Devious Theatre
Watergate Theatre is delighted to announce that Kilkenny-based The Devious Theatre Company are Watergate Artists in Residence for 2026 - 2028.
About Devious Theatre Company
Devious Theatre were founded in Kilkenny in 2006.
We are an award winning artist collective whose work spans theatre, film, radio, comedy and site specific performance. We don’t like labels. Thus, our artistic credo is chaotic by design and distinctly guerrilla. Over the last two decades we have created nearly 30 productions and have toured our work nationally and internationally. We build new work from the ground up, starting with the ensemble and the questions they want to tackle. This process reflects our belief that theatre should feel alive, relevant and accessible to audience members who might not normally choose the theatre for a night out. Our practice has allowed us to build original productions that challenge form, cross pollinate genres, and speak directly to audiences in a language they recognise. We perform different works in different spaces for different audiences using different methods. Plainly put, to deviate means to move away from an expected path, norm, or standard and encourage a deliberate divergence from convention. It has shaped the DNA of the company, and it continues to lead us into the future. Our focus remains on building young audiences, empowering emergent artists, showcasing diverse voices and ensuring that Kilkenny remains a vibrant home for ambitious homegrown storytelling.
The core members of Devious Theatre are Ken McGuire, Kevin Mooney, Niamh Moroney and John Morton.
Image credit: Ken McGuire
The Folklore Commission In Development
Devious Theatre kicked off their Watergate Theatre residency with the development of The Folklore Commission, a new play by Peter McGann & John Morton, directed by Sarah Baxter – the makers of The Hellfire Squad and The Roaring Banshees, both of which had their first productions in The Watergate Theatre over the last decade.
The Folklore Commission is the third part of a trilogy of Irish alternative history plays centred around Collin’s Twelve Apostles, Cumann na mBán, and the Irish Folklore Commission, three real world organisations that have rarely, if ever, led their own dedicated dramas before.
October 1935. A group of folklorists connected to the newly formed Folklore Commission converge on an abandoned dancehall on the Kilkenny/Tipperary border. Superstition, paranoia and madness overtakes them as they reckon with the faerie lore of the site. So begins the tale of The Folklore Commission…
This year The Folklore Commission was workshopped for the first time in Kilkenny. The writers and director worked on the text with a cast consisting of Roseanna Purcell, Ian Toner, Pattie Maguire, Ashleigh Dorrell, Aaron Monaghan and Gus McDonagh who brought the words to life and breathed life into the play. The team will continue the further development of The Folklore Commission for the rest of the year, as it makes its journey towards production.
In early February Devious Theatre workshopped The Folklore Commission, a new play by Peter McGann & John Morton, directed by Sarah Baxter – the makers of The Hellfire Squad and The Roaring Banshees.
October 1935. A group of folklorists connected to the newly formed Folklore Commission converge on an abandoned dancehall on the Kilkenny/Tipperary border. Superstition, paranoia and madness overtakes them as they reckon with the faerie lore of the site.
Visit devioustheatre.com to read more about The Folklore Commission.