The Moat Theatre ( ga, Amharclann an Mhóta) is a theatre and arts centre in

Naas Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge. History The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

History

The theatre is owned by 'The Moat Club', which was formed in 1954 with the intention of providing the Naas area with facilities to be used for dramatic theatre and

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

. In 1960 the Moat Club purchased the Christian Brothers school and converted the upper rooms into a hall for table tennis. The lower rooms were converted into a 125-seat theatre in 1963, and called The Moat Theatre. It was renovated in the early 2000s, re-opening in 2003 as an accessible, 200-seat studio/black box theatre. The Moat Club and Moat Theatre derive their names from the ancient

motte A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...

, a reputed meeting-site of the

Kings of Leinster Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

Events

The theatre plays host to local, national and international stage productions, live music and comedy, children's theatre, art exhibitions, classes and workshops. A country market took up residence in the foyer in February 2019 and is held every Friday morning.

References

External links

Official site
{{Theatres in Ireland Theatres in County Kildare