Hawk's Well Theatre
The Hawk's Well Theatre opened in Sligo Town on 12 January 1982,[1] and is to be found next to the 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
The theatre opened on 12 January 1982,[1] the first purpose-built theatre in 'rural Ireland'.[3][lower-alpha 1] 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]
By 1993, it had developed some of Ireland's premier actors.[4]
In 2002 it was the subject of an RTÉ television documentary on the "Townlands" series.[3]
As it approaches an age 40 years the 340 seats in the theatre are scheduled to be replaced in August 2020.[5]
Community
Hawk's Well Theatre is contributing to the binding people together, bridging perceived boundaries and manifesting the spirit of enterprise which are intended to build a bright future for the local economy
— Irish World (London).[6]
Alumni
As of 2002 the Hawk's Well had not produced many individuals who had gone to find national or international notability. Exceptions include Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Fehily whose performances in a production of the musical Grease led to an interim group IOU which played four nights at theatre before Loius Walsh was contacted and determined to form Westlife.[3]
References and Sources
- While Sligo Town is an urban area of population c. 20,000 the surrounding county and province of Connacht is predominantly rural
- Hawkswell (2019a).
- Felton (2007), p. 166.
- Champion (2002).
- O'Drisceoil (1993), p. 105.
- "Public RFT - THE SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION OF THEATRE SEATING". irl.eu-supply.com.
- Irish World (2019).
- 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.
- 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.