Lyrical Lyric
Julie Blain
Fancy a break from the books, business and bustle of student life? Look no further than The Lyric Theatre. A fifteen minute walk from Queens University Belfast, The Lyric stands proud on the scenic banks of the River Lagan, in a state-of-the-art, £18 million theatre, built in 2011. The building, as Beverley Steele, The Lyric’s Digital Marketing Officer explains, “is accessible for everyone and is a great space to hang out with a cuppa, study or catch an interesting show.” Fill in the online Student Ambassador Scheme form to get involved and pay only £12 a ticket for each performance that you see.
First established in 1951 in the home of founding members, Mary and Pearse O’Malley, the theatre was originally known as The Lyric Players. It moved to its current location in 1968, with a debut performance of W.B. Yeats’, The Cuchulain Plays. Fast forward over half a century later, Beverley says, and, “The Lyric is still the only full-time producing theatre in Northern Ireland, which makes it a hub of cultural activity and talent.” A plethora of internationally acclaimed playwrights, directors and actors have tread the boards here. Academy-award winning actor, Liam Neeson, began his career on The Lyric stage in 1975, in Brian Friel’s classic play, Philadelphia Here I Come! and remains its patron to this day.
For decades, The Lyric has delighted theatre goers with its original and often unconventional style. The brilliant open mic night ‘Miscast’ is coming up soon, as well as the hilarious ‘Grimes & McKee’s Christmas Craic-er’. A word of warning though: tickets are selling fast, so book soon to avoid disappointment. If you miss out on those, fret not. Other upcoming highlights include ‘The Snow Queen’, from the end of November right though to the end of December. Take the family or some friends along, and chase those winter blues away, with a modern retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s much-loved classic tale. Or treat yourself in the new year to a contemporary version of William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ Keep an eye on socials or join the mailing list to find out what else The Lyric has in store for audiences next year.
More interested in what happens behind the scenes? Or taking to the stage yourself? The Lyric doesn’t disappoint there either. In fact, Beverley strongly encourages everyone to “utilise the Lyric as a shared space to nurture talent.” Several times a year, the theatre offers an open call on scripts from budding new playwriting talent. It also runs The New Playwrights’ Programme, a six month training course which offers the opportunity to work on your script with an established director and professional actors. Various drama workshops are also available throughout the year. Again, keep an eye on socials for dates and submission guidelines.
The Lyric truly has something for everyone and, for over five decades, has remained true to its mission to ‘create, entertain and inspire’ all the audiences who come through its doors. Few things in life can beat the buzz of live theatre when those lights go down.
Julie Blain is a Master’s student in Creative Writing at Queen’s University Belfast.