The Lyric Theatre, or simply The Lyric, is the principal, full-time producing theatre in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. 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 The Malone Road () is a radial road in Belfast, Northern Ireland, leading from the university quarter southwards to the affluent suburbs of Malone and Upper Malone, each a separate electoral ward. The road runs parallel to the Lisburn Road and i ...

, 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 William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on ''The I ...

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 ''Dancing at Lughnasa'' is a 1990 play by dramatist Brian Friel set in County Donegal in Ulster in the north of Ireland in August 1936 in the fictional town of Ballybeg. It is a memory play told from the point of view of the adult Michael Eva ...

'' in 1996 and 2015. A number of

Marie Jones Sarah Marie Jones (born 1951) is a Belfast-based actress and playwright. Born into a working-class Protestant family, Jones was an actress for several years before turning her hand to writing. Her plays have been staged on Broadway as well as ...

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 Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as ...

''. 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 James Martin Pacelli McGuinness ( ga, Séamus Máirtín Pacelli Mag Aonghusa; 23 May 1950 – 21 March 2017) was an Irish republican politician and statesman from Sinn Féin and a leader within the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) during ...

, 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 ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

noting the Lyric was a cultural bridge in a divided city.

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 The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ga, Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ') is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after it was reform ...

, not the BBC and that the committee had "slurred organisations and individuals."

Productions

* ''Propoganda'', 2022, by

Conor Mitchell Conor Mitchell is a Northern Irish composer, librettist and theatre-maker. His play, ''The Dummy Tree'', was commissioned by the Royal National Theatre for their 2009 New Connections series. Conor has been a great supporter of Youth Music Theatr ...

* ''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 Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes and Richard Demarco. The Traverse Theatre company commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary p ...

) * ''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 The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the p ...

and

Soho Theatre The Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, in London, England. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three performance spaces. The the ...

) * ''Demented'', 2014, by Gary Mitchell * ''Mistletoe & Crime'', 2014, by

* ''Can't Forget About You'', 2013, by David Ireland * ''Love, Billy'', 2013, by Graham Reid * ''The Man Jesus'', 2013, by

Matthew Hurt Matthew Christopher Hurt (born April 20, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. High school career Hurt attended John Marshall High S ...

* ''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

* ''Merry Christmas Betty Ford'', 2005, by

* ''The Snow Queen'', 2005, by Richard Croxford * ''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 the Belfast City'', 1989, by

Christina Reid Christina Reid (12 March 1942 – 31 May 2015) was an Irish playwright. Life Reid was born in North Belfast. She left school in 1957 and married in 1963. She enrolled at Queen's University Belfast in 1981 but winning a BBC playwrighting competit ...

* ''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

* ''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 Patrick Galvin (15 August 1927 – 10 May 2011) was an Irish poet, singer, playwright, and prose and screenwriter born in Cork's inner city. Biography Galvin was born in Cork in 1927 at a time of great political transition in Ireland. His moth ...

* ''Old Days'', 1981, by

Frank Dunne Lawrence Francis Dunne (1898 – 23 December 1937), generally known as "Frank" but also as "Beau" was an Australian cartoonist, born in Boorowa, near Harden, New South Wales. While apprenticed as a process-engraver in 1914, at the outbreak ...

* ''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 Dominic Behan ( ; ga, Doiminic Ó Beacháin; 22 October 1928 – 3 August 1989) was an Irish songwriter, singer, short story writer, novelist and playwright who wrote in Irish and English. He was also a socialist and an Irish republican. Born i ...

* ''The Rise and Fall of Barney Kerrigan'', 1977, by

* ''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 Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Theatres in Belfast