Celebrating four decades of great ensembles, ground-breaking initiatives, ambitious writing, partnerships and fun.
Where we started
Rough Magic began in the summer of 1984, as an eclectic collective of seven – 4 actors, 2 directors and a producer, staging 9 shows within our first year and establishing an essential, unmistakeable voice in Irish theatre.
One of the first companies to bring major international contemporary work to audiences in Ireland
Commissioning writers began in 1990. Rough Magic expanded out of Ireland to London, Edinburgh, New York and more
Launch of the Pioneering SEEDS Programme
Improbable Frequency is the hit of the Dublin Theatre Festival and establishes a new way of writing an Irish musical
Re-establishing the major ensemble work that characterises the company
COMPASS launches partnerships and commissions across the country
Where we are now
Still growing artists, still making plays across the spectrum of scale - with work that is expansive, playful, and whatever its form, focused on the moment. Rough Magic provides an unexpected angle to the mainstream and an anchor to the emerging generation.
participants on our SEEDS programme
of participants are still working professionally in the arts