Gaiety Theatre
Dublin's oldest working theatre, open since 1871, with a gilded Victorian horseshoe auditorium.
The Gaiety Theatre opened on 27 November 1871 and is the oldest Dublin theatre still in continuous use for its original purpose. It was designed by the English theatre architect C. J. Phipps and built in under seven months for the brothers John and Michael Gunn. The auditorium is a three-tier Victorian horseshoe with a gilded proscenium and plasterwork; the South King Street frontage was remodelled in 1955, and the building was extensively refurbished in 2007.
The Gaiety has staged opera, musicals, drama, revue, comedy, concerts and dance for more than 150 years, and its Christmas pantomime has run almost every year since 1874. Irish National Opera and Ballet Ireland appear here regularly, and the theatre has hosted premieres including the 1994 interval performance that became Riverdance. Handprints of performers who have appeared at the Gaiety are set into the pavement outside the entrance.
Highlights
- Opened in 1871 and designed by C. J. Phipps
- Three-tier gilded Victorian horseshoe auditorium
- Christmas pantomime staged almost every year since 1874
- Performers' handprints set in the pavement outside
