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theatre · Friday 26 June 2026 · 8pm 
The Audience
At Watergate Theatre · Parliament Street, Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny
At Watergate Theatre · Parliament Street, Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny
Peter Morgan’s acclaimed play about Queen Elizabeth II comes to Watergate Theatre in Kilkenny for one night. If you know The Crown on Netflix, you likely know that the series grew from this very stage play - and seeing it performed live is a different experience entirely. The Audience strips the monarchy back to a single recurring ritual: the weekly private meeting between the Queen and whoever happened to be her Prime Minister at the time. It is sharp, often funny, and quietly moving, and it suits anyone with a passing interest in modern British history or simply a taste for well-crafted drama.
The play follows Queen Elizabeth II across six decades of these private audiences, from Winston Churchill in the early 1950s through to David Cameron. The meetings are constitutionally confidential - no record is ever kept - which gives the playwright free rein to imagine what was said. Morgan uses that freedom well, drawing out the comedy and tension in each pairing: the formidable war leader and the young queen, the battles with Thatcher, the awkward encounters with Blair. The Queen herself becomes the fixed point while everything around her shifts, and that contrast is the engine of the whole piece. Expect a single evening of focused, intelligent theatre in a venue that knows how to stage it well.
Watergate Theatre opened on Parliament Street in 1993, occupying a converted Art Deco cinema from before the Second World War. The building retains its distinctive 1940s frontage while the interior is a properly equipped 324-seat house with good sightlines throughout. It has been Kilkenny’s main venue for touring drama, comedy and music for over thirty years.
Kilkenny City sits roughly midway between Dublin and Cork on the M9 motorway. From Dublin the drive is about 90 minutes, from Cork around 1 hour 40 minutes. Watergate Theatre is on Parliament Street in the city centre, a five-minute walk from Kilkenny Castle. Street parking is available nearby, and there are several pay car parks within walking distance - McDonagh Station car park on John Street is a short stroll away. Bus Eireann operates regular services from Dublin, Cork, Waterford and other towns to Kilkenny; the bus stop on Patrick Street is a few minutes on foot from the theatre. The train from Dublin Heuston to Kilkenny (via Kildare) takes around 1 hour 40 minutes and the station is a 10-minute walk from Parliament Street.
A Friday evening show makes it worth arriving a little early to walk the medieval streetscape, catch some food on High Street or Kieran Street, and take in the castle at dusk. There is more to see in Kilkenny and across Co. Kilkenny.
Heading to Watergate Theatre in Kilkenny? Kilkenny has plenty more to see. Read the Kilkenny area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.