January 2012 Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies to Take Centre Stage in New Degree Programme

An exciting new four-year degree programme has been officially launched by NUI Galway. The BA degree in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies is designed for students with a keen interest in all aspects of drama and performance. It is a world-class programme, providing a unique opportunity to study drama, theatre and performance from a practical, theoretical and historical perspective.

Students will benefit from the dynamic partnerships forged by NUI Galway with key arts organisations including Druid Theatre Company, the Galway Arts Festival and Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe. Also, throughout the year, the campus is a hot-bed for drama productions and related performance events. NUI Galway has an annual week-long theatre festival and regular performances by the popular DramSoc take place in theatres on campus, as well as in Galway’s Druid Theatre, and Black Box. Students also perform at the Galway’s Town Hall Theatre, which was recently named Ireland’s best theatre venue in the annual ERIC awards, and stages exciting productions throughout the year.

Teaching on the programme will take a variety of forms, from lectures and seminars to practical workshops, performances and internships. One of the most innovative features of the programme is its emphasis on putting learning into practice, through seminars in acting and directing, through workshops with professional theatre companies, and through the option of internships with arts organisations and professional placements in third-year.

“Our students benefit from the University’s unique combination of groundbreaking academic expertise, professional practice and access to some of Ireland’s leading artists. This new course is a wonderful opportunity for students to explore all aspects of performance from theatre to film, storytelling and new media”, commented the programme director, NUI Galway’s Patrick Lonergan.”

“With its fine tradition of student drama, its location in the West of Ireland and its proximity to the Gaeltacht, NUI Galway provides an ideal location for the study of Ireland’s diverse range of performance traditions - from the many innovative theatre companies of Galway city to séan nós singing, storytelling and dance traditions. Our programme builds on this diversity and aims to show that theatre takes a variety of forms - all of which expand our conception of what is possible in the world,” said Dr Lionel Pilkington, Head of the School of Humanities at NUI Galway.

Often referred to as Ireland’s cultural capital, Galway has a renowned reputation as an international centre for innovative drama, theatre and performance. The city has seen the establishment of several flourishing theatre companies whose founder members were students of the University. Among the most illustrious of our graduates are the three Druid Theatre Company founding members, Tony-Award-winning Director, Garry Hynes and the actors Marie Mullen and the late Mick Lally.

Garry Hynes has commented on the new course, saying: “Just as I, informally, took my first steps in the theatre in NUI Galway, I am now, through this programme looking forward to helping the emergence of the next generation of theatre makers from my alma mater.”

Recent graduates have gone on to achieve success with many leading theatres in Ireland and in London, joining such schemes as the Abbey Theatre’s New Playwrights’ Programme and the Rough Magic SEEDS project. In the last two years alone, NUI Galway graduates have won such awards as the PJ O’Connor Prize (RTÉ) and the JMK Trust award for finding Britain’s finest theatre directors.

The first intake of students for the new BA in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies will be in September 2012. Applications will be accepted via the CAO process, on which the new course code is GY118.

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                                                       Leagan Gaeilge

   Drámaíocht, Amharclannaíocht agus Taibhiú i lár an stáitse ar Chlár Nua Céime

Sheol OÉ Gaillimh clár nua spéisiúil céime ceithre bliana. Tá an chéim BA in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies leagtha amach do mhic léinn a bhfuil spéis ar leith acu i ngach gné den drámaíocht agus den taibhiú. Is clár den chéad scoth é, a chuireann deis uathúil ar fáil do mhic léinn staidéar a dhéanamh ar an drámaíocht, ar an amharclannaíocht agus ar an taibhiú ó pheirspictíocht phraiticiúil, theoiriciúil agus stairiúil.

Bainfidh mic léinn tairbhe as na comhpháirtíochtaí dinimiciúla atá cruthaithe ag OÉ Gaillimh le príomheagraíochtaí ealaíon amhail Compántas Druid, Féile Ealaíon na Gaillimhe agus Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe. Ina theannta sin, is iomaí léiriú drámaíochta agus imeacht eile a bhíonn ar siúl ar an gcampas i rith na bliana. Bíonn féile bhliantúil a ritheann ar feadh seachtaine ar siúl in OÉ Gaillimh agus, chomh maith leis sin, bíonn léirithe rialta ar siúl ag an DramaSoc sna hamharclanna ar an gcampas, in Amharclann an Druid agus sa Dubhlann. Bíonn mic léinn ar an stáitse chomh maith in Amharclann na Cathrach i nGaillimh, áit a ainmníodh le deireanas mar an t-ionad amharclainne is fearr in Éirinn ag na gradaim bhliantúla ERIC. Bíonn léirithe thar a bheith spéisiúil ar siúl san Amharclann seo ar feadh na bliana.

Beidh cineálacha éagsúla teagaisc ar siúl ar an gclár, léachtaí agus seimineáir, ceardlanna praiticiúla, léirithe agus intéirneachtaí san áireamh. Ar cheann de na gnéithe is nuálaí a bhaineann leis an gclár tá an bhéim a chuirtear ar an bhfoghlaim phraiticiúil, trí sheimineáir san aisteoireacht agus sa stiúradh, trí cheardlanna le comhlachtaí gairmiúla amharclannaíochta, agus trí intéirneachtaí le heagraíochtaí ealaíon agus socrúcháin oibre proifisiúnta sa tríú bliain.

“Baineann ár gcuid mac léinn tairbhe as an meascán uathúil atá san Ollscoil maidir le saineolas ceannródaíoch acadúil, cleachtas gairmiúil agus rochtain ar chuid de phríomhealaíontóirí na hÉireann. Is iontach an deis é an cúrsa nua seo do mhic léinn féachaint ar gach gné de léiriú ó amharclannaíocht go scannán, scéalaíocht go meán nua,” a deir stiúrthóir an chláir, Patrick Lonergan.

“In OÉ Gaillimh, tá traidisiún láidir drámaíochta i measc na mac léinn, táimid suite in Iarthar na hÉireann agus muid an-ghar don Ghaeltacht, agus mar gheall air seo ar fad is iontach an áit í OÉ Gaillimh le staidéar a dhéanamh ar thraidisiúin éagsúla taibhithe na hÉireann – ó na comhlachtaí nuálaíocha amharclannaíochta i gcathair na Gaillimhe agus an traidisiún a bhaineann le hamhránaíocht ar an sean-nós, scéalaíocht agus damhsa. Tógann an clár seo ar an éagsúlacht sin agus é mar aidhm leis a léiriú gur iomaí taobh a bhaineann leis an amharclannaíocht – agus go gcuireann siad ar fad leis an íomhá atá againn maidir le céard is féidir a bhaint amach sa saol,” a dúirt an Dr Lionel Pilkingtom, Ceann Scoil na nDaonnachtaí in OÉ Gaillimh.

Tugtar príomhchathair chultúir na hÉireann ar Ghaillimh go minic agus tá cáil ar an gcathair mar ionad idirnáisiúnta do dhrámaíocht, d’amharclannaíocht agus do thaibhiú nuálaíoch. Bunaíodh roinnt compántas drámaíochta sa chathair agus ba mhic léinn san Ollscoil a bhunaigh iad. I measc na gcéimithe is clúití atá againn tá an triúr a bhunaigh Compántas Druid, Garry Hynes, Stiúrthóir a bhuaigh gradam Tony, agus na haisteoirí Marie Mullen agus Mick Lally atá imithe ar shlí na Fírinne.

Labhair Garry Hynes faoin gcúrsa nua, a rá: “Díreach mar a thóg mise mo chéad chéimeanna, go neamhfhoirmiúil, san amharclannaíocht in OÉ Gaillimh, tá mé ag súil go mór anois le cabhrú leis an gcéad ghlúin eile teacht chun cinn ó mo alma mater tríd an gclár seo.”

Tá céimithe imithe ar aghaidh ag baint a gcáil amach in amharclanna clúiteacha in Éirinn agus i Londain, ag glacadh páirte i scéimeanna cosúil le Clár nua Drámadóirí Amharclann na Mainistreach agus tionscadal SEEDS de chuid Rough Magic. Le dhá bhliain anuas, tá céimithe de chuid OÉ Gaillimh tar éis gradaim ar nós Duais PJ O’Connor (RTÉ) a bhaint chomh maith le gradam an JMK Trust do na stiúrthóirí amharclainne is fearr sa Bhreatain.

Tosóidh na chéad mhic léinn ar an BA nua in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies i Meán Fómhair 2012. Glacfar le hiarratais tríd an CAO, agus is é GY118 cód an chúrsa nua.

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