Bachelor In Acting

There is an intake of 16 students each year. All eligible candidates who apply before the closing date will receive an audition.

Audition Procedure

1st Round Audition

The first round of auditions will be held throughout November, December, January, and February. Applicants will have the option of doing their first-round audition in person (at The Lir Academy, Dublin) or live, online (over Zoom). All times displayed on the website are Dublin time.

To participate in the first round audition online you will need:

1. A reliable internet connection
2. A device with a functioning camera and a microphone (PC/smartphone/laptop/iPad)
3. A space/room where you could work independently without major interruption for at least 15 minutes

2nd Round Audition

Half Day Workshop, in April. Applicants based on the island of Ireland must attend in person, international applicants can attend over Zoom.

Final Round Audition

A full Day Workshop in May. All candidates must attend in person at The Lir Academy, Dublin.

Full details on the Audition Procedure can be found here

Choosing Your Monologue

A guide to choosing the right monologue can be found here

Auditions outside Ireland

Applicants from outside of Ireland will audition online, due to COVID-19 restrictions. All times displayed on our website are GMT (Dublin time).

Changing audition date

Please note that changes to audition dates and/or refunds can only be made in expcetional circumstances. Please book carefully (don't book on behalf of somebody else). If the dates displayed on the website don't suit you, please contact admissions@thelir.ie to check when new dates might be released.

Equality and Diversity ​

Candidates should feel free to disclose impairment at any time during the audition process if they have not done so on their application form. Disabled applicants who demonstrate talent and potential will be put forward to each stage of the audition process by the panel members who will not concern themselves with the implications the disability may have on subsequent training. The panel will be informed of any disclosed disability on a candidate’s application form unless the candidate has asked for the disability to be kept confidential.

Year 1

In the first year of the course students will take three compulsory modules as follows:

• Acting and Text 1
• Voice Studies 1
• Movement Studies 1

Year 2

In the second year of the course students will take four compulsory modules as follows:

• Acting and Text 2
• Voice Studies 2
• Movement Studies 2
• Ensemble Production

Year 3

In the third year of the course students will take 8 compulsory modules to include 5 public theatre productions and one short film led by professional directors and designers. Professional development classes and an audition showcase will make up the remaining two modules. These are not assessed but are aimed to bridge the gap between the training of The Lir Academy and the world professional theatre, film, radio and television drama.

Public Productions

In their third year, students will be cast in a range of plays (from the classical and modern repertoires) directed by professional directors, including the Artistic Director. Classes will be in the form of rehearsals for a minimum of 30 hours per week and replicate the working environment of a professional theatre. Support in terms of individual tuition on a diagnostic basis in voice and movement will be provided. Students will rehearse for four weeks, followed by a get-in period of technical and dress rehearsals, and between 7-9 public performances to which directors, agents and the general public are invited to attend. Individual feedback from the Director and the Head of Acting, Voice and Movement, or their appointees will follow in the sixth week of each term. Students will perform in six productions over the course of their final year (two per semester). One of these productions will be a short film shot both on set and location that will receive a public showcase.

Core Skills and Career Preparation

Throughout the final year, classes will take place that will enable students to continue to practice the core skills of voice and movement to help sustain them through the rigours and demands of the production modules. Further classes to enable students to prepare for a professional working life (including the preparation of show reels, CVs, auditions etc.) will be included. Classes will expand on the Acting & Text modules of Year Two relating to professional practice (such as Acting for Screen & Microphone).

Audition Showcase

Towards the end of the academic year students will prepare and rehearse with a professional director a showcase of scenes from a range of dramatic texts and/or songs for public presentation before an audience of agents, artistic directors, casting directors, and producers.

• Candidates must have complete fluency in the English language
• The minimum age for admission is 17
• Students are expected to have achieved the minimum matriculation requirements for Trinity College Dublin courses, however, exceptions may be made based on the demonstration of exceptional natural talent at auditions.
• The standard matriculation requirements are pass grades in English, Mathematics, a language other than English, and a full set of valid subjects for your examination system.
• Full details of the specific matriculation requirements for the country you're applying from are available on Trinity's website.

Please note, acceptance onto the course is at the discretion of The Lir Academy. If The Lir Academy feels for whatever reason that a participant is not suitable for the course, he/she will not be accepted. All decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

Students admitted to The Lir Academy will also be admitted to Trinity College Dublin and therefore the fees policy of TCD will apply, as follows:

Free Fees

Tuition fees for EU students who have not previously studied at degree level are paid by the Irish Exchequer. The student pays a Student Contribution fee; €3,000 and additional student levies and charges (€191.75).

If a student is awarded a Local Authority grant, the Student Services Fee will be paid by Local Authority. The Sports Centre and USI Levy must be paid by ALL students.

There is more information on the criteria for determining eligibility for free on Trinity's website.

EU Fees

If an EU student is not eligible for free fees, the total cost is €9,550 (2023/24) per year.
A breakdown of undergraduate EU fees can be found on Trinity's website.

Non-EU Fees

If you do not satisfy the criteria for Free Fees or EU Fees then you must pay non-EU Fees; €€23,650 (2023/24)) regardless of nationality or citizenship. Students classified for fee purposes as non-EU will not be permitted to change their fee status following admission. This fee includes tuition fees, sports centre charge, USI levy and the commencement fee.

A breakdown of undergraduate non-EU fees can be found on Trinity's website.

Annual Review of Tuition fees and other charges by Trinity College Dublin

Please note, tuition fees and other charges are subject to annual review by Trinity College Dublin which may result in a fee increase each year. All students (undergraduate and postgraduate, EU & non EU) on courses/programmes of study of more than one year should be aware that tuition fees and other charges (commencement/graduation fee, sports centre charge and USI levy) may be subject to increase annually.

The annual revision is approved by Trinity’s Committee and College Board and typically increase by approximately 3% per annum or more in any given year.

The undergraduate EU rate of tuition and student contribution is set by the Department of Education and Skills.

Applications received before Christmas will incur an admin cost of €50.

Applications received after Christmas will incur an admin cost of €75.

First round auditions will be held from November 2023 until March 2024.

Cancellation policy: Please take care when booking your audition as we do not readily give refunds or offers to reschedule if you cannot attend the date you originally booked. Refunds and/or rescheduling are at the discretion of The Lir Academy, which may require you to provide evidence supporting your request for absence, i.e medical certificate.

In the event that The Lir need to cancel an audition date, an alternative means of auditioning will be provided.

New audition dates will be released on a rolling basis between now and the deadline to apply, February 1st 2024.

The Lir Academy Student Bursary Fund is open to all EU students who have been offered a place on the Undergraduate Bachelor in Acting, Undergraduate Bachelor in Stage Management and Technical Theatre or any of the Postgraduate courses at The Lir, National Academy of Dramatic Art, or are already studying here.

Students can apply for the bursary once a place has been offered on the course.

One of The Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art’s key aims is to ensure fair access to training for the most talented students, regardless of their background. As a result, The Lir Academy has committed to providing application fee waivers to make sure that applicants from low-income households are encouraged to apply.

You can download the application fee waiver below - please note the deadline to submit the application fee waiver is Monday 30th January). Please ensure that you have submitted all the required documents. Failure to submit what is required of you may delay the processing of or affect the outcome of your application.

The Lir Academy Virtual Tour is available HERE. But first, make sure you're familiar with a few ground rules that will help you get the most out of this experience!

1. On the bottom left-hand corner you will find a play button.

You can press that button if you want to be taken to the building automatically, or you can just click through the building to move at your own pace. To move through the building, click on the walls, floor, or use the shortcut links to go directly to a selected part of the building.

2. Throughout the tour you will be guided by our students' voice-overs and have the option to watch videos and photo selections that will transport you straight into life at The Lir Academy. Here's a map for finding your way around this material:

• The purple buttons are voice-overs.
• The red buttons are videos and photo slideshows.
• The green buttons will present you will give some information you may not have known about The Lir Academy.
• At a few different points throughout the building, the green dots will present you with a shortcut to a different area of the building

3. Please note that if you have virtual reality glasses, you can use them to physically walk through the building. All you have to do is click the "View in VR" symbol on the bottom right-hand corner.

5. Want to share your excitement with your friends and family? You can click the share button on the bottom right-hand corner and help us spread the word on social media!

But most of all, enjoy your virtual tour of The Lir Academy!

Download the course handbook here.