Project Showcase: Dréimire

Updated: Apr 2, 2021

Across the next few days, we are showcasing the current large-scale projects which both Kildare Youth Theatre and Crooked House Theatre Company are undergoing

This post is the first in the series and looks at Dréimire.

'Dréimire', the Irish word for 'ladder', is an Arts Council supported project which aims to help and provide underprivileged young actors between the ages of 17-24 with the skills and experience necessary for third-level theatre college auditions.

Auditioning for third-level acting colleges, which for Irish teenagers generally applies to universities across the UK, is a difficult, time-consuming and expensive process. In a given year, upwards of six thousand young actors from across the globe could be auditioning for a course which may only accommodate as few as twenty students.

Auditions often demand experience in a mix of both contemporary and classical theatre, and frequently require a number of call backs, which translates into multiple flights and nights in hotels/hostels in the UK for Irish applicants.

This process is difficult for any young actor, but it can prove almost impossible for those from underprivileged backgrounds. Potential applicants from low socioeconomic backgrounds may not be able to afford the costs associated with auditioning, such as the money required for preparation, travel, and audition fees to name a few.

Kildare Youth Theatre, under Crooked House Theatre Company, and with the assistance of the Arts Council's Project Fund in the Young People, Children and Education department and The Lír Theatre Dublin, launched Dréimire late last year as an initiative to offer support to these underprivileged applicants.

Some of the supports offered include intensive one-on-one coaching sessions with our Artistic Director Peter Hussey, financial assistance along a number of stages, technical support for applying for or recording audition material, language supports, and much more. The aforementioned support is provided by a number of professional theatre facilitators from our partner theatres across Europe.