Welcome to the Garage Theatre

Our Box Office hours are Monday to Friday from 10am to 2pm. Box office 047 39777 or you can book online at www.garagetheatre.com.
The box office is also open one hour before a show and closes 30 minutes after the show starts.

All Children and Adults wishing to participate in any of the programmes or events provided by the Garage Theatre/CMETB will be required to have been free from the symptoms of Covid-19 for 14 days prior to the date of the event/activity.

Know the symptoms of Covid-19. Common symptoms of coronavirus include:

  • a fever (high temperature – 38 degrees Celsius or above)
  • a cough – this can be any kind of cough, not just dry
  • shortness of breath or breathing difficulties
  • loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

If you, your child or any member of your household is displaying any of these symptoms, or has been in close contact with anyone displaying these symptoms, they must not attend the Garage Theatre.

In 1993, Co. Monaghan VEC founded the Garage Theatre as a joint venture with Monaghan Dramatic Society (MDS). The Garage Theatre takes its name from a reference in Pat McCabe’s (Monaghan Author) award winning novel, “The Butcher Boy” (this was subsequently a successful motion picture directed by Neil Jordan)

The original theatre (located in a ward in St. Davnets Psychiatric Hospital) opened with a premiere of the play – “Frank Pig Says Hello” starring Sean Rocks, Declan Gorman and directed by Joe Byrne for Co-Motion Theatre Company, based on the award winning novel “The Butcher Boy “. In the film, when Francie Brady’s mother suffers a nervous breakdown and ends up in hospital Francie is informed that she has gone to the Garage get her ankle tightened, and as the theatre was first set up in a disused wing of a psychiatric hospital Pat Mc Cabe suggested calling it the Garage Theatre.

While this 186-seat theatre served well as ad-hoc solution for 20 years, the building had a number of shortcomings unsuitable for the running of a theatre in the long-term. The New Theatre was constructed and completed in January 2013 on the new Monaghan Education Campus on the Armagh Road. It is a 1,940-m2 facility incorporating a 289 seat auditorium with 10 wheelchair spaces, an induction loop system, a 75 seat studio space with a sprung floor, a newly opened visual art studio & Gallery, 3 large dressing rooms, green room, a fully licenced bar & café, numerous administrative offices and 300 free car park spaces.

Funding towards the cost of construction was received from Department of Arts, Sports & Tourism, Department of Education & Skills, Monaghan County Council and Monaghan Town Council.

The Garage Theatre is also home to Monaghan Junior and Senior Youth Theatres and Garage Theatre Productions.

“I loved the Garage Theatre from the moment I set foot in it. That was the night Frank Pig Says Hello played there and I have to say that it really was one of the proudest moments of my life” – Pat McCabe

Current Staff

Operations Manager: Cathy Bennett

Artistic Director: Eileen Costello

Director of MSYT: Krista Hamilton

Creative Youth Officer / Director of MJYT: Joanne Brennan

Youth Theatre Facilitator: Elaine Dawson

Technician: Josh Mc Phillips

Assistant Technician: Caomh Mc Gillion

Box Office Staff: Maggie Mc Dermott