Smock Alley Theatre, 1662 was the first custom built theatre in Dublin City and still remains in substantially the same form, making it one of the most important sites in European theatre history.
Smock Alley Theatre, 1662 was the first theatre outside London to receive the title of Theatre Royal, but, because it had been built on land reclaimed from the Liffey, the building was unstable and the gallery collapsed twice. It was rebuilt in 1735.
The theatre closed in 1787. The building was then used as a whiskey store until Father Michael Blake bought it to set up a church. When the bell tolled in 1811, 18 years before the Catholic Emancipation, the first Catholic bell to ring in Dublin in nearly 300 years was heard. The façade boasts ornate stained glass windows and the original ceiling plasterwork remain in the Smock Alley as a witness of this time.
After a six year renovation, Smock Alley Theatre, 1662 reopened its doors as Dublin’s oldest newest theatre in May 2012. With three gorgeous venues, Smock Alley is the perfect place to spend a cultural evening out. They partner with many arts and cultural festivals to welcome audiences, engage with artists and create exciting cultural events. From Dublin Theatre Festival to First Fortnight and from IMRAM to the Irish literature Festival these partnerships are a vital part of their annual programme.
- The Burke Sisters
SummerThe Burke Sisters Basement Productions present The Burke Sisters, written by Derek Murphy and directed by Billy Mangan, in Smock Alley Theatre.
- Friends From The West End
SummerFriends From The West End This June, a brand-new theatrical experience comes to Cork and Dublin. FRIENDS FROM THE WEST END is an original musical revue featuring three acclaimed West End performers who have starred in some of London’s most iconic productions.
- The Grönholm Method
SummerThe Grönholm Method The Grönholm Method, a play by Jordi Galceran, has received several accolades, including the Premio Max SGAE Winner in 2005 and the Premio de la Crítica de Buenos Aires.
- Tom Lawrinson: Buried Alive (And Loving It)
SummerTom Lawrinson: Buried Alive (And Loving It) Tom Lawrinson: Buried Alive (And Loving It) presented by A Lovely Time. A Lovely Time have been putting on live events in Manchester and beyond for over a decade and tour all over the UK.
- Bum Notes: The Improvized Musical & Auto-Correbt
SummerBum Notes: The Improvized Musical & Auto-Correbt Bum Notes (and a very special guest) are back in Smock Alley with a 4th of July improvized musical! And no it won’t be about Hamilton… well it could be. It is improv after all.
- Mosaic
SummerMosaic Following on from a Dublin Fringe run and a Fishamble New Writing Award nomination, Louis Deslis brings his show Mosaic, back to Smock Alley where it all started. A Franco-Irish tale of craic, joie de vivre, and everything in between.
- Bunny Bunny
SummerBunny Bunny Sometimes it’s hard to be a Bunny. After critically acclaimed runs at Camden Fringe, Thess Fringe and Smock Alley Theatre Dublin, Nora Kelly Lester’s Bunny Bunny returns to Smock Alley this July.
- A Misanthrope
SummerA Misanthrope Sugarglass & Smock Alley Theatre in association with Once Off Productions present the Irish Premiere of American Playwright Matt Minnicino’s Helen Hayes Award nominated adaptation, A Misanthrope.
