the conflict is resolved happily in the final act, the abruptness of the resolution drew laughter from the festival audience that I’m certain wasn’t the intent of librettist Antonio Lucchini. But Vivaldi’s music helps you overlook the problems with the story. As in his concertos, the composer finds seemingly infinite variety within the strict formulas of Baroque opera, and his writing, for both voices and orchestra, conveys drama and atmosphere magnificently. The exuberance of military victory; the heartbreak of a father’s grief when he believes his child is dead; and the exquisite longing of an unfulfilled lover; all of these situations and many more are vividly realized in the score. Every element of this production serves the opera beautifully, beginning with the exceptional cast. The audience is treated to the rare spectacle (in modern times, at any rate) of two counter-tenor roles: Anthony Roth Costanzo as Farnace, and Nicholas Tamagna as the Roman general Pompeo. Both sing with startling brilliance, and Costanzo manages the near impossible by making us care about Farnace in the heart-rending aria that closes the first act. As the warrior queen Berenice, contralto Kiera Duffy has a stage presence to match her commanding voice, and she masterfully utilizes the flowing headdress given her by costumer Terese Wadden. And soprano Augusta Caso is sensuous and touching in the role of Berenice’s captain Gilade (a role originally written for a male castrato singer, but in this staging turned unambiguously into a female character). All of the singers act as well as they vocalize, and often do it while sitting, on their knees, and at one point in Farnace’s case, lying face down in grief. Stage director Garry Hynes arranges stunning tableau, and the set design by Francis O’Connor uses spare, simple elements to great effect. A lamp flown down from the above the stage creates Selinda’s prison cell in its shaft of light; a suspended portrait of Farnace draped in black evokes his monument; and the backdrop of an ocean receding into the horizon that’s visible throughout the performance captures as many shades and colors as Vivaldi’s music. The Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra handles the particular demands of the Baroque score deftly under the direction of David Peter Bates, who conducts from the harpsichord. They fill the Dock Street Theater with sound when necessary, but never overpower the singers, and at other times quiet to a thrilling hush that lets the voices shine with subtler emotions. Farnace has four more performance during the festival on June 2 nd , 5 th 7 th and 9 th . Details are at spoletousa.org . Regrettably, the presentation by the Maria Pagés Company performed on only two consecutive days early in the festival. But if you ever come across this ensemble again, it will be well worth your while to catch it. Their program Yo, Carmen – “I, Carmen” – is an ode to womanhood in the fiery language of the flamenco music and dance of the Spanish gypsies. The character from Bizet’s opera (and some of the more familiar parts of its score) serve as reference points for a series of dance vignettes that also employ poetry, song and even a quasi-rap, “Todas las mujeres” – “All the Women.” The production is at once authentic and sophisticated, with the traditional aspects of flamenco blended with elements of modern dance and performance art. The meticulously designed and executed choreography is viscerally stimulating and visually stunning. It’s a shame it couldn’t have a longer run at the festival.

From Pozzo to Falstaff to Ross O'Carroll Kelly, actor Rory Nolan chats with Talks Coordinator Lisa Farrelly about his approach to Beckett, to character and the serious business of comedy. He talks of his beginnings in theatre, graduating straight to the stage and the RO'CKy road to #WaitingForGodot. The Druid Production of Waiting for Godot, directed by Garry Hynes, plays at the Abbey Theatre until 20 May 2017. Recorded at the Abbey Theatre on 3 May 2017 Sound Editor: Lisa Farrelly Sound Operator: Derek Conaghy

Ray Yeates on his role as Eoin  in Dermot Bolger’s The Parting Glass; Mike Farragher disccuses Icewagon FLU, Damien McGinty and The Glee Project, and Seamus Kelleher; Druid Theatre’s Garry Hynes on directing The Silver Tassie.  Tune of the week from Icewagon Flu!

Tony-winners, director Garry Hynes and actress Marie Mullen, on “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” Martin McDonagh's play about life in an Irish village. Also a "Broadway Update" about new musicals based on works of Michael Jackson and cartoonist Charles Addams.

The panel of theatre professionals -- playwright Michael J. Chepiga (Getting and Spending), choreographer Graciela Daniele (Ragtime), playwright/director Christopher Durang (Sex and Longing), director Garry Hynes (Best Director Tony Award for The Beauty Queen of Leenane), and director Joe Mantello (2003 for Best Direction for Take Me Out and 2004 for Assassins) -- discuss how they got their start, auditioning actors, controversy surrounding a play, and taking on alternate roles of choreographer, actor, or director.

The panel of theatre professionals - playwright Michael J. Chepiga ("Getting and Spending"), choreographer Graciela Daniele ("Ragtime"), playwright/director Christopher Durang ("Sex and Longing"), director Garry Hynes ("The Beauty Queen of Leenane"), and director Joe Mantello ("Corpus Christi") - discuss how they got their start, auditioning actors, controversy surrounding a play, and taking on alternate roles of choreographer, actor, or director.

With the "DruidSynge" circle of plays visiting briefly in the United States, director Garry Hynes describes the process of melding six works by John Millington Synge into a marathon theatrical event; talks about the founding and development of the Druid Theatre Company, her artistic home in Ireland; considers the effect of "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" and her Tony Award (the first for a woman director) on both the Druid and her own career; and surveys the current crop of up and coming Irish dramatists. Original air date - August 4, 2006.

With the "DruidSynge" circle of plays visiting briefly in the United States, director Garry Hynes describes the process of melding six works by John Millington Synge into a marathon theatrical event; talks about the founding and development of the Druid Theatre Company, her artistic home in Ireland; considers the effect of "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" and her Tony Award (the first for a woman director) on both the Druid and her own career; and surveys the current crop of up and coming Irish dramatists. Original air date - August 4, 2006.

With the "DruidSynge" circle of plays visiting briefly in the United States, director Garry Hynes describes the process of melding six works by John Millington Synge into a marathon theatrical event; talks about the founding and development of the Druid Theatre Company, her artistic home in Ireland; considers the effect of "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" and her Tony Award (the first for a woman director) on both the Druid and her own career; and surveys the current crop of up and coming Irish dramatists. Original air date - August 4, 2006.