Today we are absolutely delighted to be welcoming Sir Ian McKellen to the Lyric! Ian McKellen is kindly donating all profits from both Lyric performances to our Apprenticeship Scheme. With this generous support we are hiring a Production Intern and Trainee Assistant Director!
We are utterly devastated & shocked at the tragic passing of our friend and colleague Julie Maxwell. Our hearts go out to Julie’s husband Rhodri, her parents, all of her family, and her many friends in the arts community who admired and adored her. We are heartbroken. 💔
The Lyric is now
#LightItInRed
for international
#WeMakeEvents
Global action day. Across the globe we are collectively reaching out to government officials and media to raise awareness and drive change. Share this powerful image and safeguard the events you love!
Remembering Lyra, an intelligent and brave young journalist and writer, on the second anniversary of her death. A shining light. Thinking of all those who love and mourn her.
#LyraMcKee
A massive congratulations to Lyric alumni and valued supporters of the theatre, Ciarán Hinds and Kenneth Branagh on their numerous, and much-deserved, award nominations for the spectacular 'Belfast'! 🎉 🏆
Everyone's in
#Agreement
, from start to finish our sell-out political production has been an absolute smash hit success in honouring the anniversary of the complex, momentous and landmark moment of the Good Friday Agreement for Northern Ireland. Well done to the entire team!
We welcomed a very special guest tonight to the Lyric for
#Agreement
- Secretary Hillary Clinton & Chancellor
@QUBelfast
received a standing ovation from the audience tonight. Afterwards she chatted & laughed with the cast & company of this special play.
#HillaryClinton
#GFA25
Yay! We’re humbled & absolutely THRILLED to win Theatre of the Year
@TheStage
w/
@bushtheatre
- this is for every single person off & on stage,our staff,our artists,our audiences, our supporters. Thank you for this recognition-we’ll keep doing what we do best 💪🏽🙌
#TheStageAwards
Our Theatre of the Year award, sponsored by
@Cabbells1
, sees two winners taking home this prestigious accolade. Congratulations to our first winner, Lyric Theatre, Belfast at
#TheStageAwards
in association with
@TysersEnt
The wonderful
@LisaMMcGee
forgets her phone password as she takes to the stage with the Derry Girls team to accept their Scripted Comedy BAFTA!
#BAFTATVAwards
with
@pandocruises
It is with a heavy heart that we write this tribute to our friend and colleague Julie Lewis, who passed away last Saturday evening.
The Lyric will be closed today as a mark of respect.
YAY! The brilliant news we have been waiting for has just come in. We are all set to reopen the Lyric this week with our Drama Studio’s production of
#Dracula
. We can’t wait see you there!
Thank you to
@ClaireHanna
who has used her platform in UK Parliament today to quote Liam Neeson's plea & advocate for vital support for the arts in Northern Ireland and the Lyric Theatre.
#SaveTheArts
Tonight we should have been celebrating the Opening Night of our production of
#GoodVibrations
. To virtually celebrate, we're sharing some exciting news. We'll be sharing the full production with you on Wed 17th June for just 24 hours!
#GoodVibes
We're delighted to have produced the ground breaking
#Agreement
' in honour of the anniversary of the historic
#GoodFridayAgreement
, one of the most significant milestones in Northern Ireland's history, & we're proud to present a work that commemorates its importance.
This week we had the pleasure of welcoming
@edsheeran
to our production of
#Translations
before kicking off his tour in Belfast to 40,000 fans, who sounded like as good an audience as he was for us!
Wishing him luck for the rest of his tour ☘️
The Lyric are devastated to learn of the tragic loss of playwright Jo Egan. Our thoughts are with her family and the wider artistic community at this time.
Friends, we are sorry to say we are closing to the public for the foreseeable future. We urge you all to take absolute care of yourselves and look forward to welcoming our amazing audiences back soon. Full message from our Executive Producer,
@Jimifay
:
"We have reluctantly come to the conclusion that, for the first time in our history, we will not be presenting our hugely popular Christmas offerings. Therefore, we will not produce any work on our stages until 2021." Read more from Exec Producer Jimmy Fay
After rehearsals, over 100 Covid tests & a lot of hand sanitiser, we made it to the filming of
#Sadie
on the Lyric's stage. A huge congrats to this amazing team! We're delighted, relieved & a tad emotional that today we wrapped on filming.
Coming soon on
@BBCnireland
and BBC4.
The Lyric welcomes today’s announcement of £29 million (+ 4 mill allocated) from our Executive.
“A heartfelt prayer for all the creative people who will work here in the coming decades and donate their lives to that strange and almost sacred pursuit we call theatre” Brian Friel.
Congratulations to our current Playwright in Residence, Karis Kelly who has won the
@WomensPlayPrize
over 850 script entries with her play
#Consumed
. This is an outstanding achievement, we're so thrilled that her work is being recognised once again!📰:
"The Arts are not a patient dependant on the respiratory machine of a public funding organisation. They are the vibrant life of our community."
The Lyric's statement on the proposed 8% cuts to Arts funding in 2018/19.
📢 CAST ANNOUNCEMENT 📢
Meet the cast of
#RoughGirls
! We are delighted to be working with this talented bunch on this exciting new production!
Find out more:
Today we say a very sad goodbye to our former Technical Manager and all-round legend Keith Ginty as he is laid to rest. We’ll miss you big guy and the Lyric will always be grateful for what you did for this theatre. Fair thee well. May you rest in peace.
After a tremendously difficult year for theatre and the artists, we are absolutely delighted to be able to announce that we’re now accepting submissions for the New Playwrights Programme 2021!
Find out more here:
Forget spooky season, It's award season here as our Head of Marketing and Development, Claire Murray is nominated for The Northern Ireland Women’s Awards 2023 for Achievements in Arts & Culture.
We're so proud and wishing Claire the best of luck 👉
Wow. We can now announce our 'Writers For Ukraine' fundraiser on Sunday raised an incredible £15,978. To everyone who donated & supported - we really can not thank you enough. You can still donate & watch the event via the link below until 13/3. 🇺🇦
Watch:
Despite the awards, VIP visits, packed houses & thousands of school kids we've visited in the last 8weeks alone, all
@ArtsCouncilNI
funded organisations like ours are facing a 10% cut to their budget.
Please support this campaign to reverse the cuts.🙏
Our patron Liam Neeson has added his voice to the ongoing appeal to the NI executive for their urgent support to secure the full financial package of £33m announced in July.
We need action. We need support. We need it now.
#SaveTheArts
#SaveOurTheatres
As if you needed another reason to book into
#Seisi
ún...well here’s THREE!
Brian Kennedy, Simon Callow & Nan Fee join
@frafee
for
#Seisi
ún, a night of stories and songs from some of the world's leading talent for our fundraiser event.
But be quick…
🎟️:
Today marks the anniversary of British and Irish Sign Language being recognised as an official language in Northern Ireland. To mark it we are delighted to announcement of a number of exciting initiatives with the Deaf Community supported by
@CommunitiesNI
We are super excited to announce that our award-winning political drama
#Agreement
, by the master playwright Owen McCafferty, will have an American premiere at
@IrishArtsCenter
11 April-12 May 2024 following its run at the Lyric.
A very
#HappyBirthday
to our patron, Liam Neeson who is 72 today. Liam started his acting career in the Lyric in the mid-seventies, after writing to Mary O'Malley to ask if he could join the Lyric Players where he was cast in many roles over the years. Happy birthday, Liam!
That's a wrap! It's with heavy hearts that we say a big goodbye to our
#LittleWomen
. The March women have certainly made their mark on our Main Stage with an entirely sold out run and excellent reviews. Well done to the entire company on astuning production!
Our sell-out return of the political production
#Agreement
has been an absolute smash hit success once again!
Well done to the entire team who it brought it from page to stage once again and earned all of its ongoing achievements including its upcoming run in
@IrishArtsCenter
.
We are obsessed with our brand new artwork for
#RoughGirls
! Check out this incredible show by
@TaraLynneONeil1
about the first all-female football team in Belfast. There are still some £12 tickets available, but they are going fast!
We are so very sorry to hear that Nick Lloyd Webber has died. In 2011 Nick premiered his musical, The Little Prince, at the Lyric with co-writer James D Reid. We offer our sincere condolences to his family, friends & theatre community.
📷pic at Lyric Belfast, Cathal McNaughton
A massive congratulations from everyone at the Lyric to
@conorcomposer
(DUP the Opera) on the Ivor Novello award nomination - The Ivors Composer Awards celebrates the best new works by UK composers writing for classical, jazz and sound art.
Winners announced from 7.30pm on 1 Dec
The announcement from
@niexecutive
that theatres will be allowed to reopen from 21 June is extremely welcome. Getting back to the sheer electric energy of live performance is crucial for our team at the Lyric as well as for the long-term sustainability of the theatre industry 1/3
Step into the world of sisterhood, courage, & ambition with our latest production of
#LittleWomen
, originally penned by Louisa May Alcott, masterfully adapted by Anne-Marie Casey & under the skilful direction of Emily Foran.
🎟️:
📅: 3 Feb - 2 March 2024
It's official! Sadie will be coming to your screens later this month! Catch it on
@BBCFOUR
at 10.30pm 31 March and again on
@BBCnireland
at 11.30pm 1 April. We can't wait to share this production with everyone!
We are so saddened to hear about the passing of Kitty Neeson, a tremendous lady and friend of the Lyric, and mother of our patron Liam, and our dear friends Bernadette, Rosaleen and Elizabeth. We send our deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this time.
What a cast! We are thrilled to announce our amazing cast for The Playboy of the Western World, our co-production with
@DubTheatreFest
!
Find out more here:
#ThePlayboy
"We understand the need for caution but it feels like theatres have been singled out. We remain the only industry not to have opened to the public since last March 2020, and we have not been given a reason why theatres still cannot open yet hospitality and cinemas can." 1/2
We are thrilled to announce that we've been shortlisted for Theatre of the Year by
@TheStage
Awards! What an honour to have our team's incredible work recognised during such a tough year. The winner is announced on 31/1/22 - congratulations to the other nominees & wish us luck!
NI actor, Lyric Theatre and NI arts supporter Ciaran Hinds, adds his voice to the ongoing appeal to the Northern Ireland Executive to act now to
#SaveTheArts
#WeMakeEventsNI
. Please take a few minutes to listen to his urgent appeal for immediate support.
📢 New Work Open Call 2022 is here! 📢 Want to create something new for the theatre? Whether you've got a first draft of a play or just an idea, whether it's live, audio or digital, we want to hear from you!
💻 More info & apply:
📅 Deadline: 12pm 28/2
New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason...and now you have just one week to wait for some
#GoodVibrations
. Our hit-production will be available as part of
#LyricOnline
Wednesday, June 17th!
For more information:
A well deserved standing ovation after two amazing sold out nights with Sir Ian McKellen. We cannot think him enough for his time and generosity supporting future theatre makers at the Lyric!
We are delighted that today we will have our FIRST performance in over five months, although without a live audience just yet! It’s a reading of 'Denouement', a new play by
@mohnjorton
starring theatre giants Marie Jones &
@IanMcElhinney
Full details
Christmas comes early at the Lyric Theatre, you put it on your wish list and we've delivered.
From it's sold-out run-in 2023, playing to over 10,000 audience members
#Agreement
is back by incredibly popular demand.
Get your tickets from 3pm Today 👉
"If we winter this one out, we can summer anywhere" - Seamus Heaney
To our artists, our audiences, our funders.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
The Lyric is your theatre.
You have helped us winter this one out.
What a finale!!✨
Celebrating the final performance of
#GoodVibrations
@gohbelfast
with the Godfather of Belfast Punk, Terri Hooley himself, joining the cast on stage.
Thanks to everyone who joined the party. Next stop -
@IrishArtsCenter
“Teenage kicks so hard to beat 🎶🎸”
It was 10 years ago this weekend when we triumphantly opened the doors to the new building. It was a time of excitement, optimism, the thrill of the possibilities of the future. We're so proud of the achievements of the last 10 years. Thank you for your continued support!
⭐DIRECTOR ANNOUNCEMENT ⭐
We're delighted to announce that the director of our upcoming production of
#LittleWomen
is Emily Foran. Emily is a director for theatre and film who trained at The Lir Academy, Trinity College Dublin after studying Drama at Queen’s University Belfast.
The cast of 'Translations' all smiles after a terrific day one of rehearsals! This huge revival of Brian Friel's modern classic is set to be an unmissable production, led by this absolutely stellar cast. 🙌
🎟️
📅 23/4 - 29/5
Co-produced with
@AbbeyTheatre
The Lyric Theatre and
@ArtsCouncilNI
are delighted to announce this year’s recipients of the 2021 New Playwrights Programme: Caitlin Magnall-Kearns, Caoimhe Farren, Rose Coogan, Paul Mallon and Eléonore Maudet.
Find out more here:
The announcement yesterday that we will receive emergency funding towards our safe reopening is a huge relief & very positive step towards our recovery. We want to thank all those
@ArtsCouncilNI
&
@CommunitiesNI
who have made this happen. Full statement:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'An outstanding evening, a landmark play, a thoroughly deserved five stars'
#Agreement
, the fierce new play from Owen McCafferty is open and taking Belfast by storm with a glowing 5 star review from The Irish Times
📰️ :
📢WATCH: MESSAGE FROM OUR PATRON
Lyric patron, Liam Neeson sent us a VERY special message ahead of our co-production of 'Translations' with
@AbbeyTheatre
as he reflects on his connection to the show!
PS. Anyone spot his cameo on
#DerryGirls
last night?
🎟️
Teenage Kicks all through the night (and all day tomorrow). Our 2018 production of
#GoodVibrations
is available to watch right now for just 24 hours. Find out more and tune in here:
We are thrilled to introduce you to our brilliant cast of
#GoodVibrations
! We can't wait to welcome this amazing bunch to the Lyric!
Visit our website to find out more: Good Vibrations is sponsored by
@ALGoodbody
.
We’re thrilled that our partnership with the BBC will continue to grow presenting the international premiere of Sadie by former Artist in Residence David Ireland in association with the wonderful Field Day Company.
A great day for a great woman. The sun shone just as our blue plaque in honour of Mary O'Malley was unveiled. A truly special moment. Thank you to everyone who came this morning and contributed to this historic event for the Lyric Theatre.
Following his diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease, Michael Patrick and his long-term creative partner Oisín Kearney have adapted a Shakespeare classic, from the historical content of Richard III, to present it as a tragedy at the Lyric Theatre.
📰:
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Roma Tomelty. She will be hugely missed by all her peers, young, old, and theatre goers everywhere. Read our full tribute to Roma here -
THEY DID IT!
Huge congratulations to the team of
@AnIrishGoodbye_
for WINNING an OSCAR!
We have so much to be proud of in this place we call home. Thank you for bringing Northern Ireland and its storytelling onto the world stage.
⭐️You guys rock,we are so proud of you all! ⭐️
And that’s a wrap on the first day of rehearsals for David Ireland’s Sadie. We're delighted to be bringing our first full theatre production to your screens thanks to
@BBCArts
&
@BBCnireland
this spring. Watch this space for behind the scenes content -
We are thrilled to announce that
#SplendidIsolation
has been nominated for a Royal Television Society NI Award for Best Drama! Congratulations to the whole team who worked so hard to bring this to audiences in June!
Read more here:
It’s a bittersweet goodbye for the Lyric Theatre this week as our wonderful Literary Manager
@totalnightmairs
leaves us for pastures new. We’re so sad to see her go, but we can't wait to see the exciting things she will achieve next!
Yesterday we celebrated 50 years of the Lyric Theatre on Ridgeway Street. We were proud to present excerpts from some hugely talented writers with an amazing cast and crew. Here's to the next 50!
We're bringing the story of the undisputed Godfather of Belfast Punk, Terri Hooley to the stage in
#GoodVibrations
this Sept as part of our
#Lyric50
celebrations!
He will find you and tell you why we're your
#TheatreOfTheYear
.
A a pillar of our community and our extraordinary patron, here's to the great Liam Neeson who advocates for the work we do everyday and is yet another contributor to our win of the
@TheStage
#TheatreOfTheYear
!