• Source: Lyric Theatre, Belfast

The Lyric Theatre, or simply The Lyric, is the principal, full-time producing theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In January 2023 it won The Stage's Theatre of the Year award in recognition of "its programme...as well as for its online festival of skills development sessions... and the their work to attract under-represented audiences through LGBT+ productions, as well as for their extensive education and outreach programme."
The theatre's current Executive Producer is Jimmy Fay, previously the founder and Artistic Director of Bedrock Productions.




History


The theatre was first established as The Lyric Players in 1951 at the home of its founders Mary O'Malley and her husband Pearse in Derryvolgie Avenue, off the Malone Road, and moved to its new site on Ridgeway Street in 1968, between the Stranmillis Road and Stranmillis Embankment. Austin Clarke laid the foundation stone in 1965 a deliberate choice by O'Malley to build a link back to her artistic hero W. B. Yeats.
In 1974 the theatre staged Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar, leading to protests. In 1976 Liam Neeson appeared in Brian Friel's Philadelphia Here I Come!. Neeson's association with the Lyric has continued since, and he is currently the theatre's patron. Several of Friel's plays have been staged at the theatre, including Dancing at Lughnasa in 1996 and 2015. A number of Marie Jones plays have been staged there including A Very Weird Manor.
In 2004 the theatre announced a fundraising campaign to redevelop the theatre on its existing site. In June 2007 a £1m donation by Northern Irish businessman Dr Martin Naughton kickstarted the development. Naughton's donation was the largest in Northern Ireland arts history. He had previously made donations to Queen's University, where the Naughton Gallery is named in his honour.




New Lyric Theatre


The new theatre, designed by O'Donnell & Tuomey, opened on 1 May 2011, with a Gala Performance of The Crucible. The new facility features a new main theatre with a seating capacity of almost 400 and a multi-function performance space 'The Naughton Studio' which can seat between 120 and 170. This new theatre was an almost threefold increase in the size of the previous building and the theatre remains the largest employer of actors and other theatre professionals in the region.
The Lyric's current Chair is Sir Bruce Robinson who took over in January 2015 from BBC Northern Ireland journalist Mark Carruthers, who received an OBE at Buckingham Palace on 25 March 2011, in recognition of his leadership of the theatre at a highly critical time in its development.
Since the theatre re-opened a permanent exhibition of the work of Belfast-born visual artist Colin Davidson (artist) has been on display at the theatre where he personally presented his work to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the President of Ireland during the Royal visit to Northern Ireland on 27 June 2012. This was the occasion, and the Lyric was the chosen site, for a public meeting between Queen Elizabeth II and Martin McGuinness, Deputy First Minister for the Northern Ireland Assembly and a former commander of the IRA. The event is viewed by many as a positive sign for the ongoing peace process in Northern Ireland.
In October 2018, as part of the theatre's 50th anniversary on the Stranmillis site, that theme of being "a shared place, a crossroads between communities" was marked at a symposium and over a weekend of celebratory events with the Irish Times noting the Lyric was a cultural bridge in a divided city.
In 2023 the theatre reported an overall annual audience of over 90,000 people and having engaged close to 13,000 school children as part of the Creative Learning programme.




Controversy


A Stormont investigation found that there were serious failing in the selection of a preferred bidder for the new Lyric Theatre building. The report stated that the way in which the contract was awarded was significantly flawed and failed to adhere to principles of good practice. Chairwoman of the Public Accounts Committee Michaela Boyle said: "The quality of the rebuilt Lyric Theatre is undisputed; we recognise that it is a highly impressive theatre and that it has deservedly won a number of prestigious awards. However, the end does not justify the means. My committee has found that there were significant departures from good practice."
A year after Stormont's PAC reported, then finance minister Simon Hamilton suggested that if the committee had actually found evidence of fraud the people they should be speaking to are the PSNI, not the BBC and that the committee had "slurred organisations and individuals."




Productions


The Tragedy of Richard III, 2024, by William Shakespeare
The Pillowman, 2024, by Martin McDonagh
Cailíní, 2024, by Íde Simpson and Beth Strahan (with ABLAZE productions)
Little Women, 2024, by Louisa May Alcott
The Beauty Queen of Leenane, 2023, by Martin McDonagh
Romeo and Juliet, 2022, by William Shakespeare, adapted by Anne Bailie
Propaganda, 2022, by Conor Mitchell
Rough Girls, 2021, by Tara Lynne O'Neill it was later filmed for BBC Four
The Border Game, 2021 (with 2022 remount), by Michael Patrick and Oisín Kearney (with Prime Cut Productions)
Crocodile Fever, 2019, by Meghan Tyler (with Traverse Theatre)
The Alternative, 2019, by Michael Patrick and Oisín Kearney
Here Comes The Night, 2016, by Rosemary Jenkinson
Smiley, 2016, by Gary Mitchell
Death of a Comedian, 2015, by Owen McCafferty (with Abbey Theatre and Soho Theatre)
Demented, 2014, by Gary Mitchell
Mistletoe & Crime, 2014, by Marie Jones
Can't Forget About You, 2013, by David Ireland (with Tron Theatre)
Love, Billy, 2013, by Graham Reid
The Man Jesus, 2013, by Matthew Hurt
Molly Wobbly's T*t Factory, 2012, by Paul Boyd
The Civilisation Game, 2012, by Tim Loane
White Star of the North 2012, by Rosemary Jenkinson
The Absence of Women, 2010, by Owen McCafferty
Santa Claus .. What the Reindeer Saw, 2008
To Be Sure, 2007, by Tim Loane
1974, 2006, by Damian Gorman
Merry Christmas Betty Ford, 2005, by Conor Mitchell
The Snow Queen, 2005, by Hans Christian Andersen, adapted by Richard Croxford
A Very Weird Manor, 2005, by Marie Jones
Paradise, 2004, by Alan McKee
McCool XXL, 2002, by Paul Boyd
Marching On, 2000, by Gary Mitchell
The Butterfly of Killybegs, 2000, by Brian Foster
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 1998, by Paul Boyd
Getting the Picture, 1998, by David Pownall
Tearing the Loom, 1998, by Gary Mitchell
To Hell with Faust", 1998, by Zoë Seaton
Drive On!, 1996, by Bill Morrison
The Desert Lullaby: A Play in Two Acts, 1996, by Jennifer Johnston
Lengthening Shadows, 1995, by Graham Reid
Hidden Curriculum (revival), 1994, by Graham Reid
Galloping Buck Jones, 1994, by Ken Bourke (playwright)
Pictures of Tomorrow, 1994, by Martin Lynch
The Private Picture Show, 1994, by Owen McCafferty
How Many Miles to Babylon?, 1993, 2014, by Jennifer Johnston
Round the Big Clock, 1992, by John Boyd
Pygmies in the Ruins, 1991, by Ron Hutchinson
Rough Beginnings, 1991, by Robert Ellison
Charlie Gorilla, 1989, by John McClelland
The Belle of Belfast City, 1989, by Christina Reid
Culture Vultures, 1988, by Robin Glendinning
Summer Class, 1986, by John Boyd
Minstrel Boys, 1985, by Martin Lynch
Northern Star, 1984, by Stewart Parker
Remembrance, 1984, by Graham Reid
Castles in the Air, 1983, by Martin Lynch
Indian Summer, 1983, by Jennifer Johnston
Tea in a China Cup, 1983, by Christina Reid
Kingdom Come, 1982, by Stewart Parker
Speranza's Boy, 1982, by John Boyd
The Interrogation of Ambrose Fogarty, 1982, by Martin Lynch
Dockers, 1981, by Martin Lynch
My Silver Bird, 1981, by Patrick Galvin
Old Days, 1981, by Frank Dunne
Victims, 1981, by Eugene McCabe it was later filmed for RTÉ
Dark Rosaleen, 1980, by Vincent Mahon
Facing North, 1979, by John Boyd
Európé, 1978, by Dominic Behan
The Rise and Fall of Barney Kerrigan, 1977, by Frank Dunne
The Street, 1977, by John Boyd
The Rise and Fall of Barney Kerrigan, 1977 by Frank Dunne
It Would Be Funny..., 1975, by Tom Coffey (playwright)
Guests, 1974, by John Boyd
We Do It For Love, 1974, by Patrick Galvin
The Last Burning, 1974 by Patrick Galvin
Nightfall to Belfast, 1973, by Patrick Galvin
The Farm, 1972, by John Boyd
The Lads, 1972, by Joe O'Donnell
The Flats (Belfast 1971), 1971, (1984) by John Boyd
Lá Fhéile Míchíl, 1963, by Eoghan Ó Tuairisc
Happy as Larry, 1947, by Donagh MacDonagh, staged at Dublin's Abbey Theatre




References






External links


Media related to Lyric Theatre, Belfast at Wikimedia Commons

Official website

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

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• RMS Titanic
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