We are proud to announce the Youth Theatre Ireland 2022 Youth Board!
The Youth Board was created to allow young people in Youth Theatre to have an important voice within Youth Theatre Ireland. Concerns, questions, or any ideas a member of youth theatre has on workshops or the creation of groups can be submitted directly to their representative, the Youth Board. This Board is full of determined, passionate and hardworking members of youth theatre who are extremely proud to represent themselves and the rest of the youth theatre members in Ireland. If any youth theatres have any questions for the youth board please email youthboard@youththeatre.ie
Terri Byrnes
Terri is part of County Limerick Youth Theatre. She has been involved in many different programmes and workshops through youth theatre. She is currently doing a connections programme in Northern Ireland and has worked with Limerick Youth Theatre in a transition year project (2022) for three weeks. Terri has an interest in music and has attended national youth theatre festivals. She is part of her local Comhaltas group, plays the flute and has been in the group band and in solos for a number of years in the Fleadh.
Aodhán Collins
Aodhán, 17, is part of PoD Youth Theatre in Virginia, County Cavan, which became affiliated with Youth Theatre Ireland last year. He has been involved in music for many years as part of his local Comhaltas branch and has competed in the Fleadh. He took part in YTI’s Young Critics programme last year, and joined the Youth Board not only to help bring his recently affiliated Youth Theatre into the spotlight, but also to help in connecting Youth Theatre Ireland with the wider community. Aodhán will serve as the boards P.R.O.
Aisling Delaney
Aisling is 17 years old and she has been a member of Backstage Youth Theatre Longford for three years now. She has taken part in a handful of productions, a favourite of which is a radio play called ‘Country’. She became a member of the Youth Board to hopefully bring forward new ideas for youth theatres around Ireland.
Doireann Comiskey
Doireann is 18 years old and currently in sixth year. She is very excited to be on the Youth Theatre Ireland Youth Board and considers it to be an incredible opportunity. She has been a part of DYT since 2021 and a member of her local theatre, The Millbank Theatre in Rush, since the age of 6. She feels very lucky to be a representative of young people in the drama community in Ireland and to be a part of this team.
Ella Gittens
Ella is from Kilkenny Youth Theatre (Barnstorm) and a Wellbeing Officer and now current board member of the 2022 YTI Youth Board. Ella is a past member of the Young Critics Programme, which led to participation on the Youth Critics Panel at the Dublin Theatre Festival in 2021. Ella has experience and acting training from the Gaiety School of Acting, as well as having interned with Dublin Central School of Acting (DCSA) at 16.
Sarah Grogan
Sarah is the production representative on the National Youth Board. When she was 15 she joined Fracture Youth Theatre in Thurles and her life has become so much better since. She decided to apply for the Youth Board in hopes of promoting youth theatre and help give other young people a voice. Her role of production representative means that she will also represent those involved in youth theatre who are not actors. She is excited to be involved and hopes to improve the youth theatre experience across Ireland.
Pádraig Harrison
Pádraig Harrington is 17 and lives in West Cork. He has been a member of Rusty Frog Youth Theatre since 2018. Pádraig was a participant in the Young Critics program in 2021 and is currently a representative of his youth theatre group in the Guerrilluinn's: Uillinn Youth Arts Committee. He is involved in the Cork County Comhairle na nÓg youth council group and also has an interest in chess, walking and literature. Coming from a rural background, Pádraig brings a unique perspective to the Youth Board.
Rebecca Livingstone
Rebecca Livingstone is the Youth theatre liaison/outreach officer for this year’s youth board. Rebecca has been a member of Monaghan Youth Theatre for the past five years. When Rebecca isn’t at MYT she is very involved in youth activism, making sure youth voices are heard. Rebecca is also currently taking ISL classes to communicate with more people in her community. This is Rebeccas first time being in a Youth Theatre Ireland programme and is really excited to work with her fellow youth board members and different youth theatres throughout the country.
Helen McCarthy
Helen McCarthy is 16 years old and is from Explore Youth Theatre in Leixlip, Co. Kildare. She has been playing the piano since she was six years old and has been doing musicianship theory for even longer. She, along with her school band, won a competition in 2020 called Scléip. Over the last two years, she and her youth theatre have been involved in the Keeping Sketch programme facilitated by YTI’s Alan King. They made a total of seven short films, two of which were showcased in the Fresh Films International Festival. She directed one of these and co-wrote and performed in the other.
Ali Murphy
Ali Murphy is a member of Lightbulb Youth Theatre in Mallow. She has taken part in Youth Theatre for 3 years and is studying Theatre and Drama Studies in Cork School of Music MTU. Her hobbies include horse riding and playing piano. One thing she really enjoys about Youth Theatre is how it allows people to explore their creativity and how they can connect their minds to their bodies in order to create a piece of art.
Ruairí Phelan
Ruairí Phelan is a current member of Dublin Youth Theatre. He is a proud north Dubliner and is a leftie, but not too lofty. He was a National Young Critic and received the Edna O’Brien day bursary award. He was a member of DYT’s writers’ group through which he assistant-directed and published a play. He has performed on the Samuel Beckett stage as part of Dublin Theatre Festival. He served as Fundraising Rep and Welfare Rep to DYT and hopes to bring his experience to the Youth Theatre Ireland Board.
Chaya Smyth
Chaya is a 17 year old student living in Dublin. She is a member of Dublin Youth Theatre and the Dlr Mill Youth Theatre Group. She has previously been involved in climate and social justice groups. As chairperson, she is responsible for coordinating and supporting the Youth Board’s activities.