Certificate in Directing for Theatre

The Level 7 Certificate in Directing for Theatre in Maynooth University is a part time course that runs every second Saturday from October to May each year. Each year the course attracts students from the amateur drama circuit, youth theatre sector, fringe, university and college drama societies, and professional actors who would like to develop directing skills.

It offers practical training in theatre directing and is facilitated by professional directors from the Irish, UK and US theatre. The course is coordinated by Peter Hussey of Crooked House Theatre Company, and is taught by Sebastian Harcombe (former Head of Acting at RADA, Drama Centre and Drama Studio, London), Louise Lowe (Anu Productions and Abbey Theatre), John O’ Hagan (Performing Arts Department Head at Lindenwood University, Professor of Theatre and the Creative Arts and Communications Division Director at Principia College, and Assistant Professor of Theatre at the University of Wyoming), Bairbre Ní Chaoimh (freelance director), Anna Galligan (Carlow Youth Theatre and Carlow Institute of Performing Arts), and Mary Linehan (former Kildare Couty Arts Office and co-founder of Smashing Times Theatre).

It focuses on methods, tips and techniques, application of theory and practice. Working with actors; Introduction to Stanislavski; Introduction to Viewpoints; Actioning and working with text; Devising new material for performance; Introduction to Physical Composition and Movement Theory; Site specific and site-responsive theatre; Scene study; Physical Comedy; Auditioning and Rehearsal.

This course is aimed at the following potential students.

• Mature students who wish to train for the theatre industry in Ireland and who would like to be prepared for further study in the field of directing.
• Those who wish to explore the field to discover if they wish to make a career in it. In this sense the Certificate serves as a skills-based training course for new directors.
• Those in the amateur youth theatre and community theatre sectors, who wish to formalise their experience into specific training, acquire accreditation and gain additional skills by doing so.
• Those who are emerging directors in the professional theatre and who wish to gain specific skills and to acquire accreditation.

An easy payment plan is available upon registration.  For Application contact :