Youth Theatre Ireland

In this Big Chat, Shaz Oye is in conversation with Rose Ugoalah, Trudy Nolan and Faith Olasogba, as they discuss access & inclusion, and representation in Irish culture, theatre and the arts.
Shaz is the Director of Equality and Access at the Lir Academy, Dublin.
Rose Ugoalah is a storyteller, writer, and academic based in Dublin, Ireland. She currently writes for continuing drama with RTÉ, Ireland’s national broadcaster, and lectures in the School of Media at Technological University Dublin
Trudy Nolan is a Tallaght based actor and theatre maker. Trudy has a particular interest in immersive theatre, movement and exploring social issues. She is a former member of Giant Wolf Youth Theatre and a graduate of TUD Dublin Conservatoire.
Faith Olasogba is a performer and theatre maker. She recently graduated from UCD with a BA Humanities in English, Drama and Film. She is a former member of Kildare Youth Theatre and an alumnus of the National Youth Theatre.
Introduced by Eoghan Doyle, Director, Youth Theatre Ireland.
This conversation was recorded live at the Youth Theatre Practice Symposium - Finding Your Authentic Voice at TU Dublin on Saturday November 15th 2025.
Delivered in partnership with TU Dublin School of Media, and TU Dublin Conservatoire.
Supported by the The Arts Council and Department of Education and Youth.
This session was supported by the Lir Academy, the National Academy of Dramatic Art.

Join the staff of youth Theatre Ireland for their yearly wrap up!

Thanks to you for listening and sharing the podcast!

x

After an extended break, Intermission Podcast is back with this extended episode.
The Young Critics Panel at⁠ Dublin Theatre Festival.⁠
This is an edited version of the Young Critics Panel discussion held at Project Arts Centre, Dublin on Sunday October 12th 2025.
Dr. Karen Fricker chairs the panel discussion around three productions:
Nowhere by Khalid Abdalla at Project Arts Centre,
Caligula by Albert Camus at Samuel Beckett Theatre
Three Sisters By Anton Chekhov, Adapted By Ciara Elizabeth Smyth at Gaiety Theatre
Includes a selection questions and answers from the attending audience.
This podcast is supported by the Arts Council andThe Department of Education and Youth.

In this very special podcast, we revisit an edited interview Alan King, Deputy Director of Youth Theatre Ireland, conducted with Paddy O’Dwyer in 2021.   

Paddy passed away in August 2024 and is very sadly missed by family, friends and those closest to him. He is also sadly missed by his massive extended families in the worlds of youth theatre, professional and amateur theatre. This extends not only across the island of Ireland by the whole world. 

Paddy was an educational psychologist, actor, director, father, husband, grandfather. He founded Dublin Youth Theatre in 1977, was President of the International Amateur Drama Association and he co-founded the National Association for Youth Drama, (now Youth Theatre Ireland) in 1980. 

In this chat Alan had the opportunity to ask Paddy about the founding of Dublin Youth Theatre, the formation of NAYD,  and where he saw youth theatre at the tail end of 2021. 

Huge thanks to filmmaker David Christopher Lynch  for facilitating this conversation which formed the basis of his short Documentary celebrating 40 years of Youth Theatre Ireland.  Thanks to David for sharing his recordings, which form the basis of this edited interview. 

Fittingly this interview took place in the then temporary premises of Dublin Youth Theatre in Montague Lane.  

Please enjoy this conversation. 

You can watch David Christoper Lynch’s documentary here: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC6PZXyC1yk

In this edition of the Podcast, Deputy Director Alan King leads a conversation over zoom on the Youth Theatre Members Survey 2025. 
 
As part of our Membership Renewals every year we ask our embers to complete a comprehensive survey around how their youth theatre operates. This survey is vital for us to respond to the needs of our members and plan accordingly. 
 
In this podcast we are joined by Eoghan Doyle (Director), Cathal Thornton (Child Protection and Wellbeing Officer) Barry Morgan (Special Projects Officer) and Rebecca Feely (National Programme Co-ordinator). 
 
Very special thanks to our contributors Christana Matthews (Droichead &Cabinteely YT’S), Carmel Ryan (Clare County Council, Clare YT), Maria O’Sullivan (Glengarriff YT), Sarah Bragg Bolger (Dublin Youth Theatre), Özer Gokman (Sligo YT), Catherine Sheridan (Roscommon Co. YT), Anthony Kinahan (Act Out YT) 
 
We referenced our conversation with Léargas. You can listen to this in full at the youth Theatre Ireland Podcast Episode 10 
 
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2j9IaDTxQfswmuTBde08WA