About Us
The Gaiety School of Acting, The National Theatre School of Ireland, was founded in 1986 by the internationally renowned theatre director Joe Dowling, in response to the lack of full time actor training programmes in Ireland at that time. The school is now widely regarded as the country’s premier training facility for actors.
Our policy is to train actors for theatre, film and television. The school offers a two-year intensive acting programme and an extensive selection of part-time and tailored courses for adults, teenagers, children and overseas students.
Through a committed and dedicated staff, the school has developed and expanded to its current position where over 2000 students are involved in a wide range of courses from our intensive two year full time actor training programme to a range of courses available to students from overseas. These include The Original Theatre Project, our one-month Irish Theatre Summer School and our three-week January or May Irish Theatre programmes.
Writers the school is proud to have commissioned include Marina Carr, Gavin Kostick, Alex Johnston, Ken Bourke, Sean McLaughlin, Mary Elizabeth Burke Kennedy, Lisa Harding, Roger Gregg, Michele Reid, Lally Katz, Lisa Tierney Keogh and Johanna Anderson. The full time actor-training programme boasts unprecedented graduate success with our actors appearing in all of Ireland’s theatres, in film and television nationally and internationally and in theatres across England including The Royal Shakespeare Company and The National Theatre in London. The school is based in the centre of Dublin city’s cultural quarter, Temple Bar. Our range of part time courses take place at other centres around the country.
Nationally and Internationally The Gaiety School of Acting is proud to be The National Theatre School of Ireland.
OUR FOUNDER: JOE DOWLING
Joe Dowling is widely known for his association with the Abbey Theatre, Ireland's main national theatre. He founded The Young Abbey, became the artistic director of the Peacock Theatre, and directed the Abbey from 1978 to 1985, being his tenure particularly remembered for the encouragement and development of new plays and young playwrights.
After leaving the Abbey, Mr. Dowling became managing and artistic director of Dublin's oldest commercial theatre, The Gaiety, where he founded and directed The Gaiety School of Acting. Since 1990 he has directed extensively in North America, where he has been appointed artistic director of the Guthrie Theatre since 1995. He is also a member of the artistic directorate of the Globe Theatre in London. Joe Dowling was Chairman of the Gaiety School of Acting until 2011. He remains on our Board.
OUR DIRECTOR: PATRICK SUTTON
Patrick Sutton is Director of Ireland’s premier drama school, The Gaiety School of Acting-The National Theatre School of Ireland. The school was founded by Joe Dowling in 1986. Joe, a former artistic director of The Abbey Theatre, Dublin is currently Director of The Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis and acts as Chairman of the school.
Trained at Dartington College of Arts, England, Patrick graduated in 1980 with an honours theatre degree. He has recently received his MA in Screenwriting from IADT. He has worked extensively as an actor in Ireland, England and France. Patrick is a former Director of Plymouth Action Community Theatre, The National Festival of Youth Theatres, Ireland, Wexford Arts Centre, and Artistic Director of TEAM Theatre Company.
In 1994, Patrick was chairman of the visual arts committee of the internationally acclaimed Beckett Festival produced by Dublin’s Gate Theatre. Patrick regularly teaches in USA and has taught at NYU, Julliard and at a range of other drama programmes across USA. Patrick is the director of COMMUNICATE, a communications company working at a senior level in politics, industry and the arts.
He was a government appointee to the board of The Irish Arts Council where he acted as chairman of the grants and business and finance subcommittees (1997-2005) From 2005-2009 he served on the board of Culture Ireland, the International Irish arts promotion agency. Patrick is a former Government appointee to the board of The Irish Museum of Modern Art. He is a former board member of Storytellers Theatre Company and The Project Arts Centre. He is currently a board member of The Lisa Richards Actors agency, The Arts for Peace Foundation, The Gaiety School of Acting and Smock Alley Theatre. Most recently he has been appointed to the Governing Authority of The Dublin Institute of Technology.
As a writer (Tony Barrow), he had his first two plays, ISCARIOT AND MAGDALEN presented at The Dublin International Fringe Festival with the former also playing in Boston, Washington DC and Atlanta in USA. In 2008, both ISCARIOT and MAGDALEN played at The International Festival of one-man plays in Chisinau, Moldova, and Eastern Europe.
FACILITIES
The school is based in the centre of Dublin city's cultural quarter, Temple Bar, on Essex Street West. The main studio spaces are located in the basement, ground floor and first floor. In the basement we also have a 90-seater black box studio space. The facilities include changing rooms, showers, common areas, meeting room, computer bank and library.
Studios are available for hire to outside groups from Monday to Sunday, 9am - 10pm. The spaces would be suitable for any type of classes, meetings or lectures and may be rented on a short or long-term basis.
For information about rates and availability, or to arrange a viewing, please contact us on 01 6799277, or email info@gaietyschool.com.
