Patrons

The Waterside Theatre are very proud to list our patrons as:

	Frank McGuinness is an award-winning Irish playwright and poet. He first came to prominence with his play The Factory Girls, but established his reputation with his play about WW1, Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme, which he staged initially in Dublin's Abbey Theatre and then internationally. He has also written new versions of many classic dramas and adapted the literal translations of others.
	Eva Birthistle is best known for her role in Ae Fond Kiss. Eva trained at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin. She has won the London Film Critics Circle Best British Actress of the Year award for 2004, and has twice won the IFTA (Irish Film and Tlevision Awards) Best Actor in a Leading Role (Film) award.
	Brian Friel is one of Ireland's most accomplished playwrights and authors. Friel's first major stage success, Philadelphia Here I Come, was the undisputed hit of the Dublin Theatre Festival in 1964.  Among Friel's many subsequent plays include The Love of Cass McGuire (1966), Lovers (1967) and Translations (1980).   In 1981, Translations, one of Friel's seminal works, was awarded the Ewart-Biggs Peace Prize. After co-founding Field Day, Friel continued his interest in the arts as a member of Aosdana, to which he was elected in 1982. Dancing at Lughnasa, probably his most successful play so far, received three Tony Awards in 1992, including Best Play. Two of Friel's plays, Philadelphia, Here I Come and Dancing at Lughnasa have also been adapted into film.