Disused UCD Performance Space Transformed

After falling into disuse over the past decade, the basement level space within the Newman Building at University College Dublin (UCD) has been transformed into a €2.5m state-of-the-art performance theatre with the aim of inspiring a new generation of talent. The redeveloped performance space, named Trapdoor, is now a 144-seat theatre with professional grade lighting, visual, and sound systems. It will serve as the new home for the UCD Creative Futures Academy. The Trapdoor theatre will host a range of new programmes and modules, delivered by academics and experts from the creative industries. The venue was officially opened on 27 February 2024. As part of its opening, British film director and screenwriter Steve McQueen was the first official guest.

Sean Mullen, Contracts Director at QMAC Construction, commented,
“It was great to be appointed to deliver this exciting project. It involved a mixture of demolition, refurbishment, and specialist fit-out trades. All the work was conducted while the upper floors of the busy Newman Building remained fully operational, so minimisation of dust, noise, and vibration were key priorities when planning the construction methodology. We are delighted with the finished resulted. We wish UCD and all the users of the new venue well for the future.”

To read more about the opening event, click here.

To view a 90-second video of the redevelopment project, including a time-lapse of the construction work, click below.

Credit: Image from UCD.