Venues
Events
VideoTheater
Theater’s Best, Right Now
The annual Dublin gathering of the international stage’s brightest
The New Electric Ballroom
Over 18 days, the Dublin Theater Festival hosts the best contemporary productions from Ireland, Europe and beyond. The festival has been a gathering place for new talent for the past fifty-two years. Recently acclaimed productions and those soon to be acclaimed are presented on a dozen stages and in the Dublin streets. Every spectacle, whether a revival or world premiere, teems with vitality. Though it is difficult to see everything, it is advisable to try.
The highlights below illustrate the variety of offerings at this year’s festival, from puppetry to Chekhov. From September 23 – October 11.
The New Electric Ballroom: Fresh off last year’s success at the Edinburgh Theater Festival, prolific Irish playwright Edna Walsh’s award-winning production calls to mind the quirky devastation of Pedro Almodóvar’s films.
The Manganiyar Seduction: This acclaimed musical production brings together three generations of Indian musicians and singers for a climactic spectacle of sound. From director Roysten Abel.
The Pitmen Painters: Not only last year’s most successful play out of the UK. From Lee Hall, creator of Billy Elliot, and London’s National Theatre comes the true story of miners learning to appreciate art.
The Birds: A world premiere of the new play by Conor McPherson, one of Ireland’s best playwrights and directors. Adapted from the short story by Daphne Du Maurier and featuring the incomparable Sinéad Cusack.
Three Sisters: Cheek By Jowl and the Chekhov International Theatre Festival present Chekhov in his own language, including subtitles. Russian’s finest thespians present what is arguably Russia’s finest play. From acclaimed British director Declan Donnellan.
Tales of Ballycumber: The world premiere of a thrilling psychological drama from Irish playwright, fiction writer and poet Sebastian Barry.
The Blue Dragon: French Canadian director Robert Lapage’s continuation of The Dragons’ Trilogy, exploring modern Chinese art and culture with Lapage’s characteristic visual storytelling.
The Dead School: Nominated for multiple awards last year, this Irish production is based on the dark novel of the same name. Set in the seventies, it explores the clash between Modernism and tradition.
KAMP: Auschwitz recreated on stage in wordless action with puppetry sets, a new perspective on one of history’s most horrific atrocities. From Dutch company Hotel Modern.
Radio Muezzin: From the German company Rimini Protokoll comes another production of their groundbreaking Documentary Theater, stories from real people, about centralizing the Muslim call to prayer in Cairo and the way technology changes people’s lives.
A Woman in Progress: This late-night production tells the story of a developing drag star. From Irish performer Panti.
Buck Jones and the Body Snatchers: This comedic period piece about the body snatchers in 1798 Dublin follows the developing story through the streets of Dublin, literally.
Also in production: Cet Enfant (France), Once And For All We’re Going To Tell You Who We Are So Shut Up And Listen (Belgium), slat (International), Silver Stars (Ireland), The Crumb Trail (Ireland), To Be Straight With You (International), No Worst There Is None (Ireland), Freefall (Ireland), The Age I’m In (Australia).
Children’s productions from Denmark: Songs From Above, Goodbye Mr Muffin, and Hans Christian, You Must Be An Angel.
For dates, times and venues, visit the Dublin Theater Festival.