Meet The Facilitators
We are extremely proud of our skilled team of facilitators who help us deliver 10 Theatre School classes here in the Lyric each week. They also support our programme of outreach delivering countless workshops across NI throughout the year. Our facilitators design their sessions to cater to the needs of each group and can deliver bespoke workshops to schools, youth and community groups.
This year we were honoured with the Excellence in Arts Education award at the UK Theatre Awards, an acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication of our wonderful team. As a result Theatre School is expanding and improving all the time – with two classes added this term alone! We hope to build on this success by providing more opportunities for young people to engage in the arts.
Please get in touch to learn more.
Erin Hoey
Erin Hoey is (Acting) Head of Creative Learning here at the Lyric, designing and delivering programmes of education throughout the year. Alongside teaching on our P3-P4 classes, Erin also works to ensure that the Creative Learning department delivers projects, classes, and outreach of the highest standard.
Mission Statement: Taking part in drama classes can unlock so many skills; building confidence, engaging creativity and making new groups of friends with shared interests.
Describe your classes in 3 words: Energetic. Creative. Fun!
Likes: Walking in the Mournes.
Kathy Moore
Kathy Moore is Creative Learning Manager here at the Lyric and oversees the day to day running of our Theatre School. She trained as an actor at The Lir Academy in Dublin and is now an experienced facilitator. She brings a wealth of knowledge and practical theatre skills to her students in Year 8-10 and Senior Theatre. She also served as acting tutor for our prestigious Drama Studio on their most recent production Anne Boleyn.
Mission Statement: I believe the arts are for everyone. My sessions are centred on developing the unique skills and talents of each participant. My goal is to develop actors with strong technique and confidence in their own abilities!
Describe your classes in 3 words: Dynamic. Playful. Inquisitive.
Likes: Painting puffins - they are my specialty. And I love bees.
Megan McGarry
A graduate of our prestigious Lyric Drama Studio, Megan McGarry teaches our P5-P7 and Year 8- 10 classes.
Megan also supports our projects throughout the year as Production Assistant during our annual NT Connections festival - where she also facilitates Masterclasses for participants from all across Ireland in Improvisation and Acting Technique. Alongside her work with the Lyric she is currently a classroom assistant for SEN pupils and brings a wealth of technique and a huge amount of experience working with young people to our team.
Mission Statement: The theatre is a magical space in which time stops and play begins. I aim to provide a safe, creative, and inviting space in which young people can be fully immersed in an exciting and colourful world that only they can see inside their mind.
With older classes there comes more of a focus on a young persons’ social and emotional wellbeing, as they navigate the twists and turns of being a teenager. In the world of drama, young people are provided with a beautiful cloak of invisibility that they can wrap around themselves, to allow them to explore their own thoughts and feelings about themselves and the world around them through the lens of the characters they portray.
It is my privileged position to help unlock the creativity of my students, provide them with the skills they need to approach acting and theatre making, and help guide them towards achieving their own specific goals.
Describe your classes in 3 words: Welcoming. Fun. Explorative.
Likes: Music. Good food. Cups of tea, and talking about my dog and cat!
Gerard Kelly
Gerard is an experienced theatre Facilitator and actor. This term Gerard will be leading our Year 11 & 12 classes. Gerard supports many Creative Learning projects throughout the year, most recently as a lead facilitator on our 12-14 year old Lyric Summer School, Theatre School on the Road and Schools Affiliationoutreach workshops. Gerard regularly hosts professional workshops for actors here at the Lyric specialising in Meyerhold’s Biomechanics method.
Mission Statement: I think young people are so much more capable than we allow them to be. Focus on fostering a space where they are safe to create and they will show us what it means to play.
Describe your classes in 3 words: Professional. Playful. Fun!
Likes: People watching in European cafés. Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough Ice Cream.
Megan Keenan
Megan trained in Drama and Theatre Arts at The University of Ulster before specialising in Drama facilitation for young people. Megan facilitates our weekly Storytrekkers and P5-P7 classes here at the Lyric. Megan also supports the Creative Learning department across many other projects throughout the year. Most recently facilitating our 6-8 year old Summer School programme, she is a lead facilitator for outreach programmes, Theatre School on the Road and Gamechangers and our annual Halloween Storytelling event. Alongside her work at The Lyric Megan has founded ‘The Silly Billy Collective’ for Neurodivergent Self-Employed Creatives in NI. |
Mission Statement: I have been facilitating drama since 2016 and have loved every minute of it. Working with young people is very important to me as when I was a child I struggled with ADHD and Dyslexia, Drama was my sanctuary where I could be myself and thrive. I want to pay this forward to the children I work with and give them the extremely transferable skills that I learnt through drama and have helped me throughout my life.
Describe your classes in 3 words: FUN. Silly. Educational.
Likes: Ducks, because they waddle and quack and you can’t get any cuter than that.
Shannen McNeice
An experienced actor and facilitator, Shannen trained at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama as well as our very own Lyric Drama Studio. Shannen brings her wealth of knowledge and skill to classes here at the Lyric most recently teaching our P3-4 and Senior Theatre classes. Shannen specialises in Improvisation and helping actors find spontaneity and truth in performance. Shannen is also the NI Artist Fellowship for Replay Theatre Company, working to develop her own inclusive theatre production for audiences with Learning Disabilities. You can see her on our Mainstage at the Lyric in Burnt Out this October!
Mission Statement: I believe in creating a safe, inviting space for young people to explore their own unique creativity. I have a real passion for inclusivity, every child should have access to theatre education that respects their needs.
Describe your classes in 3 words: Imaginative. Inventive. Inclusive.
Likes: Sewing, thrift shopping and going for walks with my lovely dog Ollie!
Andrew McCracken
Andrew is a graduate of Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, as well as our own Lyric Drama Studio.
As a performer Andrew has been involved in a number of Creative Learning productions including our primary school touring production A Walk is Not Just a Walk.
Andrew has a wealth of experience in facilitation and he is currently a lecturer in Performing Arts at Northern Regional College. Most recently Andrew has taught our Senior Theatre group and Lyric Summer School helping them to create a devised performance in the Naughton Studio.
You can see Andrew onstage in September and October in not one but two productions at the Lyric - The Safety Catch and Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme….
Mission Statement: I want to use my skills as facilitator to create a space for people of all abilities to engage with the arts. Through the arts, we can build our confidence, creativity and empathy. Ultimately, allowing us understand more about ourselves and those around us.
Describe your classes in 3 words: Engaging. Open. Intentional.
Likes: I love getting back home to the North Coast and going for a dip in one of our many beaches (I didn't do it enough when I was younger!).