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Brian Friel will be honoured at Queen's today (Friday 20 February) when the University names a state-of-the-art theatre and research centre after the renowned playwright.

The Brian Friel Centre for Theatre Research includes a 120 seat studio theatre and will provide world-class facilities for the University's performing arts students. The playwright will be guest of honour at a special evening to mark the occasion, involving student performances of excerpts from some of his most famous plays, followed by a dinner in the University's Great Hall.

Queen's Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Gregson said: "Brian Friel is Ireland's greatest living playwright and we are honoured that he has agreed to lend his name to this wonderful performance space.

"For generations to come, Queen's students will continue to be inspired by Brian's work and perform his plays in the theatre that bears his name, while the Brian Friel Centre for Theatre Research will provide a focus for cutting edge research into theatre practice, attracting post-graduate students from around the world.

"These facilities allow us to provide the best possible learning and research environment for our performing arts students, and will help enhance Queen's reputation for Drama Studies on the national and international stage."

Brian Friel said: "As an honorary graduate of Queen's, I have a long-standing relationship with the University, and I am delighted to receive this honour.

"For the last ten years, Queen's has successfully prepared students for careers in theatre and the performing arts. I hope the Brian Friel Theatre and Centre for Theatre Research will enhance the already excellent facilities available to Drama Studies students at Queen's, and help nurture their talent and develop the skills necessary to succeed on the stage and screen."

Today’s official opening will be followed tomorrow (Saturday 21 February) by the inaugural Brian Friel Lecture, which will be delivered by Irish playwright and novelist Thomas Kilroy, recipient of the Irish Times/ESB Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 , and a board member of the Field Day Theatre Company which Brian Friel founded with Stephen Rea in 1980. The lecture - Brian Friel and the Realist Tradition - is open to the public and will take place at 1pm in the new Brian Friel Theatre at 20 University Square. It will be followed by a panel discussion on The Stagecraft of Brian Friel.

Professor David Johnston, Head of the School of Languages, Literatures and Performing Arts at Queen's said: "For over forty years Brian Friel's plays have brought Irish theatre to a global stage. His works, such as Translations, Dancing at Lughnasa and Philadelphia, Here I Come! are known and loved by theatre-goers around the world.

"Queen's is already a thriving centre for drama research and education, and its strong links with professional theatre are the envy of its peers. With world-class facilities and Brian Friel's name above the door, Queen's will continue to be one of the leading centres for drama studies in the UK, Ireland and beyond.

"The Brian Friel Centre for Theatre Research will allow us to prepare our students for careers in the performing arts, and reaffirm the University's commitment to the development of culture and arts in Northern Ireland.

"We extend our thanks to all who have supported this project, including Dr Ian Brick in memory of Katherine Brick nee McSorley, The Queen's University of Belfast Foundation, Friends of The Queen's University of Belfast, Inc. and Dr Michael and Mrs Ruth West. Their generosity has made this renaming - and the establishment of much-needed drama scholarships - possible."

For more information on Drama Studies at Queen's visit www.qub.ac.uk/drama