The YAWP: Villanova's Graduate English Program Blog

A number of exciting opportunities to study or intern in Ireland have application due dates which are fast approaching at the moment. You can read about these opportunities on the relevant webpage offered by Irish Studies. You can also view a flyer, below, about the Jackie Clarke internship, which has a February 15th deadline. Please bear in mind that candidates need not have specific Irish experience (though that could help). It is possible to approach these opportunities from a variety of disciplines or areas of expertise, such as modernism, post-colonial studies, performance studies, et cetera. Many of our English MA students have availed themselves of chances to study in Ireland in recent years. Theo Campbell conducted research in Ireland , Jesse Schwartz interned there with the Jackie Clarke internship, and Caitlyn Dittmeier completed the Irish Theater Summer Studio . You can learn about their adventures in the above, linked articles and videos from the YAWP!

Spots still available! Contact Mike Malloy or Joseph Lennon for more information!

Ashley DiRienzo completed the Summer Studio last summer (2018). Check out what she has to say about her experience! "Thinking about doing the Irish Summer Studio program this summer? Or just generally unsure about summer plans but want to make good use (to say the least) out of your time? Then here are a few reasons why enrolling in this program is an incredible opportunity based on this brief testimonial. I went on the trip last year and it was a highlight of my Villanova career as an English graduate student. Even if you aren’t necessarily invested in Irish literature or theatre specifically this trip is exciting for anyone interested in expanding and learning about what a literary city like Dublin has to offer. As a group, we got to learn the complete ins and outs of developing productions through classes that were engaging and hands-on. We also completed playwriting workshops, put on a production as a team, and worked with other graduate students from Dublin. We also had the...

Students interested in participating in Villanova’s Irish Summer Studio program are encouraged to attend an informational meeting on Tuesday, October 2nd, at 3:30 pm in the Theatre Department's Green Room in the ground floor of Vasey Hall. Dr. Valerie Joyce (Theatre) and Dr. Joseph Lennon (English), as well as students who have participated in the program, will be present at the meeting to explain the program and how students can go about getting involved. The Irish Summer Studio From the studio to the stage, students in the program will study the workings and history of Ireland's world-class national theatre while developing their own theatre skills, knowledge, and practice. Students from Villanova will work alongside students from Irish and other universities and be taught by practitioners and professors from Ireland and the US. Student work will culminate in a showing of final work at the Lir, Ireland's National Academy of Dramatic Art and guided by Abbey Theatre p...

Five of our beloved graduate students, and one recently-graduated undergraduate, participated in the Irish Theatre Summer Studio, which took place over the summer from mid-July through early August. Angela, Alex E., Ashley, Michelle, Lia, and Caitlyn spent three and a half weeks in Dublin and Galway, and were joined by seven theater students, three from Villanova and four from University College Dublin. The program was led by Drs. Joseph Lennon and Valerie Joyce. Working in collaboration with the Lir Theatre, students participated in a variety of theater workshops (movement, voice, directing, devising, etc.) and were able to spend some time in small groups devoted to playwrighting. At the end of their time in Dublin, all Summer Studio students put on a performance of the “scenes” they had written during their time at the Lir. Along the way, students attended a variety of plays put on by the Abbey Theatre, he Gate Theatre, the Peacock, and the New Theatre. Our grad students also...

Current MA student Alex Einspahr and graduating senior Caitlyn Dittmeier  took part in the Irish Theatre Summer Studio program this summer! Here they are  atop the Martello Tower, depicted in James Joyce's opening chapter of Ulysses . They saw the Abbey Theatre's stage version of Ulysses, written by Dermot Bolger, and read the first chapter on top of the Tower!    And here are more of our MA students in Sandycove!

This past Friday, students in this year's Summer Studio program in Dublin got a chance to see Ulysses at The Abbey, Ireland's National Theatre! Current MA students Caitlyn, Lia, Ashley, Angela, Alex, and Michelle

Still interested in the Irish Theatre Summer Studio? You should be! Be sure to come to the LAST info session this coming Monday, January 22, at 3:30 in SAC 300.  Ready to apply?  Visit this page  for more info and click on the "Apply Now" in the right-hand column to start your application.    Background Info: From the studio to the stage, students will study the workings and history of Ireland's world-class national theatre while developing their own theatre skills, knowledge, and practice. Students from Villanova will work alongside students from Irish and other universities and be taught by practitioners and professors from the U.S. and Ireland. Student work will culminate in a showing of final work at the Lir, Ireland's National Academy of Dramatic Art and guided by Abbey Theatre professionals. The Abbey Theatre, the national theatre of Ireland, has long showcased great Irish drama. Emerging out of theatre societies founded by W.B. Yeats, Edw...

We know you're all ready for Thanksgiving, but put this on your radar: there's an upcoming information session for the 2018 Irish Theatre Summer Studio ! When: Wednesday, Nov. 29th at 4:30 p.m.  Where: SAC 300 The Summer Studio, a Villanova University summer course, invites graduate students and advanced undergraduates to Dublin to immerse themselves in Irish theatre. This unique three-credit study-abroad course examines the major works and history of the Abbey Theatre and trains students in the production of Irish Theatre. From the studio to the stage, students will develop work for a final showing at the Lir Theatre, the National Academy of Dramatic Arts Here's some more information about the program from Dr. Lennon: Irish Theatre Summer Studio From the studio to the stage, students will study the workings and history of Ireland's world-class national theatre while developing their own theatre skills, knowledge, and practice. Students from Villano...

By Angela Christaldi Stephen Reaugh, a second-year graduate student studying English literature, didn’t plan on pursuing the theatre, especially in grad school. However, a few months in Ireland changed his mind. While studying English as an undergraduate at Allegheny College, Reaugh spent “almost all [his] time” in the theatre department, performing in shows like Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” and Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost.” He hadn’t walked through the doors of Vasey Theatre, though, until he was persuaded by his fellow Abbey Theatre Summer Studio students. “I hadn’t done a lot of theatre [since undergrad] until this past summer,” Reaugh said. “I did the Abbey Summer Studio. There were some theatre students, who were also part of the class, and as part of the Summer Studio, at the end of your time in Dublin you put on a devised show at the Abbey Theatre at the Peacock Stage…After two weeks, I kept thinking, ‘I forgot how much I love this.’” The show that Reaugh and h...

Beginning this June 2014, the Abbey Theatre Summer Studio will be open to dedicated graduate students. The Studio will be an intensive study of the Abbey, its history, literature, performances, and operations—and it runs from June 1-20 in Dublin Ireland. The cost, including tuition and housing, will be $3500. Students will also have to pay for airfare and food. For students on Tuition Fellowships and Graduate Assistantships, tuition remission will cover both the cost of the program and housing. The course will have a performance element, as well as a written scholarly element, and count for 3 graduate credits. Selected graduate students will also be responsible for assisting and directing undergraduate discussions and rehearsals. If you are interested in this opportunity, please talk with either Heather Hicks or Joseph Lennon at your earliest convenience. Places for tuition remission students will be limited. ACCOMMODATION: Housing and breakfast will be provided at U...

The Villanova University-Abbey Theatre Exchange program was established in 2011, linking the University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with the prestigious national theater of Ireland. As a development of this historic intellectual and artistic partnership, Villanova has announced an “Abbey Theatre Internship Grant,” which will provide a University student with the funding to travel abroad and work for the Abbey Theatre for eight weeks during the summer of 2013. In addition to bringing the finest Irish theatre practitioners to Villanova, the exchange program now provides a grant for a Villanova student to intern at the Abbey Theatre during their prominent summer season. The University’s exchange program with the Abbey Theatre has created a bridge between the renowned Irish institution and Villanova’s Irish Studies Program and Theater Department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The collaboration brings some of Ireland’s preeminent theatre practitioners to the Unive...

Irish Studies has lined up a semester full of great lectures, readings, theatrical performances, and film screenings. On October 17 , Patrick Mason, one of Ireland's leading theatre directors, will give the inaugural lecture for the Villanova-Abbey Theatre Exchange . His lecture, focusing on the new Irish Theatre, will be held at Dougherty West Lounge at 7:00 pm and will be followed by a reception.  Click here to view the event poster! On November 1, Booker Nominated Novelist Patrick McGuinness will host a reading at 5:30 pm in the Falvey Library Lounge. Click here to view the Irish Studies fall 2011 event calendar Check back for future events, or visit the  Irish Studies website  for more information.