Hawk's Well Theatre
The Hawk's Well Theatre opened in Sligo Town on 12 January 1982.[1] Located next to Sligo's tourist office,[2] it was the first purpose-built theatre in rural Ireland.[3]
 | |
  Hawk's Well Theatre Location within Ireland | |
| Address | Temple Street |
|---|---|
| Location | Sligo F91 EDE9, Republic of Ireland |
| Coordinates | 54.269°N 8.477°W |
| Capacity | 340 |
| Opened | 12 January 1982 |
| Website | |
| www | |
History
When the theatre opened on 12 January 1982,[1] it was the first purpose-built theatre in 'rural Ireland'.[3][lower-alpha 1] The then president of Ireland, Patrick Hillery attended the opening.[4] It was named after W.B. Yeats play At the Hawk's Well,[2] and was a result of an initiative of the Arts Council and Bord Fáilte.[3]
In 2002, it was the subject of an RTÉ television documentary on the "Townlands" series.[3]
In a 2019 article in The Irish World, the theatre was described as "binding people together, bridging perceived boundaries and manifesting the spirit of enterprise which are intended to build a bright future for the local economy".[5]
As it approached its 40 year anniversary, the 340 seats in the theatre were scheduled to be replaced in August 2020.[6]
Alumni
By 1993, the Hawk's Well theatre had developed some of Ireland's "premier actors".[7] Other performers, who have attained notability, include Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily, whose performances in a production of the musical Grease led to an interim group IOU which played four nights at theatre before Louis Walsh was contacted and determined to form Westlife.[3]
References
Notes
- While Sligo Town is an urban area of population c. 20,000 the surrounding county and province of Connacht is predominantly rural
Footnotes
- Hawkswell (2019a).
- Felton (2007), p. 166.
- Champion (2002).
- Meehan (2020), p. 47.
- Irish World (2019).
- "Public RFT - THE SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION OF THEATRE SEATING". irl.eu-supply.com.
- O'Drisceoil (1993), p. 105.
Sources
- Champion (1 August 2002). "RTÉ documentary charts 20 years of Hawk's Well". The Sligo Champion. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- Felton, Robert Todd (2007). A Journey into Ireland's literary revival. Berkeley : Roaring Forties Press. ISBN 9780976670674. OCLC 493894846.
- Hawkswell (2019a). "History". Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- Meehan, Michael J. (2020). "Rite of Passage for a New Theatre" (PDF). The Corran Herald. No. 52. Ballymote Heritage Group.
- O'Drisceoil, Proinsias (1 March 1993). Culture in Ireland: Regions - Identity and Power. Belfast: The Institute of Irish studies, the Queen's University of Belfast. ISBN 9780853894766. OCLC 852799191.
- Irish World (10 September 2019). "Bridging geography, generations and musical styles at Hawk's Well Theatre". Irish World (London). Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.