Famous Faces Who Studied Part-Time At GSA
Tuesday, September 8th, 2020 at 6:11 pm | News & Events
Did You Know These Famous Faces Studied Part-Time At The Gaiety School of Acting?
Many actors who have come through the doors of the Gaiety School of Acting have gone on to have amazing careers on stage and screen, without necessarily having chosen the standard path of full-time actor training for two years.
While the part-time courses obviously do not allow for the depth and breadth of training the Full-time Professional Actor Training course offers, it is often the better option for people who cannot afford the time or financial commitment needed for the two year intensive course.
Instead these well-known actors have signed-up to short-term acting classes and honed their acting skills that way! Taking part-time acting classes will not only make you a better actor, but you’ll truly get a real insight as to whether this profession is for you.
Here are just five well-known actors you may not have known attended the Gaiety School of Acting part-time.
1. Emmett J Scanlan
Actor and producer, Emmett J Scanlan, trained on the Gaiety School of Acting’s year-long part-time course. Emmett is probably best known for Peaky Blinders (2013), Butterfly (2018), and Krypton (2018) and most recently Netflix’s Fool Me Once (2023) to name but a few. He won Best Newcomer for Hollyoaks at the British Soap Awards (2011) and Best Actor for Charlie Casanova at the International Film Festival (Paris). In his latest role, Emmett plays the Dr. Michael Callaghan in Channel 5’s, The Deceived, alongside GSA graduate, Catherine Walker.
2. Brian Gleeson
Brian is also a former Young Gaiety student, and was a member of our Youth Theatre Company. He was most recently seen in the critically acclaimed series’ Bad Sisters (2022) and Peaky Blinders. He co-wrote Frank of Ireland (Channel 4/Amazon) with Michael Moloney and brother, Domhnall Gleeson. Other credits to Brian’s name include: Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Phantom Thread (2017), Resistance (RTÉ), The Bisexual (Hulu), Beckett’s Room (The Gate Theatre), and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (The Young Vic Theatre, London).
3. Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde trained at The Gaiety School of Acting Summer School as a Young Person. The daughter of Irish-American’s, her family returned to Ireland frequently and Olivia was given the opportunity to study her craft at the school while based in Dublin. She has spoken previously about the impact spending time at the Gaiety School has had on her career.
‘It was important for me to maintain a connection with my Irish roots…I have always loved Beckett, Friel and O’Casey and I wanted to spend time learning about these people from people who understand them’.
4. Hilary Rose
Hilary is currently appearing as series regular Mairead McSweeney in The Young Offenders (BBC3/RTÉ) of which she is a two time IFTA nominee for Best Actress (2018) and Best Supporting Actress (2017). While having studied business and multimedia, Hilary pursued a year-long part-time course at GSA. Since then, she has written and performed comedy for RTÉ (The Republic of Telly and The Fear) for the past few years, while other screen roles include: Vikings, The Tudors, Sacrifice, and Amy Huberman’s Finding Joy (RTÉ).
5. Michael Fry
Michael Fry is best known for his satirical sketches and musical renditions of viral videos on Twitter and Instagram which have led to appearances at festivals and on radio and television in both Ireland and the U.K. Michael has appeared on TV shows such as Derry Girls and Holding and The Michael Fry Show on BBC Sounds.
We are currently enrolling on all of our part-time courses, which commence in October. Adults can choose from an introductory course, GSA Beginners, or from our new GSA Studio Suite. Those up to 19 years of age can join our Young Gaiety programme, the most comprehensive acting course available to young actors in Ireland.