Overview
The Moat Theatre started life as a Christian Brothers school. In 1960 the Moat Club, a Naas drama-and-table-tennis society, bought the building on Abbey Road, opened a modest 125-seat theatre in the lower rooms by 1963, and in 2003 gutted and rebuilt it as the 200-seat black-box studio it is today, fly tower and all. Because the seating retracts, the same room can do an intimate acoustic set one night and a full stage production the next. It’s the busiest performance venue in County Kildare outside the bigger towns, and the foyer alone – gallery, café, Friday market – is worth a look even without a ticket.
What’s on
The programme mixes professional touring shows, local amateur productions and community events:
- Theatre & drama – Classic plays, contemporary Irish writing and in-house productions from Naas drama groups.
- Music & comedy – Stand-up nights, acoustic sets, tribute acts and the occasional classical concert.
- Family & youth shows – Panto at Christmas, children’s theatre and school showcases.
Two dates stand out in the calendar: a January Theatre Festival that pulls a big local crowd through the depth of winter, and the Moat Performing Arts Carnival in mid-June, a weekend of stage shows built around a street parade with drumming and puppet shows. Because the studio is small, popular shows sell out fast. The full schedule is updated weekly on the venue’s website; ticket prices vary by show, running roughly €15 to €33 for recent listings.
Gallery, café & Friday market
The foyer runs as a free visual arts gallery, with rotating exhibitions of Irish painters, photographers and mixed-media artists. It’s well lit and easy to browse before or after a show. Beside it sits the café and bar, doing coffee, light lunches and pre-show bites. And since 2019 the same foyer has hosted a country market every Friday morning: local makers selling artisan bread, seasonal veg, crafts and homewares. None of it needs a performance ticket.
History & community
The name “Moat” points to the ancient motte a short walk away, once a stronghold of the Kings of Leinster. The theatre’s own history is shorter but tidy: the Moat Club took over the old school in 1960, ran a 125-seat house from 1963, and secured funding in the early 2000s to modernise the building while keeping its original stone façade. The 2003 rebuild added the fly tower, retractable seating and proper backstage facilities, bringing capacity to 200.
The venue stays tied to local education, running workshops for schools and youth groups in acting, stagecraft, scriptwriting and technical production, many of them free or reduced-rate.
Facilities
The building is designed to flex:
- Retractable seating that expands or contracts the stage to suit the show.
- A fly tower for lighting and set changes.
- Two rehearsal rooms and separate dressing rooms.
- A step-free foyer linking café, gallery and auditorium.
The single-level layout and AV kit also make it a regular choice for conferences, training days and private functions.
Getting there & practical details
- Parking: The theatre has no car park of its own. Use the nearby Kildare County Council car park, or on-street parking on Abbey Street and Main Street. Don’t leave a car on the ramps directly outside the building – they’re drop-off zones kept clear for fire access, ticketing and clamping are in operation, and the theatre won’t cover a clamped car.
- Public transport: Bus Éireann services stop in Naas town centre, a short walk away. There is no railway station in Naas; the nearest stations are Sallins and Newbridge on the Dublin–Kildare commuter line, each a short taxi ride from town.
- Box office: Open during the published hours. Tickets can be bought online or in person, with discounts usually available for students, seniors and families; group bookings go directly through the venue.
Nearby attractions
Easy to fold into a wider Kildare day, though none is on the theatre’s doorstep:
- Castletown House – A grand 18th-century house and parkland with guided tours, north of Naas in Celbridge.
- Irish National Stud & Gardens – A working stud farm and landscaped gardens near Kildare town, to the south.
- Donadea Forest Park – Marked woodland trails and open grassland, to the west.
If you’re just passing, time it for a Friday morning: the country market runs from mid-morning in the foyer and costs nothing to browse. For a show, book online a few weeks ahead – the black box is small, and the good nights go early.