News & Events

We are thrilled for Rough Magicians Brian Doherty and Philip Connaughton who were winners at the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards this year.

Brian Doherty won Best Actor for his performances as Agamemnon in Rough Magic’s Hecuba and as Dog in Red Kettle Theatre Company’s The Red Iron.

Congratulations also to Philip Connaughton who was awarded Best Movement Direction for his work on Rough Magic’s Much Ado About Nothing which premiered in Kilkenny Arts Festival before going on a nationwide tour of Ireland.

We are excited to announce the publication by Methuen of Rough Magic Theatre Company – New Irish Plays and Adaptations 2010-2018. Edited and with an introduction by Patrick Lonergan, Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at NUI Galway, with a foreword from Booker Prize-winning novelist Anne Enright – this book is an exciting snapshot of contemporary … Continued

In Rough Magic’s first autumn season in 1984, I was cast as Dull Gret in Top Girls by Caryl Churchill. I wore a medieval soldier’s breastplate, which was nice. The character was based on the mad figure of a woman invading hell, as painted by Breugel the Elder. The role required me to sit on … Continued

Highlights from the archives of Rough Magic, will be on display in the Long Room, Trinity until 15 January 2020.

Watch playwright Marina Carr explain what inspired her to write Hecuba, as actor Aislín McGuckin takes time out of rehearsals to describe what it’s like to play the fabled Queen of Troy. Get insights into Rough Magic’s production of Hecuba in this Q&A with director Lynne Parker. Hecuba will be performed as part of the Dublin … Continued

We are thrilled to announce our talented cast for the Irish premiere of Hecuba by Marina Carr. For this production, Rough Magic brings together some of the country’s most celebrated actors – who have already given us stellar performances – with a new generation of Ireland’s most exciting emerging talent; in a classic Rough Magic … Continued

Our cast are in the final week of rehearsals for our production of Much Ado About Nothing, soon to be opening under the stars at Kilkenny Arts Festival. In a rare break, director Ronan Phelan sat down for this interview to talk about the gender-swapping casting of Clare Barrett, setting the play in a mobile … Continued

After a successful run at the Kilkenny Arts Festival, Rough Magic is bringing its acclaimed modern staging of Much Ado About Nothing on a national tour. In this interview director Ronan Phelan explains why he decided to set it on the deck of a deluxe mobile home, the meaning behind those flaming pants in the … Continued

We’re delighted to announce our fabulous cast for Much Ado About Nothing; our return to Kilkenny Arts Festival. Venetia Bowe and Shane O’Regan will play the young lovers Hero and Claudio. Peter Corboy and Maeve Fitzgerald will be sparring as Benedick and Beatrice. Jack Mullarkey will play the scheming Don John, with Margaret McAuliffe as Margaret and Patrick … Continued

Congratulations to the 2018 Rough Magic team who walked away with the Best Ensemble trophy at the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards.