ITW YOUNG DRAMATIC ARTS COMPANY
Young Dramatic Arts Theatre Company is the high quality Theatre Company established by ITW some years ago to identify talented young actors, directors and technicians and give them the opportunity to develop their skills. We are auditioning in September for our next production! To find out more... click here
Young Dramatic Arts Theatre Company is the high quality Theatre Company established by ITW over 20 years ago to identify talented young actors, directors and technicians and give them the opportunity to develop their skills. Membership is open to young people from 15 - 18 years of age with entry by audition.
Each Thursday evening there are acting workshops and rehearsals at ITW Studios, Clonskeagh.
Our Young Dramatic Arts Theatre Company year is divided into two sections.
The first part of the year from September to November is focussed on a Shakespeare production and is spent taking part in a number of diverse workshops and rehearsals from week to week. We believe in an education in all the different aspects of theatre making and therefore have workshops in areas such as set-design, lighting and sound, costume design as well as various acting technique workshops. We also welcome industry professionals in areas such as film, stage combat, accents, comedy etc.
From then we start work on our National Theatre Connections Festival Play – a new play every year, premiered in a Dublin Theatre in February/March and then in April at The Lyric Theatre, Belfast. We have been participating in the National Theatre Connections Festival for 15 years and it is a highlight of our year. Our Connections Festival 2021 entry (“Find a Partner” by Miriam Battye) was rehearsed and recorded fully online and we are grateful to the Connections Festival Committee for their encouragement and support.
The members are expected to be fully involved in every aspect of the process from choosing the plays to be produced, to operating and designing the lighting and sound, creating the sets and props, and working on stage and behind the scenes. They participate in youth theatre festivals at home and away, including the Senior Shakespeare Festival performance in the first part of the year and the group's entry to the Connections Festival in the latter part of the year. For this reason, a high level of commitment and enthusiasm is vital to retain a place in Young Dramatic Arts Theatre Company.
The company is run for and by the members and to this end a committee has been formed. The Theatre Company employ facilitators and directors to steer their work and they fund the Company through fundraising and sponsorship.
YDA is a fantastic training ground for young actors; many of our alumni have gone on to have successful careers as actors, directors, producers and playwrights! These include Shaun Dunne, Leanna Ní Chleirigh, Aaron Heffernan, Dan Colley, Jack Gleeson, Sarah Bradley, Mollie Molumby and Levi O’Sullivan
Senior Musical Theatre COMPANY
Our Senior Musical Theatre Company is open to ITW students in 3rd through 6th year. Book your place today to be sure of your role in this years Musical - watch this space for this years production!
Our elite performance company for 3rd - 6th year students
Rehearsals every Sunday 4pm - 6pm at ITW Clonskeagh
Join Our Elite Senior Musical Theatre Program for the 2026/27 season.
Our Senior Musical Theatre Company is where our most dedicated students put their ITW Dance and Drama training to the ultimate test: rehearsing and performing a full scale musical.
For the 2026/27 season, we are thrilled to announce that we’ll be performing the Tony Award winning musical Chicago. It will be performed in our studio space in March 2027. With our second show, an original musical review and competition, set to be performed in May 2027. We’re excited to use this opportunity to push our students to hone their performance skills, to work together as a company, and most importantly to put on a fantastic show. We hope to see you in rehearsals!
Our SMT Company Team
Joshua Brown - Director
Jordan Brown - Choreographer
Andrew Dawson - Musical Director
Class Requirements
Membership of weekly Dance and Creative Drama classes in ITW is essential for all students who wish to take Musical Theatre.
SMT requires a high level of commitment.
Additional rehearsals may be called as we approach the show date.
Students in the Senior Musical Theatre Company are expected to research their shows, characters, and composers, and to treat the rehearsal process professionally.
- ITW Members €220 per term -
Make sure you select Senior Musical Theatre when booking in for September
Junior Musical Theatre Company
Would you love to perform on stage, in a fully staged musical, in front of a live audience, surrounded by friends? Click here to find out more
Would you love to perform on stage, in a fully staged musical, in front of a live audience, surrounded by friends?
Then, you should consider joining our Junior Musical Theatre Company!
Every week we focus on rehearsing the scenes, choreography and staging of our chosen musical with a professional Choreographer, Director and Musical Director who are there to bring out the best in every single child.
Our productions are especially chosen and often specifically written and adapted to allow every child to have their opportunity to shine. With a limited company size there is the opportunity for every child to have plenty to do.
A high level of commitment and enthusiasm is required for this class as we work to bring our students to performance level. Students audition for leading roles and chorus parts in our chosen musical and then work each week rehearsing every element of the show; acting, singing and choreography. Students must be involved in a Drama and Dance class to be eligible to become involved in our Musical Theatre Programme. There will be auditions in early September so do select Musical Theatre on your registration form when re-booking for September classes to be considered for next years Company which will run from September to May.
Nearer to show day we design and paint our scenery and organize costumes and props. Our productions range from in-house performances for friends and family to full-scale productions in a professional theatre.
Having just completed our performances of Zero to Hero we are excited to be planning for our next production! And after an exciting first year of Drumcondra Musical Theatre with their production of Singing in the Rain Jr., we are delighted to continue our work in Drumcondra again this year. Both companies will perform Legally Blonde as the JMT 26/27 show.
Rehearsals are every Sunday during term time from 10-11.45am at ITW Studios, Clonskeagh or Monday evenings 6.30-8.15pm in Drumcondra - there will also be 3 full days - (to be confirmed in advance of term 3 starting) Excellent attendance at all ITW classes and rehearsals is required in order to be allowed to remain in the Company. This includes all rehearsals including bank holiday and full day rehearsals.
Our Musical Theatre training is among the best in the country and our students go on to perform professionally in theatres all over Dublin, Ireland and indeed the West End, including the shows staged by Festival Productions at the National Concert Hall every Christmas and the pantomimes at the Olympia, Gaiety, Abbey, Helix and Gate Theatres. Our graduates can be seen in leading roles and include the fabulous Al Porter, Ryan Andrews, George McMahon(Fair City, Limerick Panto), Ben Morris (Phantom West End, Beautiful, Commitments) Ciara Lyons (Legally Blonde, Gaiety Panto), Kathryn McKiernan (RTE, Freezin),Shane McDaid (Titanic, Madagascar West End), Clodagh Long (Commitments West End, Jeckyll and Hyde) Alison Dennan (Freezing, Cinderella), Ben Middleton (Matilda West End), David Crowley (Red Rock,Robin Hood) and more who star in the Olympia, Gaiety, Tivoli and Limerick Pantos and in the West End.
Register interest NOW - The fee is €220 per term for Clonskeagh and Drumcondra (Must also be involved in a Dance & Drama class to be eligible to join)*.
Our cast will also have the opportunity to take part in the MTI Junior Musical Theatre Festival in Birmingham, UK. (The festival is optional and at an additional cost - approx €350 inc flights, T-Shirt, Hoodie, the MTI Festival, coach in UK and accommodation further information below). To get a feel for the MTI Festival have a quick look at the video below in which we feature a number of times! Our group were in the Orange Squad so we are all in Orange tee shirts!
ITW Shakespeare Company
Our ITW Shakespeare Company have been awarded Gold School Status having taken part in The Shakespeare School Festivals for over 10 years. We have performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, Twelfth Night and Romeo & Juliet in recent years and we are delighted to have been selected again to participate in the Schools Shakespeare Festival 2023 - this time invited to perform in London.
"We are Such Stuff as Dreams are Made on........"
Our Shakespeare Company starts with a workshop in August and continues then up until our performances in November.
We will work together every week starting at the very beginning, de-mystifying Shakespeare up on our feet learning the nuts and bolts of Shakespeare’s work and language and culminating in performances live on stage in front of an audience of friends and family!
Our ITW Shakespeare Company have performed The Winters Tale, The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing and The Comedy of Errors in recent years and a non traditional production of A Midsummer Nights Dream via ZOOM in 2020. We also brought our Company to Shakespeare's Globe in London to see Much Ado About Nothing and The Comedy of Errors live on stage and to perform Merchant of Venice in Birmingham Old Rep with 2 days in Stratford doing workshops with the RSC and visiting Shakespeares Birthplace and School!
Our past cast members have also won awards for Shakespeare in many competitions including the SDToI Festival and Feis Maitiu. Our Grads have gone on to train professionally at top colleges including The LIR and RADA, and to perform professionally in Theatre, Film and Television too!
A high level of commitment is required and the rewards are huge!
Intensive rehearsals every Sunday from 12 to 2pm September to November.
A performance at The Sean O’Casey Theatre as part of our ITW Shakespeare Festival in mid November
A Day trip to London on to see a performance in The Globe Theatre, Southbank
An acting workshop with an Actor from The Globe
A Tour of The Globe Theatre London
The cost is €210 to participate in the home performance (Sept-Nov inc all workshops and rehearsals ) plus costs if you want to do the UK part too; flights, Tickets, Workshops etc approx €150 -will get best deals possible).
We encourage the parents to get on board to organise some fundraising activities (karaoke night/sponsored dramathon) to help pay for the costs in London and transport, costumes, props and so on. This is a collaborative project that everyone is expected to get involved with and support.
ITW Shakespeare Company is for ITW Members only. (You must be taking 2 or more classes per week including a Drama class)
“This was a meaningful and sensitive Merchant of Venice from a mature, committed company!” – Schools Shakespeare Festival November 2022
“Strong, energetic and dynamic – an accomplished and original production” –Schools Shakespeare Festival on our Romeo & Juliet - read the full appraisal report HERE
“Thanks Gillian, I’m delighted we made the trip to Belfast it was a great performance by all the kids and congratulations to you all. Harriet has enjoyed the whole experience lots and love to do it all over again !”
“I loved my time at Junior Shakespeare (JS) and learned a lot. Not just about acting, drama and Shakespeare but also about social skills and interactions. I played Romeo in Romeo & Juliet.
I was approached to try out JS and I decided it would be good for school as we were studying Romeo & Juliet at the time. I learned a lot about Shakespeare and English in general by reading, learning and reciting the lines. The Directors also were a huge help and very nice.
Before I went to JS I did drama with ITW. I was not very confident in class and in general a bit awkward. Getting a role in JS was quite freeing and improved my social & conversational skills and drama skills.
Overall it improved large aspects of my skills that will help; not just in Drama and English but also in day to day life”
“My Daughter Saskia has been a student for 9 years and absolutely loves the fun and friends she has made in ITW. She has had so many opportunities from performing at the Mac Theatre in Belfast as part of the Shakespeare schools programme to this year travelling to London to attend workshops and see amazing shows on the West End! Saskia has learned so much from her speech classes that have helped her in school with public speaking and understanding poetry! Whether she will pursue a career in this field is not what is important, but the life skills and confidence she has gained in being part of this amazing school. There is something for everybody at ITW. Many thanks to Gillian and all the staff. ”
“I really enjoyed my time in the play. It was good craic but challenging at times. I loved learning new skills like stage combat and fight choreography and ways of acting. It helped me a lot with my studies as I am studying Romeo and Juliet at school. I was very nervous going out on stage at The MAC Theatre but other than that I was fine. I made loads of new friends and the experience as a whole was great.”
We are so proud of our Shakespeare Company 2020/21 who performed A Midsummer Nights Dream on ZOOM - rehearsed in the main outside and on ZOOM during September, October and November and recorded on ZOOM in November.
ITW recitals
ITW Recitals take place twice a year. Our singing and speech and drama students perform the pieces the pieces they have been working on in our recitals at our inhouse recitals at Christmas and May.
ITW Recitals take place twice a year. At Christmas our Singing and Speech & Drama students perform the pieces they have been working on in class and for our Speech Students it will be their Exam pieces. Each showcase features approximately 25 students and takes place in ITW Studios, Clonskeagh or in the Dorset Room in ITW Drumcondra. Sometimes we hire a theatre for recitals - past performances have taken place in Smock Alley Theatre, The Sean O’Casey and The Mill Theatre.
Depending on the timing of the exams, quite often our Singing and our Speech & Drama exams will have been completed and the children are presented with any certificates and awards they may have achieved. This is a lovely opportunity to see the children's development from performance night to performance night and to see the range of ages perform.
This year we had our recitals online via ZOOM - here is a little montage of excerpts from Georgia’s Christmas Recital. These students had all their classes for the last year on ZOOM and completed 2 Leinster School of Music and Drama Exam grades via ZOOM achieving excellent results including several Excellence Awards Nominations.