Garry Hynes founded Druid in 1975 with Marie Mullen and Mick Lally and has worked as its Artistic Director from 1975 to 1991, and from 1995 to date. From 1991 to 1994 she was Artistic Director of the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.

Born in Ballaghadereen, Co Roscommon in 1953 Garry moved to Galway with her family in 1965. In 1971, she started an Arts Degree (History & English) in University College, Galway, now NUI Galway. Upon leaving college in 1975, Garry founded Druid Theatre with Marie Mullen and Mick Lally.

Garry has also worked with The Abbey and Gate Theatres (Ireland) and internationally with The Royal Shakespeare Company and The Royal Court (UK), and with Second Stage, Signature Theater and Manhattan Theater Club in New York; and with The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

Productions

Druid: Productions include: DruidShakespeare (New York, Irish tour), Brigit and Bailegangaire (Irish tour), The Colleen Bawn (Irish tour), DruidMurphy – Plays by Tom Murphy (Ireland, UK & USA tour), Big Maggie (Irish tour), The Silver Tassie (New York, Irish & UK tour), The Gigli Concert (Galway Arts Festival and Irish tour), The Cripple of Inishmaan (US, Irish & UK tour, and Atlantic Theater, New York), Long Day’s Journey into Night (Galway and Dublin Theatre Festival), Leaves (Galway and Royal Court Theatre, London), Empress of India (Galway and Dublin Theatre Festival), The Year of the Hiker (Irish tour), DruidSynge (Galway Arts Festival, Dublin, Edinburgh International Festival and Inis Meáin 2005, Minneapolis and Lincoln Center Festival New York 2006), Sharon’s Grave, Sive, On Raftery’s Hill, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Leenane Trilogy (Royal Court co-productions), Lovers’ Meeting, Conversations on a Homecoming, Bailegangaire, The Shaughraun, The Wood of the Whispering.

Other Theatre (Ireland): Productions include: Afterplay, The Weir, Crestfall (Gate Theatre, Dublin); King of the Castle, The Plough and the Stars, The Power of Darkness, Famine, A Whistle in the Dark, Portia Coughlan (The Abbey Theatre).

Other Theatre (International): Equivocation (Manhattan Theater Club); Juno (Encores New York City Center); Translations (McCarter/Manhattan Theater Club, New York); Mr Peters’ Connections (Signature Theatre, New York); Crimes of the Heart (Second Stage, New York); My Brilliant Divorce (West End); 16 Wounded (Broadway); A Streetcar Named Desire (Kennedy Center, Washington);

Awards

Garry Hynes is the recipient of a number of awards including:

1988    Honorary Doctorate from the National Council for Education Awards
1997    Honorary Doctorate from the National University of Ireland, Galway
1998    Tony Award for Direction of The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh
2002    Irish Times ESB Irish Theatre Award for Best Direction for Sive by J.B. Keane
2004    Honorary Doctorate (DLitt) from Trinity College Dublin
2005    Irish Times ESB Irish Theatre Special Tribute Award for her contribution to Irish Theatre
2006    Freedom of Galway City
2009    Joe A.Callaway Award (New York) for Outstanding Directing for The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh. Link.
2011    Honorary Doctorate of Literature (DLitt) from University College Dublin. Link.
2012    Best Director Award for DruidMurphy at the UK Theatre Awards. Link.

Interviews with Garry Hynes

2012 The Washington Post – October 12
READ an interview with Garry Hynes & playwright Tom Murphy on Druid’s staging of DruidMurphy – The Plays of Tom Murphy in Ireland, England and the US in 2012.

2011 The New York Times – June 29
READ an interview with Garry Hynes & playwright Martin McDonagh about Druid’s visit to the island of Inis Meáin in the west of Ireland with McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan.

2006 Downstage Center – American Theatre Wing – August 4
LISTEN to Garry Hynes describing the process of staging DruidSynge when Druid presented six works by John Millington Synge on the one day in 2005 & 2006. Garry also talks about founding Druid and about winning a Tony Award for Martin McDonagh’s The Beauty Queen of Leenane.

This interview was recorded during Druid’s visit to New York and Minneapolis with DruidSynge in 2006. Downstage Center is the American Theatre Wing’s acclaimed weekly theatrical interview program that spotlights the creative talents on Broadway, Off-Broadway, across the country and around the world.

Other

2012    Garry Hynes is featured in the The Stage 100’s Director Category. This is the Stage’s annual power list, detailing the UK theatre and performing arts industry’s most influential individuals.

2012    Garry Hynes is honoured as one of Ireland’s Top 25 Most Powerful Women at the Women’s Executive Network Awards Gala.

2011    Garry Hynes is appointed Adjunct Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at NUI Galway.

2010    Garry Hynes was appointed to the Global Irish Network by Mr Micheal Martin T.D., Minister for Foreign Affairs

2010    Garry Hynes attended a St Patrick’s Day reception (March 17th) in the White House as a guest of the President and Mrs Obama. Garry was part of the official Irish delegation which included some of Ireland’s top names in business, sport, politics and the arts.

2010    Garry is elected an Honorary Member of the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin.