Amid the recent happenings in Ireland, Willie White, head of the Dublin Theatre Festival, states his hope that the festival will contribute to bolstering community spirit, unity and resilience. The festival, offering a multitude of performances from both Ireland and around the globe, is set to take place from the 26th of September to the 13th of October this year. The goal is not only to provide entertainment, but to incite collective thought and emotion among the audience members.
The festival will officially kick off with Teac Damsa’s exuberant new performance, Nobodaddy, a melodic and rhythmic spectacle deeply rooted in Corca Dhuibhne, produced by Michael Keegan-Dolan’s team, celebrated for their earlier works like Swan Lake/Loch na hEala and Mám.
The festival boasts over 30 productions that weave narratives around themes such as family, identity, migration, climate change, colonial traces and conflict resolution, with performances by both familiar and fresh talents. On the roster are Irish premieres of original plays by Ross Dungan, Kate Heffernan, Caitlin Magnall-Kearns, Amy Kidd and Dee Roycroft, who are stepping into the realm of festival playwriting for the first time. The festival maintains its 10 for 10 offer, with a portion of the seats available for €10 to those under 30, the unemployed and independent professionals in the arts.
Gare St Lazare Ireland presents an immersive production intermixing a score and visual art, following Beckett’s character Belacqua on a Dante-inspired journey, as well as exploring the parallel path of Melville’s character Bartleby. Anu Productions brings Starjazzer to the stage, a poignant portrayal of a Dublin caught between yesterday and today, delving into themes of loss, sexuality and hope. The Dream Factory presents a contemporary fable addressing over-consumption and environmental decay in a whimsical, comedic style, at the Tallaght’s Civic, where Dermot Bolger’s Home, Boys, Home will also be performed.
Meanwhile, Thisispopbaby’s 0800 Cupid, a chaotic cabaret and musical spectacle stirs up nightlife at the Project Arts Centre along with Dee Roycroft’s play, Amelia, a futuristic “solarpunk” story of migration and home departures spotlighted around birds.
The standalone production by Once Off Productions brings forth an avant-garde new drama, Guest Host Stranger Ghost, written by Kate Heffernan. The play depicts experiences of inhabiting someone else’s space and ingeniously meanders through the city on different people’s play-sets.
Freefalling, a work of Georgina Miller, sponsored by Rough Magic and Lime Tree Theatre/Belltable, utilises the concept of aerial flight to embody the exhilaration of a life lived to the fullest, along with the fearful reality of being in a dysfunctional body. It is showcased at Draíocht in Blanchardstown, sharing the platform with Fishamble’s premiere Breaking, a play by Amy Kidd. It introspects our journey in a world that lacks straightforward solutions.
The Abbey Theatre is exhibiting a production titled Safe House at the Peacock, composed by Anna Mullarkey and narrated through a song cycle and deconstructed memory play by the writer/director Enda Walsh. At the Abbey Theatre’s main stage, director Caitríona McLaughlin revamps Lady Grant’s 1912 rendition of Grania.
At the Gaiety, the theatre company Druid puts forth The House, Tom Murphy’s dramatic exploration of want, belongingness and ownership, under the direction of Garry Hynes.
Adding to the diversity of plays is the world premiere, The Jesus Trilogy, inspired by JM Coetzee’s novels. Developed by Hatch Theatre Company and the writer Eoghan Quinn, it emphasises memory, fervour, and dance, all under the direction of Annabelle Comyn.
From ragged and personal to polished and public, Sandpaper on Sunburn takes the audience through this transformation. It’s directed and written by David Horan, in collaboration with Verdant Productions.
The theatre festive season also reveals the Lyric Theatre’s production of Agreement, a narrative about negotiating a pact in Northern Ireland back in April 1998, showcased at the Gate Theatre. Among the gems is the popular ensemble drama Reunion by Mark O’Rowe, a Landmark Production, currently at the Galway International Arts Festival. Moreover, the composer Emma O’Halloran’s Trade/Mary Motorhead double bill will soon be at Dún Laoghaire’s Pavilion after its premiere at the Kilkenny Arts Festival.
Noteworthy international acts include three English productions: Forced Entertainment’s avant-garde Signal to Noise, a political intrigue, Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World, based around the idea of storytelling and truth in the digital era by Javaad Alipoor, and the visually captivating Find Your Eyes by Benji Reid. An upcoming Off-Broadway piece, A Knock on the Roof by Khawla Ibraheem, based in Golan Heights, providing insights into the preparation for war, adds to the international offerings.
An exciting line-up of programmes for children has been gathered by The Ark, including a feature dubbed An Ant Called Amy by Julie Sharkey. This tale of an ant learning to take life a little slower is directed by Raymond Keane and targeted towards children aged five to eight. Other highlights include a musical imported from the Netherlands named BullyBully, appropriate for children aged three and up, and an acrobatic sound theatre presentation from Belgium called Murmur. A new stage play from Barnstorm, titled Grace and penned by Jody O’Neill, is set to grace the Pavilion, offering families an immersive multisensory experience.
The Dublin Theatre Festival is more than just a gathering place; it is a venue championing diversity, fostering curiosity and promoting generosity, as articulated by White. The foremost pleasure lies in the electrifying bond forged between artists and their audience through live performances – a phenomenon that ripples out, rendering the city friendlier, more welcoming, and enhancing its livability. White acknowledges the need to broaden this conversation with many more people and accepts this as an ongoing challenge.