Garry Hynes (born 10 June 1953) is an Irish theatre director. She was the first woman to win the prestigious

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

for direction of a play.

Biography

Hynes was born in

Ballaghaderreen Ballaghaderreen () is a town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It was part of County Mayo prior to 1898. It is located just off the N5 National primary road. The population was 1,808 in the 2016 census. History As of 1837, the town was recor ...

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

, and educated at St. Louis Convent at

Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), barony. The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7 ...

, the Dominican Convent at

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

, and UCG.Fay, Stephen
"theatre: How she broke the Abbey habit"
''Independent'', 5 September 1992 She is a co-founder of the

Druid Theatre Company The Druid Theatre Company, referred to as Druid, is an Irish theatre company, based in Galway, Ireland. As well as touring extensively across Ireland, the company's productions have played internationally to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the ...

with

Mick Lally Mick is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Michael. Because of its popularity in Ireland, it is often used in England as a derogatory term for an Irish person or a person of Irish descent. In Australia the meaning broad ...

and

Marie Mullen Marie Mullen (born 1953) is an Irish actress. She is known for co-founding the Druid Theatre Company, located in Galway, Ireland. She is also known for her performance in the 1998 production of ''The Beauty Queen of Leenane'', for which she rec ...

in 1975 after meeting through the drama society of U.C.G. where they studied. She was Druid's artistic director from 1975 to 1991, and again from 1995 to date. Hynes directed for the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...

from 1984 and was its artistic director from 1991 to 1994, and also the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

, the Royal Exchange, Manchester, the Kennedy Center and the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...

, London. She is the civil partner of film producer Martha O'Neill.

Stage productions

;Druid Theatre Company *''

The Cripple of Inishmaan ''The Cripple of Inishmaan'' is a dark comedy by Martin McDonagh who links the story to the real life filming of the documentary ''Man of Aran''. The play is set on the small Aran Islands community of Inishmaan (Inis Meáin) off the Western C ...

'', (Galway, Irish & UK tour, New York) *'' My Brilliant Divorce'', (Galway and Irish Tour) *''Long Day's Journey into Night'', (Galway and Dublin Theatre Festival) *''Leaves'', (Galway and Royal Court Theatre, London) *''

The Playboy of the Western World ''The Playboy of the Western World'' is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge and first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 26 January 1907. It is set in Michael James Flaherty's public house in County Mayo (o ...

'', (Tokyo International Arts Festival) *''Empress of India'', (Galway and Dublin Theatre Festival) *''The Year of the Hiker'',(Galway and National Tour) *''DruidSynge'', (Galway Arts Festival, Dublin, Edinburgh International Festival and Inis Meáin 2005; Minneapolis and Lincoln Center Festival, New York 2006) *''Sharon's Grave'' (Royal Court Co-Production) *''Sive'' (Royal Court Co-Production) *''On Raftery's Hill'' (Royal Court Co-Production) *''

The Beauty Queen of Leenane ''The Beauty Queen of Leenane'' is a 1996 dramatic play by Martin McDonagh which was premiered by the Druid Theatre Company in Galway, Ireland. It also enjoyed successful runs at London's West End, Broadway and Off-Broadway. It was nominated ...

'' (Royal Court Co-Production) *''The Leenane Trilogy'' (Royal Court Co-Productions) *''Lovers Meeting'' *''

Conversations on a Homecoming ''Conversations on a Homecoming'' is a 1985 play by Irish playwright Tom Murphy. Premiered by the Druid Theatre Company, Galway, Ireland in a production directed by Garry Hynes. As one of the great Irish plays set in a pub, its influence can be ...

'' *''Bailegangaire'' *''The Shaughran'' *''Wood of the Whispering'' ;Abbey Theatre *''King of the Castle'' *''The Plough and the Stars'' *''The Power of Darkness'' *''Famine'' *''A Whistle in the Dark'' *''Portia Coughlan'' ;Other *''The Weir'' (

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a Theater (structure), theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Ge ...

, Dublin) (2008) *''Juno'' (

Encores! Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series dedicated to performing rarely heard American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores! has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Ha ...

New York City Center) (2008) *''Translations'' (

McCarter Theatre McCarter Theatre Center is a not-for-profit, professional company on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. The institution is currently led by Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen and Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg. ...

Manhattan Theater Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has gr ...

, New Jersey) (2006) *''

Mr. Peters' Connections ''Mr. Peters' Connections'' is a play by Arthur Miller. The title character is a former Pan Am pilot who worked for the airline in its glory days. He recalls flying into a thousand sunsets and bedding eighteen Rockettes in a month, eventually ma ...

'' (

Signature Theatre Company Signature Theatre Company is an American theatre based in Manhattan, New York. It was founded in 1991 by James Houghton and is now led by Artistic Director Paige Evans. Signature is known for their season-long focus on one artist's work. It has be ...

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

) (1998) *''

Crimes of the Heart ''Crimes of the Heart'' is a play by American playwright Beth Henley. It is set in Hazlehurst, Mississippi in the mid-20th century. The play won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. In 1986, the p ...

'' (Second Stage Theatre, Off-Broadway) (2001) *''My Brilliant Divorce'' (West End) *''Crestfall'' (

, Dublin) (2003) *''16 Wounded'' (Broadway) (2004) *''A Streetcar Named Desire'' (Kennedy Center, Washington) (2004)

Portrait in National Gallery of Ireland

In 2017, award-winning artist

Vera Klute Vera Klute ARHA (born 1981) is a German multi-disciplinary artist based in Dublin, Ireland. Life Vera Klute was born in 1981 in Salzkotten, Germany. Klute moved to Ireland to attend Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, graduat ...

was commissioned by the

National Gallery of Ireland The National Gallery of Ireland ( ga, Gailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann) houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on ...

to create a portrait of Hynes as part of the 2015 Hennessey Portrait Prize. The bust, made of

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

and timber (with a dimension of 164 cm x 54 cm x 45 cm), was unveiled to the public in April 2017 and is currently on display as part of the Gallery's National Portrait Collection.

DruidSynge

Hynes directed

DruidSynge DruidSynge is a theatre production of the complete plays of John Millington Synge by the Irish based Druid Theatre Company. It was the vision of Garry Hynes, the first woman to win a Tony Award for best director, to create the day-long cycle of a ...

, the company's critically acclaimed production of all six of John Millington Synge's plays that premièred at the Galway Arts Festival in 2005 and has since toured to Dublin, Edinburgh, Inis Meáin, Minneapolis and New York. DruidSynge has been described by Charles Isherwood of ''The New York Times'' as "the highlight not just of my theatre going year but of my theatre going life" and by ''The Irish Times'' as "one of the greatest achievements in the history of Irish theatre."

Awards and honours

Hynes has received honorary Doctorates from the

University of Dublin The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...

(2004), The

National University of Ireland, Galway The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...

(1998) and the National Council for Education Awards (1988). In 1998 she won the

for Direction for ''

'', the first woman to receive the award. She is a recipient of many other Theatre Awards, including ''The Irish Times''/ESB Irish Theatre Award for Best Director (2002) and a ''The Irish Times'' Special Tribute Award for her contribution to Irish Theatre in February 2005. On 15 June 2006 she was awarded the Freedom of the City of

, its highest bestowed honour. On 30 November 2022 Hynes was named a Chevalier de l'

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

References

External links

*
Irish Playography ProfileDruid Theatre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hynes, Garry 1953 births Living people Druid Theatre Company Irish theatre directors LGBT theatre directors Irish LGBT people People from County Galway People from County Roscommon Tony Award winners