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Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
117
The teaching is intense and offers a high degree of individual
tuition. Acting students are expected to maintain a healthy
lifestyle in order to cope with the physical demands and stamina
required by the training.
While the course offers the possibility to meet theatre
practitioners on a regular and ongoing basis as well as the
possibility to tour theatres and recording studios, students are
encouraged and expected to widen and deepen their knowledge
of the contemporary theatre scene by attending professional
performances and related events. Being connected to the
professional theatre scene right from the beginning of training
is a crucial part of the student experience.
Only students who are fully committed to pursuing a career as a
professional actor should consider this course. Students who are
unsure of their career path at this stage should consider applying
for Drama Studies – TR001 or Drama and theatre studies –
TR025 (see page 51).
Course overview
This course trains students for careers in the professional
theatre and related industries. A strong emphasis is placed on
training the actor’s body as an instrument, as well as nurturing
the actor’s creative imagination. It is physically demanding and
requires a high level of stamina. Students take compulsory
developmental modules in Acting & text, Movement studies and
Voice studies in the first two years of the course. In the third and
final year of the course students will be cast in 5 productions,
1 short film and an audition showcase over the course of the
year which are performed in front of agents, directors, producers
and the general public.
The Freshman (first two) years
Students in the first two years of the course take compulsory
modules in Acting & text, Movement studies and Voice studies.
Teaching is by practical workshop and delivered by professional
practitioners. In addition there is considerable individual tuition to
supplement the workshops in all aspects of the course. Students
will also be introduced to the techniques of acting for recorded
media (film, radio, television). At the end of the Senior Freshman
(second) year students will combine all the skills developed over
the two years of training in their first ensemble production to an
invited audience.
The Sophister (third and final) year
Students will be cast in a series of 5 theatre productions,
directed by professional theatre directors. Each production will
have multiple performances over a 10-day period and will play
to invited agents, directors, producers, as well as the general
public. Further, students will be cast in a short film, directed
by a professional film director and filmed both on set and on
location. The films will receive a public screening. Students will
also perform an audition showcase before an invited audience
of agents and directors.
Assessment
Assessment in the Freshman years is based entirely on a
series of practical class presentations in all modules. In the
final Sophister year, assessment is by a series of public
performances.
The Lir – National Academy
of Dramatic Art
The Lir was developed by the partnership of the Cathal Ryan
Trust and Trinity College Dublin and opens its doors to the first
students in September 2011. It is formally associated with the
world-renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
The training offered by The Lir will be closely linked to the ever-
changing needs and directions of the theatre industry. The Lir
has also fostered close links with the allied professions of film,
television, radio and new media. The training will be provided
by professionals with extensive experience of the industry, in a
conscious effort to teach students from the outset the highest
level of international professional practice. The depth and
breadth of the training will be supplemented by guest lectures
and workshops from leading international figures of stage and
screen.
The training offered by The Lir will be in an exciting new
building at Grand Canal Dock, designed specifically for a range
of courses in acting, design, directing, lighting design, stage
management, technical theatre and playwriting. It will feature
a flexible black box studio with a seating capacity of more than
200, as well as 2 further performance studios, a dance studio,
technical workshop, and a range of flexible teaching spaces to
suit the training of The Lir’s young theatre practitioners.
Career opportunities
The course is specifically designed to train actors for the
theatre and related professions. All the training is provided by
dedicated theatre professionals with strong industry links. All of
the final year productions and showcases are designed to attract
employment opportunities for the students. There is a strong
emphasis in the training on career preparation, and students
will be taught not only how to work as an actor but also how to
sustain a career as an actor.
Further information
www.thelir.ie
Tel: +353 1 896 1550