Theatre: Poor by by Katriona O’Sullivan at The Gate Theatre

This October, the Gate Theatre and Belgrade Theatre Coventry will present the world premiere of Poor by Katriona O’Sullivan, adapted by Sonya Kelly from O’Sullivan’s bestselling memoir, and directed by Róisín McBrinn.

Poor, a Gate Theatre commission, will run as part of Dublin Theatre Festival 2025 running from 2 October to 2 November.

Poor charts Katriona O’Sullivan’s extraordinary journey as she emerges from a childhood marked by poverty, addiction and homelessness. Moving to Dublin from her home in Birmingham, POOR follows O’Sullivan as she overcomes seemingly insurmountable obstacles to earn a PhD from Trinity College Dublin and inspire a generation through her writing, teaching and speaking. This unforgettable story is vividly and movingly portrayed through her close relationships with family and friends, and thrums with the music that has resonated through her life.  

This Gate Theatre and Belgrade Theatre Coventry World Premiere will be a beacon of hope, resilience and community, and will be a catalyst for discussion and change around the most critical social issues of our time.

Please note that this performance contains strong language, and references to addiction, sexual assault, drug use, and domestic violence.

For more information and to book, visit gatetheatre.ie/whats-on

Access Performance

There will be an ISL-Interpreted performance of Poor on Saturday, 25 October at 2pm. In advance of booking, the Gate kindly ask that patrons with accessibility requirements to contact boxoffice@gate-theatre.ie