Druid to name auditorium after Mick Lally

The auditorium at the Druid Theatre in Galway is to be named after the late actor Mick Lally.

The announcement was made this morning by Druid artistic director Garry Hynes who outlined the theatre’s vision for the future.

Lally, who was best known for his role as Miley in Glenroe, died in 2010. He was one of the founding members of the Druid Theatre in 1975 along with Hynes and the actress Marie Mullen.

The official naming ceremony for The Mick Lally Theatre will take place during an event in the theatre in Galway in November.

Peggy, his wife, and his daughter Saileog were there for the announcement this morning.

The cornerstone of what Hynes described as a “statement of ambition” will be Tom Murphy’s new play Brigid which will premiere next year.

It will be a prequel to his play Bailegangaire, his story about three feuding women, a grandmother and two granddaughters.

The Druid Theatre staged its biggest project to date, DruidMurphy, last year.

Hynes said The Colleen Bawn by Dion Boucicault will be the company’s flagship touring programme next year. She said the Druid hoped to plan its touring schedule not just from year-to-year but on a multi-annual basis in conjunction with the Arts Council.

The production will tour the Black Box Theatre Galway, the Hawkswell Theatre Sligo, the Gaiety Theatre Dublin, the Belfast Opera House and Lime Tree Theatre in Limerick.

Druid’s new major-scale project will be Mark O’Rowe’s new version of the four plays of the Henriad: Richard II, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2 and Henry V, currently titled The Irish Shakespeare Project which will premiere in association with the Lincoln Centre Festival in New York.

O’Rowe said this morning he had been given “carte blanche” to reimagine the plays and said his versions, which may not be four separate plays would not be as “respectful as previous adaptations”.

Druid will be inviting companies and/or individuals based in the west of Ireland to apply for six-week residency in Druid Lane with the proviso that they must stage a week of public performances.

Hynes also announced that a Druid ensemble cast will be set up over the coming year.