Website: www.moattheatre.com

The Moat Club was formed in the early 1950's, its object to provide Naas with suitable facilities for drama and table tennis. In 1960 they bought the recently vacated Christian Brothers School.

The building which began life as the first post Penal Days Church in Naas derives its name from an ancient Moat - reputed to have connections with the Kings of Leinster-which is nearby.

Using the upper portion as a Table Tennis hall, members began their plans to convert the lower classrooms into a theatre. With a great deal of hard work, a well equipped 125 seat theatre was opened in 1963.

Since then the club has gone from strength to strength on the drama front, staging shows down through the year's as diverse as Brecht's 'The Good Person of Szechwan', Sheridan's 'School for Scandal', Shakespeare's ' A Midsummer Night's Dream', Brian Friel's 'Translations', Beckett's ' Waiting for Godot', and Marina Carr's 'Portia Coughlan' and Bog of Cats'. We also stage a yearly Pantomime which is very popular with audiences both young and old.

The All-Ireland Three-act Drama Festival title came our way in 1974, 1979 and 2000, with 'Abelard and Heloise', 'The Crucible' and 'The Bog of Cats'.

The All-Ireland One-act title was won in 1983 with 'A Phoenix too Frequent' by Christopher Fry, in 1989 with 'Stygian Cherubim' - an adaptation of Milton's Paradise Lost Book 1, and in 1999 with Bench at the Edge by Luigi Januzzi.

Now there is a major fundraising project on hand following the completion of a magnificent 200 seat theatre, with rehearsal rooms, and Bar.

View photos of the new theatre