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From The Press


Basic CMYK

On Smock Alley

Theatre Irish Times

‘The stage is intimate, bordered on three sides by immoveable seating banks for 200 people, each afforded generous sight lines (Sutton was determined nobody should be bothered by the back of another person’s head). Originating in the age of proscenium arch theatres and redesigned in an age of blackbox studios, the new Smock Alley belongs, intriguingly, to neither model. The lovingly exposed masonry might suggest it is in thrall to its past, but pine wood fittings indicate a more disposable present.’

-Peter Crawley
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Irish Theatre Magazine

‘Smock Alley Boys School is, perhaps, the most atmospheric theatre in the city. With its exposed brick, declining gangway and multi-storey viewpoints it brings to mind one of those Victorian Asylums where the public used to come to observe the mentally ill. Hence, it lends itself to plays that delve into the mind, that excavate fractured psyches and mount them as art.’

-Caomhan Keane
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Journal.ie

‘Smock Alley Theatre re-opening after 225 years….. More than 200 artefacts were discovered during excavation works in 2009 ahead of the site’s redevelopment, including wine bottles, clay pipe fragments, oyster shells and an actors’ wig curler.’

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Godotslider

On Waiting For Godot

Irish Independent

‘It simply seethes with an energy that perhaps runs counter to the downbeat struggle of the two tramps Vladimir and Estragon with the futility of existence. But, at the same time, it sheds new light on a work many of us are perhaps over-familiar with, throwing things previously unnoticed into relief…every detail is thoroughly fleshed-out, every drop of bleak portent wrung from each word, phrase, and situation.’

John McKeown
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No More Workhorse

‘This is one of the best productions of this play that I have seen and it is infused with an infectious energy. It is hard to inject new life into something as revered as Godot but Sutton and his team have managed to do just that.’

-Caomhan Keane
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The Public Reviews

‘This is a performance that allows the audience to hone in on the intricacies of Beckett’s language and leaves them with a lingering curiosity. With more questions asked than answered, Smock Alley Theatre’s Waiting for Godot is a true success.’

Ciara Murphy
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meg.ie

‘Straight from the outset Vladimir and Estragon, played by Charlie Hughes and Donal Courtney respectively, are absolutely bubbling over with energy right from the get-go; there is never a dull moment, never a silence, never stillness.’

Aisling Flynn
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On The Sylvia

Hi! Magazine

‘Structured in two acts that mirror and oppose each other, a times dramatic to the point of harshness a times hilarious, “The Sylvia” delivers. The dialogues are rapid and witty and the staging, although minimalistic, is effective. There is no need for fireworks. The two main protagonists, Barry (Delaney) and Sylvia (McNamee) are excellent throughout. McNamee’s rendering of the complexities of a character like Sylvia is impressive.’

Peppi O’Shea


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On Collapsing Horse’s MONSTER/CLOCK

The Irish Times

‘Smock Alley’s “boys school” theatre space is magical enough without the Collapsing Horse Theatre Company descending….Monster/Clock is a good old-fashioned tale, with dashes of Where The Wild Things Are and Madagascar, structured around a script with depth, smarts and lively comedy.’

Una Mullally
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On Pat Kinevane’s  
Silent

NY Times

‘But of course you can’t walk away. It’s a small theater you’re in, for one thing. And besides, there’s glitter in the folds of this blanket. It captures the light like stardust. You are, it seems, in the process of being hypnotized.’

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On The Life & Sort of Death of Eric Argyle

Irish Theatre Magazine

‘Fresh and spirited… poignant without becoming sentimental, seasoned generously with humour and populated by memorable characters. Life and death are the oldest of themes, but 15th Oak treats the subject with energy and originality, delivered with director Dan Herd’s adept touch.’

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Playboy of the Western World

Irish Times

‘Such attention to energetic display yields several enjoyably comic moments – a coin sliding along the bar in exchange for a drink, the village girls bouncing into Christy’s vacant bed’

-Peter Crawley
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On Tromluí Phinocchio

Irish Theatre Magazine

‘a cracking version of the little wooden boy who would by Galway’s Moonfish Theatre’

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On An Evening with Grand Guignol

Entertainment.ie

‘The Boys School at Smock Alley Theatre is the perfect setting for a good scare, with the vaulted church ceiling and old wall of the former building cutting an intimidating figure in the space.’

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On The Lark

Dublin Culture.ie

‘The Lark is set during trial of Joan of Arc, and tells a dramatised account of her life. It’s a good play in its own right but the greatest strength of this production by theatre company Fast Intent is the choice of venue, The Boys’ School in Smock Alley. The high ceiling, faded brick backdrop and hard wooden benches are well suited to the atmosphere of the play. Few productions are so fortunate (or so foresightful) as to have such a simple and effective ready-made setting.’

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On Heroin(e) for Breakfast

Quality Waffle.ie

‘A uniquely colourful play, which seems at once fantasy-like as well as showing the real dirt, drama and destruction caused by drug addiction; Heroin(e) is insightful, fun and quite intense – definitely something different to do with your afternoon!’

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On True West

Ramp.ie

‘In the lovely little studio theatre of Smock Alley, with a capacity of about seventy, the play takes place on a superbly designed set, leading the audience feeling an intimacy with the actors that is unusual in the theatre. We might as well be sitting in the kitchen with them.’

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