Meet the DkIT Musical Theatre students behind Kismet Theatre Company

“Kismet means fate, like we were destined to meet,” according to Lorianné O’Rourke, 21, from Wicklow, the brains behind Kismet. Founded in 2024, the company aims to challenge perceptions of musical theatre by exploring bold stories and amplifying diverse voices.

Lorianné leads on directing and choreography, working alongside Alisia on vocals and Emiliano on acting and assistant directing.

Emiliano Vazquez, 32, arrived in Dundalk from Mexico nearly four years ago. “I always wanted to study musical theatre, then I discovered the course starting at DkIT and the puzzle pieces just came into place at the right time.” Storytelling through music and exploring characters’ emotions inspired him to pursue the field. Studying in his second language has pushed him beyond his comfort zone, but the blend of academic learning and performance has helped him grow and build confidence on stage.

With a strong background in vocals, 23-year-old Alisia de Brún from Dublin was slightly apprehensive at the prospect of dance being an integral part of her degree and the vulnerability that comes with acting, but she says that the instructors have a fantastic approach and build these skills slowly.

Alisia is adamant about the power of working as a team in the arts. “Creative collaboration means being open to others, sharing ideas, and recognising that together we create work that’s stronger, more fulfilling, and more fun than working alone.”

From exams to theatre etiquette and the science of costumes, Alisia says the Musical Theatre degree at DkIT covers it all—foundations the trio are now building upon. Lorianné agrees: “All of our ensemble work and industry connections throughout our time at DkIT have transformed how we learn—and what we create.”

For all three, being Musical Theatre graduates from DkIT is a great source of pride. The expansion of their group and exploring larger scale productions is on the horizon for the Kismet trio. In Lorianné ‘s words; “We’ve just started. We’re fresh and we’re ready to bring you lots of new ideas!”

For more about Dundalk Institute of Technology, see dkit.ie