WELCOME TO THE 2009 SYNGE SUMMER SCHOOL

28 JUNE - 3 JULY 2009

LATEST NEWS, 12 March, 2009

The 2009 Synge Summer School will take place from 28 June to 3 July.

This theme is "Irish Theatre: 100 Years After Synge".

PROGRAMME NOW ONLINE!

Download an application form

Confirmed speakers to date include Mary Burke, Karen Fricker, Patrick Lonergan, P.J. Mathews, Aoife Monks, Joseph O'Connor, Lionel Pilkington, Alexandra Poulain, Paige Reynolds, Christina Reid, Billy Roche, and Melissa Sihra.

If you have queries about the programme, please feel free to contact Patrick Lonergan, the Director of the School at patrick.lonergan@nuigalway.ie

RECENT NEWS

We have recently added images to the Gallery

DruidSynge DVD now onsale

Old Synge Summer School website now online in our ARCHIVE

Irish Theatre, 100 Years After Synge

The year 2009 marks the hundredth anniversary of the death of JM Synge. This is an important event in Irish culture – one that provides us with a chance to move beyond commemoration, and to ask important questions about Irish theatre’s present and future. How is the legacy of Synge evident in contemporary drama – not only in Ireland but throughout the world? How can Irish theatre respond to the current sense of crisis in our society and economy? And what can the works of Synge and other Irish writers tell us about Ireland in the present?

This year’s JM Synge Summer School on Irish Drama aims to discuss these and many other vital questions.

As always, the works of Synge himself are an important part of the week’s events, but the School exists to explore and celebrate all kinds of Irish drama. We will be hearing about the works of many great writers: Brian Friel, Sean O’Casey, Marina Carr, Martin McDonagh, Conor McPherson, and many others.

We’re also introducing an exciting new series, called ‘Irish Writers in Conversation’, in which leading Irish dramatists will visit the School to talk about their work, their approach to writing, and their views on Irish theatre.

Participants in the School will have access to a wide range of other events. There will be talks on a range of topics by leading international scholars and critics. And there is a lively social programme too, which includes a visit to the Abbey Theatre, and a tour of Wicklow’s Synge Country – one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland.

The School is open to anyone with an interest in Irish drama. Every year, it is visited by a wide variety of people: teachers, university students and lecturers, broadcasters, publishers, theatre practitioners, people involved in amateur drama, and countless others – all of whom come to the School to share their enthusiasm for theatre-going. Our visitors come from all parts of Ireland, and from many different countries throughout the world.

Do feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the School, and don’t forget to log onto our website for regular updates about the programme

We look forward to welcoming you to Rathdrum for what promises to be a memorable week.

Patrick Lonergan, Director