About

Second Age is one of Ireland’s leading theatre companies. Its purpose is to tour potent, vibrant and high quality productions of classical theatre to audiences, including young people, throughout Ireland.

Second Age Theatre Company was founded in 1989 by Martin Drury, Bryan O’Donoghue, Ronan Smith and Alan Stanford.  The company was set up to meet a need in the theatre sector, namely to provide high quality professional productions of classical texts drawn from the school’s syllabus to both second level students and a wider public. It is estimated that, since 1989, Second Age Theatre Company has provided 500,000 second level students with their first experience of professional theatre (primarily Shakespeare) which equates to an average of almost 24,000 students per year.

In this current year, 2010, across its two touring productions, Second Age’s audience reach will be over 30,000 people. Reviews for both Hamlet and Dancing at Lughnasa this year have been excellent. Throughout it’s 21 year history Second Age has gained a reputation for producing high quality large scale dramas, and has found that it’s audience has shifted from primarily a school leaving audience to an audience that ranges from 17 to 70+

It is a real pleasure 21 years later to now be working with Actors, Stage Managers, Designers and Directors who were inspired to pursue a career in Theatre having had their first theatrical experience with Second Age many years ago, whilst still at school.   It is a testament to the success and the vision of the founders of Second Age that this has happened.