Born in London in 1951, Patrick Mason was educated at Downside School, and trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama (Teacher ’72), where he was awarded diplomas from the Central School, and the University of London.

He joined the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, as a Voice Coach in 1972, before becoming a lecturer in Performance studies at Manchester University in 1975. He returned to the Abbey as a resident director in 1978. His long association with the Abbey culminated in his tenure as Artistic Director from 1993 – 1999. He has worked extensively with Irish writers such as Brian Friel, Hugh Leonard, Tom Murphy, Tom Kilroy, and Tom MacIntyre. His production of Friel’s ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’ won him an Olivier nomination and a Tony Award for Best Director. He is also closely associated with the work of Frank McGuinness and directed the premieres of ‘The Factory Girls’,‘Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme’,‘Dolly West’s Kitchen’ (Abbey/ Old Vic, London), and ‘Gates of Gold’ (Gate Theatre, Dublin).

He first directed at the Gate Theatre, Dublin, in 1983 and has returned over the years to direct a series of productions of Anglo-Irish playwrights such as Farquhar, Sheridan, Wilde, and Shaw. In recent years he has directed a series of productions for the Gate Theatre, Dublin, which include ‘The Yalta Game’ (Sydney/Edinburgh Festivals), ‘Hay Fever’ (Charleston Spoleto Festival), and ‘The Speckled People’. Opera work includes productions for Wexford Festival Opera, WNO and ENO, as well as productions for Opera Zuid, Opera Ireland, and Buxton Festival.

In 2000 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Trinity College Dublin in recognition of his contribution to Irish Theatre. He is currently an adjunct professor in Drama at University College Dublin, and was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the university in 2013.