Theatre Bursary Award
Livin’ Dred is proud to announce a new Theatre Bursary Award for emerging theatre makers based in the North East counties of Cavan, Monaghan & Louth aged between 18-25.
About the Bursary
As the first professional theatre company in Cavan, and one of the longest running production companies in the North Midlands, now in its 22nd year, Livin’ Dred aims to maintain a thriving professional theatre sector in the North East for years to come by nurturing up-and-coming theatre makers in the region.
The recipient will receive an award of €2,000 and will gain mentorship and experience from some of the country’s leading theatre practitioners in their fields, giving them a deep and hands-on insight into how a theatre company functions, and how productions are made to the highest standards.
Mentors involved in our Theatre Bursary:
· Aaron Monaghan (Artistic Director, Actor, Director)
· Padraic McIntyre (Playwright & Arts Venue Manager)
· Ronan Duffy (Set Designer & Production Manager)
· Amy Corrigan (Producer)
· Suzie Cummins (Lighting Designer)
· Mark Jackson (Stage Manager)
· Martha Knight (Sound Designer)
· Darragh Smith (Producer)
The Bursary Recipient will gain experience in as many different creative disciplines as possible, gaining an in-depth understanding and appreciation of all aspects of theatre-making. As a company that prides itself on fairness, equality, collaboration and working as a team, these values will be at the forefront of this award.
Our aim is that the recipient will see it takes a village to run a theatre company and produce a production, and that no one field of theatre-making is more important than another.
If you’re aged 18-25, living in Cavan, Monaghan or Louth, have a passion for theatre or the arts, maybe want to set-up your own theatre company, produce your own production then Livin’ Dred want to hear from you!
Deadline to apply is Friday 31st July 2026
About the Mentors
Aaron Monaghan
Artistic Director, Actor, Director
Aaron is an award-winning Actor and Director and the Artistic Director of Livin’ Dred Theatre.
His directing credits include the award-nominated Charlie’s A Clepto, and minefield by Clare Monnelly, Hitting The Mark by Cillian O’Gairbhi, From All Sides by Lee Coffey and Walking The Road by Dermot Bolger. For Livin’ Dred he directed Trad by Mark Doherty, Patrick Kavanagh’s Tarry Flynn, Danti-Dan by Gina Moxley and The Playboy of the Western World by J.M. Synge, as well as The Cavalcaders by Billy Roche for Druid Theatre Company.
As an actor he has performed all over the world and has spent most of his career with The Abbey Theatre and Druid Theatre Co, touring extensively in many of their acclaimed productions such as The Playboy of The Western World, Waiting For Godot, The Plough and the Stars, The Cripple Of Inishmaan and Richard III.
His extensive film and television career includes The Banshees of Inisherrin, Assassins Creed, The Foreigner, Maze, ’71, Love/Hate, Vikings, The Gone, Hidden Assets and Redemption Of A Rogue.
He is the recipient of numerous awards including The Lucille Lortel Award, The Irish Times Theatre Award, The Manchester Evening News Award and most notably The OBIE for Outstanding Performance.
Padraic McIntyre
Playwright & Arts Venue Manager
Padraic is a native of Bailieborough, Co. Cavan and trained as an actor at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. He has an MA in Theatre Studies from DCU.
Padraic is currently Venues Manager at Ramor & Townhall Arts Centres in Cavan. He was Artistic Director of Livin’ Dred Theatre Company for whom he directed 15 professional shows.
Padraic is the author and director of The Night Joe Dolan’s Car Broke Down which has sold out venues around the country and played The Olympia Theatre, Dublin in February 2026 for a record-breaking 15th Year.
Rónán Duffy
Set Designer & Production Manager
Recent credits include the world première of Caitríona Daly’s The Lunch Punch Power Hour in Conference Room 4 at the Abbey Theatre; Steel Magnolias at the Lyric Theatre; Hurricane Diane and The Mandate at the Lir Academy. Recent Art Director credits include Dancing with the Stars for RTÉ and Shinawil.
Other theatre design credits include Super-Bogger and The Whispering Chair (Livin’ Dred); No Romance – A Desperate Business (Bewley’s Café Theatre); Macbeth, King Lear, The Merchant of Venice and Jack & the Beanstalk (Mill Theatre Dundrum); The Aliens, Bent, Absolute Hell, The Government Inspector, Mr. Burns – a post electric play and Euridice (Lir Academy); Cartographers Pen (Ramor Theatre).
Ronán has also worked as Design Assistant on Fledermaus (Irish National Opera); Somewhere Out There You (Abbey Theatre); Palimpsest (Coisceim) and Tarry Flynn (Livin’ Dred).
Ronán is a native of Co. Monaghan and a graduate of the Lir Academy with a MFA in Stage Design. He holds a degree in Product Design & Technology from the University of Limerick.
Amy Corrigan
Producer
Amy, originally from Oldcastle, Co. Meath, has been working in the arts for nearly 20 years. She started her career with Druid Theatre Company and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to Administrator and General Manager at Irish Modern Dance Theatre.
Amy spent a decade in London, working on large-scale children’s theatre productions with Minor Entertainment and as an Administration Manager at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Recently, she’s been involved with Dance Cork Firkin Crane and The Gate. She is currently on the committee of the Cavan Arts Festival and on the board of John Scott’s Irish Modern Dance Theatre.
For the past four years, Amy has been Associate Producer with Livin’ Dred, a role she takes immense pride in and feels incredibly fortunate to be part of this wonderful theatre company.
Suzie Cummins
Lighting Designer
Suzie is a Dublin-based lighting designer for theatre, dance and events. Suzie has worked as a designer in Ireland. Previous work with the Company: The Playboy of the Western World, Super Bogger, Danty Dan, Tarry Flynn, Trad.
Other theatre credits include Lovesong (Gate Theatre); Static (Abbey Theatre); YFEL (Pan Pan); Breaking, The Leap (Fishamble: The New Play Company); Lost Lear, The Wrens (Dan Colley & Riverbank); The Last Moth, The Making of Mollie, The Race (The Ark); Afterwards, Absent the Wrong (Once Off Productions); Every Brilliant Thing (Abbey Theatre); After Taste (National Youth Theatre; Abbey Theatre); The Secrets of Primrose Square (Pat Moylan Productions); Minseach (Sibéal Davitt); Before You Say Anything (Malaprop); Minefield, Charlie’s a Clepto (Clare Monnelly).
Associate lighting design credits include: Druid O’Casey (Druid Theatre); Party Scene (Thisispopbaby).
Mark Jackson
Stage Manager
A graduate of The Lir Academy’s BA in Stage Management and Technical Theatre, where he received First Class Honours, Mark has built a career working across some of Ireland’s leading theatre companies as well as on international productions.
Recent Credits Include Poor by Kaitriona O’Sullivan, adapted by Sonya Kelly, at the Gate Theatre and the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.
Other Credits Include The Playboy of the Western World, Super-Bogger (Livin’ Dred), Druid O’Casey, The Cavalcaders, The Beacon (Druid Theatre Company), Looking for America (Once Off Productions), Eureka Day, Dancing at Lughnasa, The Borrowers, The New Electric Ballroom, The President (Gate Theatre), and Walking with Ghosts by Gabriel Byrne (Landmark Productions).
Martha Knight
Sound Designer
Martha is a Dublin-based theatre maker, composer and sound designer. Her work with Livin’ Dred includes The Playboy of the Western World and Tarry Flynn. Other recent work as a sound designer/composer includes An Ideal Husband (Gate Theatre), Do You Come From Gomorrah? (Abbey Theatre), Uncle Vanya (Cathal Cleary Theatre Company/Once Off Productions), Three Sisters, A Misanthrope (Sugarglass Theatre/Once Off Productions).
She won the George Fitzmaurice Award for her solo show The King of All Birds, which toured to Toronto with the Canada Ireland Foundation, and also completed an Irish tour.
Darragh Smith
Producer
Darragh, a native of Mullagh, Co. Cavan, has been an integral part of Livin’ Dred Theatre Company since joining the Board of Directors in 2017. As Company Manager he oversees the managerial operations of the company, working closely with the Artistic Director, Aaron Monaghan, to bring Livin’ Dred’s productions to life.
With over 20 years of experience in amateur drama, Darragh now serves as an Adjudicator on the Amateur Dramatic Circuit in Ireland. Beyond his theatre pursuits, Darragh is Operations Manager for a manufacturing business based in Cootehill, Co. Cavan, and is currently received an MBA to further his expertise.
A lifelong enthusiast of theatre, Darragh is proud to celebrate 22 years of Livin’ Dred and looks forward to continuing his work with the company as its grows and evolves.
