Second age ---- history ----
Second Age Theatre Company exists to promote an awareness and love of Classical Theatre for all, but especially in the young.
In 1989, after many years in which various companies and individuals had presented productions of plays from the English Syllabus for Leaving Certificate students on an ad hoc basis, the time had come to give this audience sector a better and more dedicated service.Second Age was founded as a company dedicated to a programme of productions, on a regular basis, which would give both second level students and a wider public an opportunity to experience the highest quality of staging of classic texts from the Second Level Syllabus. The original founders, Alan Stanford, Ronan Smith, Brian O'Donoghue and Martin Drury established the company without any public funding and presented productions of As You Like It and Othello as their first season.
After this initial year's work the Arts Council began a relationship with the company and has assisted in the funding of Second Age's work ever since. After the departure of the original founder directors the company continued to operate for several years under the managment of Bryan O'Donoghue. In the Autumn of 2000 Alan Stanford returned to the company with Donal Shiels as Artistic Director and General Manager respectively. In 2004 Linda Keating took over as the company's General Manager. Second Age has resided in many of Dublins theatres over the past two decades. Beginning with the Tivoli Theatre in its first two seasons, then moving to a long residency at the Riverbank Theatre. Second Age has played both the Olympia and Gaiety theatres and is currently resident for it's performances at the Helix Theatre DCU. Second Age also maintains a high national touring profile.
