Course Summary
The Master of Fine Arts Theatre Producing programme is the first of its kind on the island of Ireland - a dedicated programme for emerging talent. It is a distinctive, practice-based, one-year postgraduate degree, led by esteemed theatre professionals.
College Link
Career Sectors
This course prepares you for working in the Career Sectors below. Follow the links to get a fuller understanding of the sectors you are preparing for.
Entry Requirements
The application for the programme must be submitted through the specific form available through the Trinity College Dublin website. The online form includes sections where applicants can submit:
a) Résumé/CV: a professional theatre CV, clearly listing your education, experience in theatre and theatre producing/directing/curating
b) References: two reference/testimonials; one from those familiar with your work and one from third level education. It is a good idea to reach out and ensure that those uploading your references are aware of your application and have received the notification to upload their testimonial from Trinity College Dublin
c) Personal Statement (max. 500 words): In this section, you may include why you wish to attend The Lir Academy, and why you wish to pursue a masters degree. You may expand on this statement within your Statement of Purpose, or you may elect to include this information on the former and indicate in the Personal Statement section that you will do so.
In addition to the information required on the online form submitted through Trinity College Dublin, you are also required to upload a copy of each of the following through the Additional Documents section on the application form:
a) Letter of Application: A letter that outlines your theatre education and theatre producing experience to date. This may also include experience in other areas of theatre, such as directing or curating. Please note, however, that applicants will require some producing experience to be accepted on to the course
b) Statement of Purpose: A statement outlining your ambitions in terms of theatre producing. In this you can include what theatre is to you, why you have chosen a career in theatre producing, the work you want to make, why you want to pursue a MFA in Theatre Producing and your future plans
c) Portfolio: This is of your theatrical or related work. This can be a visual and text-based overview of events you have worked on in any role e.g. director, creative, artist, technician, curator, event-organiser and production support. This will be used to assess your background and passion for performance. Should you be successful in securing an interview, they will also be incorporated into that process. We accept portfolios as PDFs, websites or in any other convenient format.
d) Critical Assessment: a critical assessment essay of recently produced work. This is an analysis of work produced the applicant. It is an overall evaluation of the process; from the initial artistic impulse, ambitions for the work, pre-production plans and the development of the work; an analysis of the process when working with designers, actors, directors and the overall production team, and finally a reflection and critical analysis of the work achieved and any learning outcomes.
It would be extremely helpful if you could name the files according to the following format when uploading: NameLastnamePortfolio, NameLastnameCV etc.
Application Details
Next Intake: September 2026
Fees
The Student
Career Interests
This course is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests. If these interests do not describe you, this course may prepare you for work you may not find satisfying.
Creative
Creative people are drawn to careers and activities that enable them to take responsibility for the design, layout or sensory impact of something (visual, auditory etc). They may be atrracted to the traditional artistic pursuits such as painting, sculpture, singing, or music. Or they may show more interest in design activities, such as architecture, animation, or craft areas, such as pottery and ceramics.
Creative people use their personal understanding of people and the world they live in to guide their work. Creative people like to work in unstructured workplaces, enjoy taking risks and prefer a minimum of routine.
Enterprising
Enterprising people like situations that involve using resources for personal or corporate economic gain. Such people may have an opportunistic frame of mind, and are drawn to commerce, trade and making deals. Some pursue sales and marketing occupations. Many will eventually end up owning their own business, or in management roles in larger organisations. They tend to be very goal-oriented and work best when focused on a target. Some have an entrepreneurial inclination.
Career Progression
This MFA programme will upskill and equip students to specialise in theatre producing. It is tailored to provide talented individuals with the necessary skills to pursue a career in the professional theatre and related industries. The Lir Academy MFA graduates are highly successful in their chosen fields and have gone on to work in major venues and institutions in Ireland and abroad.