Conor Hanratty of Ireland says there is obvious benefit in studying a subject ranking amongst the less sought-after. When he enrolled in Royal Holloway, University of London, for his master's degree in Greek theater performance, he was one of only four in his class. Undoubtedly he did not require individual attention for the degree with distinction that he earned. Since early childhood he has been a deeply devoted theater person.
The child of progressive parents who took him to the theater, Conor grew up in Dublin. In his unusually rapid speech he said: "I went to Belvedere College primarily because of its strong theatrical life. Thereafter I went to Trinity College, where I did a BA in drama and Latin. That led to my MA in London. I wrote my thesis on Yukio Ninagawa's production of 'Oedipus Rex.' "
Now 24, Conor has packed impressive achievements into the last five years. Earlier he added French, Spanish, modern Greek and Italian to his first languages, English and Irish. As a teenager needing pocket money, he worked as a shop assistant and as an assistant organizer for summer courses. Then, while a part-time undergraduate, he worked as a Dublin tour guide, a video librarian and at the box office of an Edinburgh theater. His Trinity College extracurricular activities included performing in, designing for and directing student drama productions, and playing a full part on student committees.