Local Faces: Donal Shiels

Growing up in a creative household in Artane left a lasting impact on Donal Shiels, who has developed a career in the arts and is a constant proponent of the positive impact of the theatre.

His parents were involved in the arts scene, with his mother running the wardrobe department in the Gate Theatre, while his father was an award-winning musician who worked in the civil service.

The Shiels were keen to ensure their children grew up with a love of the arts, which led to Donal and his siblings being involved in creative pursuits from a young age.

“When we were very young, we were in the Billie Barry Stage School,” Donal told The Echo.

“When Billie Barry started the school, my two sisters were in her very first class.”

Donal and his brother then followed suit and attended the stage school, which opened up opportunities for Donal throughout his school years.

“All the way through school we were doing shows and voiceovers, right the way through to the Leaving Cert,” he recalled.

“Then I studied radio and television production in Ballyfermot College. When I finished college, I started getting offers of work at that stage.

“It was in the 80s, when there weren’t a lot of jobs. I did ‘Sunday Night in the Olympia’ and I was also performing in a pantomime in the Gaiety.

“I kept getting offers of work on stage, on TV and in film, and I always pushed myself to do more.

Donal Shiels

“Anything that you can do to get a job in entertainment and performing, you just do it.

“There were also times when I was on the dole and I was always looking for opportunities to do things – I was always trying to make something happen.”

This tenacity has paid off over the years, and it saw Donal take on more leadership roles in the arts industry, such as being the company manager of Opera Ireland and an adviser in the Department of Arts.

From 2005 to 2009, Donal was at the helm of the St Patrick’s Festival as the chief executive and it’s a time that he looks back on fondly.

“I ran the St Patrick’s Festival for four years as the chief executive,” he said. “I loved the job, and I loved the people.

“It’s the largest event in the country, and on the day, you could be doing 30 or 40 interviews because there are so many international journalists there.”

Donal left the role in 2009 to pursue other opportunities, and worked for Lane Productions and in 2011 set up his own company, Verdant Productions.

Explaining what it was like to go from being on stage to instead working behind the scenes, Donal said: “It came naturally to me. Things needed to be done, and I made it happen.

“But my understanding of the creative process has stood to me, and I take great pleasure from helping artists to realise their work and get it in front of an audience.”

This a key function of Donal’s role as the artistic director of the Civic Theatre, which he was appointed to last October.

Donal’s own early experiences in the theatre led him to his successful career in the arts, and he’s keen to spread the joy of the theatre to people throughout the community

“There are a few different hats you have to wear,” explained Donal, when asked what being an artistic director entails.

“Obviously, the first is the programme, what’s going on stage. We need to appeal to various people and we also need to involve local groups like dance and stage schools.

“But you have to keep it balanced, so there’s not too much theatre or too much dance.”

Other aspects of the role include financial oversight, liaising with stakeholders such as the theatre’s Board of Directors, and running the theatre’s educational outreach programme.

“The Civic is very present in a lot of local schools,” said Donal. “We’re working with children who are effectively going to be our audience in the future.

“We want to demystify the theatre for them, whether they’re into dance or theatre, and for them to maybe see the theatre as a career option.”

It was Donal’s own early experiences in the theatre that led him to his successful career in the arts, and he’s keen to spread the joy of the theatre to people throughout the community.

Donal Shiels

“I went to a show in the Abbey last year called ‘An Octoroon’,” he said, when asked what he would say to people who may feel intimidated by going to the theatre.

“I didn’t even know what an octoroon was.

“It was a show that was a bit like ‘Gone with the Wind’, it was a plantation story. It was absolutely sensational.

“I did about ten or 15 minutes of reading before it, to understand it. But if you don’t understand something [when you’re in the Civic], ask us. Engage with us.

“But sometimes if you’re at the theatre something about it will intrigue you and stay with you, you don’t always have to have a full solution every time.

“You’ll always take something away from a show, whether it’s an actor’s performance or the way the story was told…you’re activating your brain into it and doing it in a social way.”