DUBLIN THEATRE FESTIVAL | 25 Sep – 4 Oct
What Are You Afraid Of?
Rough Magic & Kilkenny Arts Festival
Main Space
You may remember the actor Peter Hanly from such projects as BBC’s smash hit TV show Ballykissangel or Mel Gibson’s multi-Oscar winning Braveheart.
So… where did he disappear to? And why?
In this world premiere from Rough Magic and Kilkenny Arts Festival, Peter ends up on stage once more, searching through past and present to find out what happened.
DUBLIN THEATRE FESTIVAL | 3 Oct
The Waste Land
Noeline Kavanagh
Boys’ School
Artist Noeline Kavanagh and performer Marty Rea, with designer Julian Crouch, present a work in progress of T.S. Eliot’s epic poem The Waste Land. Performed as a vocal symphony that weaves a spider’s web over fragmented images, the work moves through centuries and across continents, hovering between veils of reality and ritual and merging dream with nightmare.
Supported by the T S Eliot Foundation.
Tickets available on Dublin Theatre Festival website
DUBLIN THEATRE FESTIVAL | 3 Oct
THE RACHEL BAPTISTE PROGRAMME: FIRST LOOK
Smock Alley Theatre, 1662
Main Space
The Rachel Baptiste Programme is a script development programme for Black Irish theatre makers and writers. This is an opportunity to catch readings of excerpts of early drafts of scripts in development by Tishé Fatunbi, Robert Furey, Tatiana Santos and Samuel Yakura.
Followed by a panel discussion with the writers, led by Esosa Ighodaro.
THEATRE | 9 – 11 Oct
Two Plays, One Night: A Marriage Proposal & Eating Crows
Last Minute Production
Boys’ School
A Marriage Proposal By Anton Chekhov
Love ain’t easy. Proposals? Even harder. In this classic comedy, a nervous man, a friendly neighboring daughter and a land dispute collide in the most awkward engagement attempt you’ve ever seen.
Eating Crows By Lea Maas
Cup of tea. Lights turned low. Ignoring the phone. Gripped by the amazing works of Shakespeare, Laura just wanted a quiet night with her book – not a visitor determined to drag up old memories.
COMEDY | 17 + 18 Oct
Sharing Our Drawers
Áine Gallagher and Amy La Grue
Boys’ School
Comedians Áine and Amy are doing a show of two halves.
One half a new comedy from the “Queen of Offbeat” and award winning comedian Áine Gallagher. She’ll talk about her plans to run for president, give everyone in the country a focal and one day work up the courage to ask the man who works in Dubray Books Blackrock out.
The other half will be rising star Amy La Grue’s premier solo show, She’s Making a Show of Herself. Amy’s desperate need for validation and people pleasing tendencies means she will spill her deepest, darkest secrets to give you a laugh.
THEATRE | 20 – 24 Oct
It’s F-
It’s F Productions
Boys’ School
Beatrice is expecting and it’s a girl… fuck. She’s hormonal, frustrated, horny, lonely and feeling totally and utterly F-… F-… fine about it all.
It’s F, written and directed by Ishbel Clarence-Ray, first appeared at Scene + Heard: The Festival of New Work 2025.
IMPROV / COMEDY / MUSIC / THEATRE | 29 Oct
The Improvised OoOoOoOosical
Bum Notes
Boys’ School
THEATRE | 29 Oct – 1 Nov
Belfast Girls
Quintessence Theatre
Main Space
Set in 1850, Belfast Girls tells the story of five fierce young women who face their dark pasts on a ship bound for Australia, as they leave Belfast in search of a better life. Confined in close quarters in the belly of the ship, they embark on a tumultuous sea journey as they sail away from their homeland. Secrets are revealed, enemies made, and it becomes clear that no matter where they go, there is no escaping the past.
THEATRE | 4 – 8 Nov
The Dolldrums
Jaxbanded Theatre
Boys’ School
Lily Burke will do anything to be a real girl. Even if it kills her.
The Dolldrums is a modern parable about the truths we deny and the perceptions we embrace. No matter how far we run from ourselves, we can never escape who we truly are. A New Play by Liath Hannon, star of hit Irish Film Girls and Boys.
MUSICAL THEATRE | 5 – 8 Nov
Our Town
Entr’acte Musical Theatre and Drama Society
Main Space
THEATRE | 12 – 15 Nov
Boyfriends
LemonSoap Productions
Main Space
Following a three month affair between two anonymous men, Boyfriends, charts the ups and downs and roundabouts of a modern situationship. As they swing through four million one hundred and ninety one thousand possibilities of what they might mean to one another, Boyfriends asks us to ponder on that age old question: what the f*ck is romance anyway?
COMEDY | 17 + 18 Nov
Historical Standup
Vladimir Raevskiy
Main Space
Historical Standup is a one-man show that blends sharp comedy with real archival material to retell Russian history through laughter. The performance combines stand-up timing with the depth of a lecture, challenging the idea that history must be solemn. Instead of glorifying or condemning, the show unlocks national memory by treating even its darkest chapters with wit, irony, and empathy.
The stand-up is held in Russian.
Music/Literature | 17 Nov
GILE NA GILE: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF AOGÁN Ó RATHAILLE
IMRAM
Boys’ School
Thit an domhan Gaelach as a chéile le linn saol Aogáin Uí Rathaille, agus bhí sé mar dhuine de phríomhthráchtaire ar an gcasadh cinniúnach seo i stair agus litríocht na hÉireann. Is le linn scoil na mbard a rugadh é agus fuair sé bás i mbochtanas le linn aimsir na bpéindlíthe agus na gcúirteanna filíochta. Is é a ghin an aisling pholaitiúil; ceol an dóchais le linn aois gan dóchas.
In Gile na Gile, composer and singer Lorcán Mac Mathúna has set his poems to stunning new music, which he will sing to accompaniment from musicians Martin Tourish and Éamonn Galldubh.
Music/Literature | 19 Nov
CNÁMHA SCOILTE: SPLIT BONES
IMRAM
Boys’ School
Síceolaí, file, scríbhneoir agus máthair as Ceantar na nOileán i gConamara í Julie Breathnach-Banwait. Tá breis is deich mbliana caite aici féin, a fear céile agus a mac in larthar na hAstráile.
Ag tagairt don Ghaeilge, deir sí: ‘Tá seilbh ag an teanga orm. Is í an teanga a chruthaigh is a mhúnlaigh mé. Táimid doscartha óna chéile in aon taipéis chasta amháin.’ Is Síc-FhiIe í agus sa chéad leabhar filíochta uaithi, Dánta Póca, cantar na limistéir mhothúchánacha sin atá idir na réimsí fisiceacha agus síceolaíochta. Sa chnuasach phrósfhilíochta dhátheangach nua Iéi, Cnámha Scoilte/Split Bones, téann sí i ngleic leis an gcuimhne agus leis an dúchas.
Poetery| 21 Nov
GUTH NA hÉIGSE: COMÓRTAS LABHARTHA FILÍOCHTA D’IAR-BHUNSCOILEANNA
IMRAM
Main Space
Is comórtas labhartha filíochta d’iar-bhunscoileanna é Guth na hÉigse atá bunaithe ar an gcomórtas Poetry Aloud, a bhfuil an-rath air. Chuir Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann agus Éigse Éireann tús le Poetry Aloud in 2007.
Guth na hÉigse is a Poetry Speaking Competition for Post-Primary Schools, based on the successful and well-established Poetry Aloud Poetry Speaking Competition initiated by the National Library of lreland and Poetry lreland in 2007.
Poetery| 21 Nov
DUAIS HAIKU BASHŌ: HAIKU READING AND AWARD PRESENTATION
IMRAM
Main Space
Sa chomórtas filíochta Haiku Duais Bashō tugtar cuireadh do dhaltaí iar-bhunscoile haiku a chumadh, i mBéarla nó i nGaeilge nó go dátheangach, agus a gcuid haiku a chur faoi bhráid moltóra.
In the Duais Bashō Haiku Poetry Competition, post-primary students are invited to compose a haiku in the English or Irish language and submit their haiku for adjudication.
Literature/Visual Art| 21 Nov
BARD NA PÁIRCE: THE POET OF CROKE PARK
IMRAM
Main Space
Bhí Éire go léir faoi scamall bróin agus an sárchraoltóir Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, guth chluichí na nGael ar feadh na dtrí scór bliain a chaith sé le gairm na tráchtaireachta, ar shlí na fírinne.
Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh was without doubt Ireland’s most gifted sports commentator. Across his sixty year career, from his 1949 radio debut to his last All-lreland final on television in 2010, he was a deeply loved companion for generations of GAA fans.
Bard na Páirce is a literary celebration of Mícheál’s life and work.
MUSIC| 22 Nov
AMHRÁIN NA GEALAÍ: TIONSCADAL PHOEBE BRIDGERS
IMRAM
Main Space
Meascann Phoebe Bridgers ceol tire acústaice le popcheol leictreonach aislingeach agus tá cáil ar a cuid sárliricí a chuimsíonn briseadh croí, caillteanas, creideamh, caidreamh teaghlaigh agus teacht in inmhe. Comhrá a bhíonn ar siúl aici ina cuid amhrán a tharraingíonn an t-éisteoir isteach i dtírdhreacha mothúchánacha atá greannmhar agus fírinneach. Thug Rolling Stone ardmholadh dá scil mar chumadóir.
Amhráin na Gealaí is a special performance of the songs of Phoebe Bridgers translated into Irish by poets Caitríona Ní Chléirchín and Dairena Ní Chinnéide, and performed by Belfast indie-pop artist Aoibha
THEATRE | 21 Nov
Trawled
Eoin Ryan
Boys’ School
A story you will never forget…
A jaw-dropping story set on the Coral Sea, Australia. An Irish backpacker blags his way onto a prawn trawler. There he discovers a rarely seen world of hard labour and harder fishermen, where drinking, fighting, storms and hungry sharks are part of everyday life.
THEATRE | 24 – 29 Nov
Murder Is For Other People
Charisma Check
Boys’ School
An inspector. An artist. A book full of unanswered questions. Whatever happens, this is going to be a mess. Smokey stylish noir meets surreal and silly sincerity in this murderous tale where logic unravels, performers make big accent choices, and nothing is quite what it seems.
THEATRE | 28 + 29 Nov
The Sh*t Table
Don’t Think Twice Theatre Company
Main Space
You are cordially invited to Jarlath & Gemma’s big day! Check the seating plan carefully before you take your seat.
What do you do with the people you have to invite to your wedding when you really don’t want them there? Easy! Put them all at one table at the very back of the room. But what if putting those strangers together turns out to be the worst decision of your life?
THEATRE | 13 – 15 Mar
MONSTER
Dark Forest Theatre
Main Space
Being a Mother isn’t easy, it’s hard gruelling work. Being a Mother means losing yourself. Being a Mother is the most difficult job in the world, especially when you are a Mother to a Monster.
A dark tale about motherhood, desire, death and secrets.