Chapter One
The Factory
2010
Dublin's Docklands. A collective is born
In the midst of a recession, on an almost derelict site in Dublin’s Grand Canal Dock, The Factory was founded. The iconic cavernous building—a former recording space where U2 rehearsed and Bowie once played—had fallen into disrepair. After clearing out the pigeons, film directors Kirsten Sheridan, Lance Daly, and John Carney, alongside Casting Director Maureen Hughes, negotiated a free lease, and opened the doors to writers, directors, and artists. Ireland’s first filmmakers collective.
Born from a deep need for connection, being part of The Factory was like being in a band (including the odd party, or ten)
2011
The Actors Studio
The "band" grew as actors began to knock on the doors. Among the first to show up were Barry Keoghan, Jack Reynor, Louisa Harland, Patrick Gibson, Brian Gleeson, and Steve Wall—young Dublin talent hungry for a home.
The Factory Actors Studio was hatched—a zero-cost incubator, less a formal school than an organic gym for the screen. You put 5 euro into the pot for the heating, and you showed up to work.
Joining the collective that same year was filmmaker Shimmy Marcus, who jumped into the madness and turned the raw energy into an engine.
The results were immediate – Jack Reynor got cast as the co-lead in Sheridan’s ‘Dollhouse’ and Carney’s ‘Sing Street’, while Daly cast Barry Keoghan in ‘Life’s a Breeze’ and ‘Black ‘47’.
2012
The arrival of Gerry Grennell
Daly invited Gerry Grennell to work with some of the Factory actors. What the rest of the team didn't know was that Grennell had spent decades working at the very highest levels of the industry.
Gerry was invited to run a single workshop at The Factory. He stayed for six weeks, refining what would become the Gerry Grennell Method.
2012 - 2013
Ireland's first screen acting course
From that single workshop, Grennell and the team designed Ireland's first dedicated one-year screen acting course. Entry was based solely on the quality of the audition.
Various film producers and production companies take space in the building.
Tim Roth, Saoirse Ronan, Cillian Murphy, and Danny DeVito all passed through to give talks for free
2014
The Eviction
At the height of its momentum, the Factory’s lease was cancelled as the Docklands underwent a massive corporate redevelopment.
With the historic building slated to be gutted, it was a disruption that looked like a crisis, but instead became a catalyst...
