The Viking Theatre @ the sheds

The Viking Theatre@ the sheds is a newly-opened, intimate theatre space situated above Connolly’s pub in Clontarf, Dublin. This is an exciting new venue offering a diverse programme of events and an artistic outlet for both audiences and performers. Today, I sat down with the co-founders, director Laura Dowdall and actor Andrew Murray to learn more about the theatre.



Could you tell me a little bit about the Viking and how the theatre came about?

Andrew: I suppose for a number of years now, anybody who is involved with theatre in a small scale was finding it increasingly difficult to find a venue at an affordable price. Myself and Laura had done a few productions together and we’d talked about where we would go and what we would do. Everywhere was expensive and you were taking a high risk. We had talked about doing plays in pubs or somewhere that was quite accessible to people. We were at a pub quiz one night in Connolly’s and the idea came of doing The Weir because it is set in a bar and our theatre has a bar in it. We thought we could just put out a load of chairs and do The Weir. So, we approached Peter Connolly downstairs and asked what the chance was of doing plays upstairs and he just said “Yeah, ok.”

Had either of you ever intended on opening a theatre before this?

Laura: I think it’s always kind of something on the wish list, having your own space to put on your own plays. But, it’s funny, since we’ve opened this space, we’ve been so busy running it and being a receiving house bringing in productions. The Weir is the first thing we put on ourselves. I directed it. Now, in two weeks, Andy is going to get a chance to actually act in one of the productions.

What were the initial goals or ambitions you had for this theatre?

Andrew: I guess it was to make theatre really accessible to people, to keep the price low, to put on really good quality stuff so that, you know, if you took a chance on walking in, you were going to see something good, rather than something in a school hall or whatever. I guess the long term goal was to do productions of our own and to introduce theatre to people who have never even been into a theatre. We’ve had a few of those in, which is really surprising. People have approached us and gone “I’ve never been to the theatre ever, I’ve never seen a play, this is my first play”. When somebody says that to you, it’s actually kind of moving.

Do you think this theatre has had an impact on the community down here in Clontarf?

Laura: Oh yes, very much so. It’s like pushing an open door. It’s like it was something waiting to happen. There’s 17,000 people living in the greater Clontarf area, so that’s an awful lot of people immediately who can nearly walk to the theatre and they don’t have to go to town. They don’t have the expense of taxis or bus fares in or out. It’s €10, it’s down the road and they can have a drink. There has been great support from all of the locals.

What are the main attractions of a theatre like this?

Andrew: A lot of our punters that have been in have said that going to town is such a big thing these days. Theatre tickets are expensive, you have to get taxis and by the time you’re home, you’ve spent €150. A lot of people are saying this is right down the road from them, they can stroll down, easy to get here. There’s no formality attached to it. I suppose theatre has got a little bit of elitism. We try to encourage people and say “Not at all, it’s not like that. Just turn up and have a drink and enjoy yourself.” 

What type of productions have you produced here before?

Laura: We try to provide a variety so that it will attract and please a lot of people. 

Andrew: Anything from Joyce to McPherson. Ironically actually, a lot of the stuff we did originally, a lot of it was Irish written, just by chance. It wasn’t a deliberate policy of ours. It turned out that an awful lot of the good stuff out there is Irish written and Irish produced and has toured extensively.

Where would you like to see the Viking in 3 years time?

Laura: Still here!

Andrew: Still here but that we own the three houses next door and that we’ve broken into them and that we have a huge place… No, we’re happy with the way it is at the moment.

Laura: We really need more people to hear about us, we need to get the word out there.

Andrew: I guess we’d love to get a reputation like places like The King’s Head and The Bush Theatre in London, where people like Ian McKellan and these big names will actually come and they’ll do it in front of 50 or 60 people. They look on venues like that with admiration and respect because it’s such a difficult business to survive in and if you do and you are appealing to the right people, then yeah, you can go forever. I’d love to see some big names here.

Can you describe the Viking in 3 words?

Andrew: Intimate

Laura: Friendly

Andrew: Yeah, and high quality.

For more information about The Viking @ the sheds and their upcoming productions, visit: http://www.vikingtheatredublin.com/