THEATRE
12 – 17 Dec
Reasons to be Pretty
Untold Wants
The Irish premiere of Neil LaBute’s play ‘Reasons to Be Pretty.Who are we when all the cards are on the table?
When excuses and distractions lose their power, what will we have to show? Are we pretty enough?
THEATRE
8 – 10 Dec
Bad Sunday + Incensed
Black Box to Red Carpet Theatre
Two new works of theatre from Black Box to Red Carpet Theatre …. Bad Sunday: Mark Wale’s comedy about a
Sunday drive gone awry takes the audience on a riotous journey from Phibsboro to Howth Head.Incensed: Three women attend one man’s funeral but who are they and how did they know him? What connects them?
THEATRE
6 + 7 Dec
Tape
Fregoli Theatre
Tape tackles questions of motive, memory, truth and perception and this production will be characteristic of
Fregoli’s energetic and captivating style.
CHRISTMAS SHOW
5 – 23 Dec
The Snow Queen
Smock Alley Theatre 1662
This new adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairytale re-imagines this timeless story for the modern
world.
THEATRE DOUBLE BILL
21 Nov – 3 Dec
Unshakeable Spirits: Double Bill
Biscuits for Breakfasts in association with NewDay Productions
Two strong willed women, on two different journeys…
both with stubborn Irish blood which compels them to speak the truth and conquer adversity. These two one-woman plays explore their memoirs & inspirational stories in this exciting evening of new writing.
THEATRE/DINNER
28 Nov – 1 Dec + 4 Dec
‘Twas the Night Before Murder
Catastrophe Theatre Company
A troupe of professional actors interact with guests throughout a three course meal and reveal clues and
information leading to the identity of the killer.
THEATRE/SCIENCE
17 Nov
To Space
Dr. Niamh Shaw
Part comedy memoir and part fascinating space lecture with watercolour-based ghostly landscapes, this
captivating performance explores the beauty, darkness and humanity of space, while begging the question- ‘What do you do with impossible Dreams?’
THEATRE/DANCE
15 – 18 Nov
Shadows of the Táin
Candlelit Tales
Candlelit Tales bring their unique telling of the Tain Bo Cualigne to life with a new and exciting element of
shadow puppetry. Atmospheric, evocative, and lyrically beautiful, audiences will hear this ancient story as it has never been told before.
BOOK FESTIVAL
10 – 13 Nov
Dublin Book Festival 2016
Dublin Book Festival
Dublin Book Festival present their annual festival, with talks, presentations and speakers on the latest
contemporary literature. Complete with their own festival bookshop and coffee shop, Smock Alley is delighted to be the festival hub.
THEATRE
7 – 10 + 16 Nov
God has no Country
Donal Courtney
Monseigneur Hugh O’Flaherty saved the lives of over 3500 people during Wolrd War 2 in Rome. Actor and
writer Donal Courtney transforms his story onto the stage in this new production.
THEATRE
24 Oct – 5 Nov
Normal
Restless Ecstasy
Sadist, sexual predator, murderer and necrophile, Peter Kurten is a monster by anybody’s definition. But is he
insane? Restless Ecstasy bring Anthony Neilson’s Normal to the Boys School.
THEATRE
17 – 22 Oct
The Quare Fellow
Money for the Sun Productions
Money for the Sun Productions present Brendan Behan’s, The Quare Fellow. Exposed to gruesome
crimes and in turn corporal and capital punishment, the men wrestle with what it is to be human and at times seem totally desensitized to the imminent ‘topping’ of ‘The Quare Fellow’.
FESTIVAL
11 – 15 Oct
IMRAM
Irish Language Literature Festival
IMRAM Irish literature festival is the annual festival that showcases the richness of contemporary Irish literature.
Through a combination of different events which includes prose, poetry and music, the latest of Irish literature is brought to audiences.
THEATRE
4 – 8 Oct
Death at Intervals
Dublin Theatre Festival
Inspired by Nobel Prize winner José Saramago’s darkly humorous novel and developed in collaboration with an
award winning creative team, Death at Intervals combines theatre, music and original song lyrics in an unconventional and touching duet between death and her musician.
EXHIBITION
26 Sep – 1 Oct
Through Spanish Eyes
Nieves Fernandez
Light in its variations, intensities and nuances has the power to transfer an aura of mystery and wonder to the
most ordinary face, object or street.
MUSIC LAUNCH
28 Sep
Ergodos
Dublin composer Benedict Schlepper-Connolly launches his new album The Weathered Stone with an
immersive performance of beautiful and intricate compositions.
FESTIVAL
10 – 25 Sep
Fringe Festival 2016
Tiger Dublin Fringe
Fringe is a curated, multi-disciplinary festival and year-round organisation focusing on fresh and innovative
approaches to the arts from Irish and international makers.
THEATRE
1 Sep
Alice Milligan: A Girl of Genius
Aisling Ghear
Aisling Ghéar celebrates the life of one of the most iconic figures in Irish cultural history.
THEATRE
22 – 27 Aug
As You Like It
Arclight Studio
Filled with laughter and music, Shakespeare’s As You Like It is romantic comedy at its most delightful.
THEATRE/DANCE
17 – 20 Aug
The Dream of Eithlinn
Candlelit Tales
An original dance theatre show, we blend traditional storytelling with live original music, song and
contemporary dance, to steal your imagination away.
THEATRE
15 + 16 Aug
Gondla
Meaney Productions
An Irishman is punished for marrying an Icelandic princess. With an ensemble cast of 10 characters and a
live score, this production of “Gondla” is the first since it was staged in Russia in 1920.
THEATRE
2 Aug – 3 Sep
Pygmalion
Smock Alley Theatre
Smock Alley presents as its sixth in-house production, Bernard Shaw’s most popular and best loved play.
THEATRE
1 – 6 Aug
Eamonn (From Menswear)
Ill-Advised
Eamonn (From Menswear) is a stylish, political and provocative fashion-infused musical dealing with the idea
of a nation slowly ridding itself of the stratification of race, gender, sexuality and religion.
THEATRE
25 – 30 Jul
The Sadness of the Little Sparrow
Les Enfants Terribles
What if you were invited by world famous French chanteuse, Edith Piaf into her dressing room to relive her
earthly journey with all its pain, sorrow, joy, success and many love affairs?
FESTIVAL
20 – 24 Jul
Festival of Curiosity
Various Artists
The Festival of Curiosity takes a brand new, innovative & research led approach to audience participation and
engagement in science, arts, design & technology for all ages and has sold out every year since it’s inception.
MUSIC/DANCE
18 Jul
Insight #4
Tacquin and Jessie Keenan Dance
Taquin are a super-group of three of Ireland’s finest musicians. For one night only, they join forces with three
dancers to present exciting performances of five new musical works and five new choreographed pieces by Jessie Keenan.
DANCE
14 Jul
Illuminated Passages
Lauren Spiers
An exciting debut performance of 3 new ballet works by NYC ballerina Lauren Speirs. Performed by a small
troupe of professional dancers from companies all over the world.
THEATRE
13 Jul
En Masse
Ragamuffin Collective
Ragamuffin Collective is delighted to present En Masse, a night of original theatre by The Gaiety School of
Acting’s Class of 2016. The evening will showcase 18 pieces of new writing.
THEATRE
11 – 13 + 16 Jul
The Spinning Heart
Articulate Anatomy
This stage adaptation of the award-winning novel is given its world premiere by Articulate Anatomy and
preserves the original structure and narrative style while highlighting, often with a scabrous humour, the toll in human terms of recent times in Ireland.
THEATRE
10 – 12 Jul
King Lear
Purplecoat Productions
After their sell out Twelfth Night and five star Hamlet, PurpleCoat return to Smock Alley at the start of a UK
and Ireland tour with Shakespeare’s greatest play, King Lear.
THEATRE/SPOKEN WORD
9 Jul 2016
No Borders
Ireland Calais Refugee Solidarity
No Borders is a theatre event that will raise funds for Ireland Calais Refugee Solidarity.The show will feature a
series of one-act plays, two performances of poetry and a musical performance, all of which deal the effects of war and having to leave one’s homeland.
THEATRE
27 Jun – 9 Jul
Tender Napalm
Good Buzz Productions
A heightened love story filled with poetic intensity and a language that seethes and burns. A couple navigate their
way through the passionate battlefield of a relationship, leaving a blazing trail of destruction in their wake in Philip Ridley’s highly charged play.
THEATRE
24 + 25 Jun
Moliere| All Rise: A Double Bill
GSA YTC
A double bill of theatre from the Gaiety School of Acting’s Youth Theatre Company, restoration pieces by Moliere
and a new courtroom drama by Seamus Quinn
THEATRE
21 – 25 Jun
Proclamation
The Gaiety School of Acting
100 years ago the leaders of the Irish Rebellion stood up and declared their resolve to pursue the happiness of
the whole nation;
100 years later, in a new play written and directed by Ronan Dempsey, the graduating class of The Gaiety School of Acting holds a mirror up to Ireland in 2016.
THEATRE
14 – 18 Jun
The Boyz of Harcourt Street
Rocket Octopus
A high octane play about three twenty-something men, D’arce, Fosterson and the Gavmeister, who live, work
and play on Harcourt Street.When the clock strikes five the music kicks in, the ties are loosened and the desks are, quite literally, overturned.
THEATRE
14 – 18 Jun
The Trail
No Drama Theatre
Someone must have been lying about Joseph K, for without having done anything wrong, he was arrested.
A man wakes up and is arrested. He tries to find out why and fails. The end.
SPOKEN WORD
10 Jun
Kate Tempest
The Gutter Bookshop
One of the biggest names in spoken word, Kate Tempest’s powerful storytelling and unique delivery has seen her cross over between the worlds of poetry and hip-hop, embraced by both the literary and music camps.
DANCE
5 Jun
Down the Milky Way
Myart School of Dance
MyArt is a unique creative school, which provides both dance and visual art education for children and adults with no age limit.
THEATRE
4 Jun
InSight #3
Irish Composers Collective & Tonnta Music
InSight showcases 20 new musical works presented with visual interpretations, including dance, animation, projection, and simply the physical body in space.
THEATRE
30 May – 4 Jun
69 Shades of Gay
ZAC Entertainment Group
Aiden’s spending the afternoon going through his smart phone, getting rid of texts, dodgy snaps, phone numbers and, of course, the apps – Grindr, Gaydar, Growlr… But there’s nothing like a mammoth deleting session to send a boy down memory lane. And Aiden has a lot of memories – 68 boyfriends’ worth. And he has some corking tales to share…all will be revealed – and more – in the funny, filthy 69 Shades of Gay.
THEATRE
1 + 2 Jun
Malacoda’s Bridge – The Ninth Circle of Hell
The Gaiety School of Acting in collaboration with Southern Illinois School of Music
Raya is desperate to escape. Even her lover, Tam, fails her when she most needs him. Her road is littered with the corpses of those who have come before her. There are plenty of offers of help for a beautiful young woman. Who can she trust?[/one_half_last]
FESTIVAL
21 – 29 May
International Literature Festival Dublin
Various Artists
With readings, discussions, debates,workshops, performance and screenings, the festival creates a hotbed of ideas. Whether it’s the mix poets, writers of fiction and non-fiction, lyricists, playwrights and screenwriters, International Literature Festival Dublin brings new faces and house-hold names together in ways that suprise and inspire. Children’s fiction is well represented and we are spoilt for choice with the calibre of Irish language writers. Come celebrate many specially commissioned events in the City of Words.
THEATRE
20 + 21 May
Theatre of Menace
Purplecoat Productions
Award winning PurpleCoat return to Smock Alley after their five-star Hamlet and Twelfth Night, with an evening of short work by Harold Pinter. See how Pinter’s work developed over his career with a selection of lesser known short pieces that ineviutably shaped his masterpieces such as The Caretaker and The Homecoming, and see exactly why his dark creations came to be known as the Theatre of Menace.
MUSIC
14 Apr
Cords & Cadenzas
Co-Orch Dublin in Association with Spinal Injuries Ireland
A concert in aid of Spinal Injuries Ireland presented by Co-Orch. “Cords & Cadenzas” features Schuman Symphony No.4, Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer, and Le Tombeau de Couperin by Ravel. Co-Orch is Dublin’s most exciting instrumental ensemble. Comprising some of Ireland’s most vibrant talented orchestral musicians, Co-Orch is an orchestra with a twist. No black tie, no evening dress, n stuffy concert halls – just musicians coming together to play the music that they are passionate about, in venues where they don’t belong.
THEATRE
12 – 14 Apr
Outrageous Fortune
Carol Walsh
Dolores didn’t get the audition. Her lifelong ambition to be a Shakespearean actor and perform on stage at the infamous Globe theatre is in tatters. Years of dedication and sacrifice wasted and boy is she in a rage. Fuming and fired up, Dolores decides to take matters into her own hands… That’s when life and Shakespearean tragedy begins to blur.
OutRAGEous Fortune is a clown show for adults. It is a very human, funny and moving story of ambition, obsession and the desire to live our dreams.
THEATRE
10 + 11 Apr
Pleasure Ground
Fregoli Theatre Company
Pleasure Ground is based the decline of the rural Irish town exploring notions of home, belonging, community and change.
Tivnan’s writing is witty and sharp, and captures the beauty of rural and small town life whilst exploring feelings of sadness and isolation. Fregoli are a young Galway based company formed in 2007 this is their 20th production.
MUSIC
7 – 9 Apr
Music Current
Dublin Sound Lab
MUSIC CURRENT showcases contemporary electronic music through concerts, masterclasses and workshops. Music Current invites composers, performers, and music technologists to participate in masterclasses with Anne Cleare, Jennifer Walshe, Gráinne Mulvey, and workshop selected works. Featuring: Lucy Railton and Adrian Corker performing seminal works by maverick Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi and the Irish premier of Jennifer Walshe’s THE TOTAL MOUNTAIN.
THEATRE
4 – 9 Apr
Slice The Thief
Bitter Like A Lemon
Slice, a funny, charming an everyday bike thief who does what he wants but today he’s taken the wrong bike. 24 hours to get it back or he’s dead. The only problem is that the bike is now in the custody of an even bigger psycho than its rightful owner.
THEATRE
29 Mar – 2 Apr
Julius Caesar
Tartartus Theatre Company
Greed. Deceit. Treachery. Power. What happens when those who placed you at the top of your empire decide the empire is no longer yours?Tartarus Theatre Company presents this adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Set against the backdrop of modern gangland, this dark and vivid take on the classic promises a richly stylised and textured tale of ambition, corruption and blood soaked deception.
THEATRE
24 – 26 Mar
The Initiative
The Gaiety School of Acting Performance Theatre Company
The year – 1976. The place – Shadyville, USA. In this lawless town, where criminals call the shots, the mysterious Initiative hopes to rid Shadyville of crime forever. The trouble is, Vice wears many masks. In this piece of new writing from the Gaiety School of Acting’s Performance Theatre Company, a macabre dystopia of crime and punishment shows us just how tough it can be to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Who do you trust when no one is what they seem?
THEATRE
16 Mar – 2 Apr
The Wise Wound
Teri Fitzgerald
Meg March is all set to marry local politician John Brooke. He has everything a 19th Century woman could desire- teeth and an income! However, Meg’s sister, Jo, knows that John is not quite as perfect as he first appears. Jo, a playwright and political activist, plots to liberate her sister from a life of marital enslavement. To do so she enlists the help of her youngest sister and lifelong nemesis, Amy…with explosive results! Even poor Beth with her impending death is causing a bothersome race against the clock for the couple!
Will Meg make it to the church alive for the happiest day of her life?!
MUSIC
16 Mar
Andy Sheppard with Shakespeare Songs
Music Network
‘The great English poet of the saxophone’, jazz virtuoso Andy Sheppard joins forces with drummer Christophe Marguet and pianist Guillaume de Chassy in a musical journey across Shakespeare’s world. Part-improvised and part-written, the music draws inspiration from Renaissance composers Thomas Morley and William Byrd, with the trio unfolding an extraordinary palette of sounds to conjure up everything from star-crossed lovers and brooding Danish princes to the rustling advance of Birnam Wood.
MUSIC
14 Mar
Insight #1 Adrian Mantu & Mihai Cucu
Irish Music Collective & Tonnta Music
Smock Alley Theatre plays host to four evenings of the aural and the visual, brought together. InSight showcases new musical works presented with visual interpretations, including dance, animation, projection, and simply the physical body in space.
In this first installment of the series, Adrian and Mihai have chosen one Irish, one European and one universal piece: Anne Marie O’Farrell (In Mary’s Eye), Giovanni Sollimma (Lamentatio) and Hamza El Din (Escalay. The Water Wheel).
MUSIC / STORYTELLING
12 Mar
Otherworld – The Story of Tir na nOg
Sam Kavanagh Music
A show for all ages; come and hear about the adventures of Óisín and Níamh, and their journey away from Ireland to the Land of Eternal Youth. Conducted by Sam Kavanagh, The Lalala Choir is a new group of singers who will present their own arrangements of Irish folk songs, performed alongside a unique ensemble of trad and jazz musicians, and featuring the surrealist storytelling style of Ríona Sally Hartman.
THEATRE
7 – 19 Mar
The Great Hunger
Bare Bodkin Theatre Company
Peter Duffy’s powerful theatrical performance of Patrick Kavanagh’s poetic masterpiece The Great Hunger has been touring for the past eighteen months to popular and critical acclaim including performances in the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris, the Cathedral Quarter Festival in Belfast and in virtually every theatre venue in the country.
FESTIVAL OF NEW WORK
17 Feb – 5 Mar
Smock Allies : Scene + Heard Festival
Smock Alley Theatre | Multiple Artists
In this three-week, multi-production event, artists from all over Ireland came together to mount 85 original works. Smock Alley hosted this festival of new work that helped fledgling performers from all disciplines share their work with the public. Audiences gave direct responses to the shows they saw, which created a freewheeling discussion between the creators and their spectators. A true celebration of innovation and appreciation for the artistic forms.
MUSIC
14 Feb
Love’s Sublime Knot
City of Dublin Chamber Orchestra
The City of Dublin Chamber Orchestra are Dublin’s newest chamber orchestra, whose membership is characterised by talent, intelligence and commitment. Every year, in Dublin and throughout Ireland, the orchestra presents performances of artistic excellence and remarkable versatility of musical styles. The CDCO’s repertoire encompasses the masterworks of the orchestral repertory, engaging the public through inspiring performances of the highest standard.
THEATRE
1 – 13 Feb
Trainspotting
Reality:Check Productions
Tracy Ryan’s critically acclaimed production of Trainspotting returns. Now teamed up with Reality:Check Productions, we present a bigger, better, never before seen version of Trainspotting. The generation defining novel is brilliantly adapted for the stage and tells the story of heroin addict Mark Renton, as he stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends Tommy, Sickoy, Begbie and Alison.
THEATRE
25 – 30 Jan
Spandex Blues
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Theatre
Would you help a super-villain? E is a villainess at the top of her game. She’s the scourge of the League of Peace, the baddest bad-arse on the Northside. She’s also been voted Best Boss by Hench-Person Monthly three times in a row. But despite her well-earned infamy, things aren’t looking good. A job’s just gone South and she’s been left reeling. Her goody two shoes super-hero family are up in arms and vow she must be stopped. For the first time in her life, E has no idea what to do…
SHAKESPEARE FOR SCHOOLS PROGRAMME
11 – 22 Jan
King Lear
Gaiety School of Acting
The Gaiety School of Acting – The National Theatre School of Ireland – offers unique opportunity to experience the best of Shakespeare at theatres situated throughout the country in Dublin, Cork, Tipperary, Kerry and Waterford.
The Shakespeare Schools Programme is aimed at Junior/ Leaving Certificate Students, covering Romeo & Juliet and King Lear, with a workshop focusing on original text, relating the performance to the text and designed to directly address the 2015/2016 English syllabus Shakespeare Question.
SHAKESPEARE FOR SCHOOLS PROGRAMME
11 – 22 Jan
Romeo & Juliet
Gaiety School of Acting
The Gaiety School of Acting – The National Theatre School of Ireland – offers unique opportunity to experience the best of Shakespeare at theatres situated throughout the country in Dublin, Cork, Tipperary, Kerry and Waterford.
The Shakespeare Schools Programme is aimed at Junior/ Leaving Certificate Students, covering Romeo & Juliet and King Lear, with a workshop focusing on original text, relating the performance to the text and designed to directly address the 2015/2016 English syllabus Shakespeare Question.
THEATRE
14 – 16 Jan
Alison Spittle Discovers Hawaii
First Forthnight Festival
You know that memory that stings? The one that will keep you awake that extra five minutes before you sleep? Alison has loads of them, but she’s found a way around it. Join her as she discovers Hawaii.
What is Hawaii? To some it’s the fiftieth State but to Alison, it’s a place in her head where she buries stuff. It’s her personal coping mechanism.
So join her for a personal stand up hour that tackles Alison’s biggest fears and regrets while trying to find her own personal Hawaii. A hilarious hour embracing the futility of being so self-involved.
STORYTELLING/MUSIC/COMEDY/THEATRE
6 Jan
Yer Only mBan
Maeve Stone and Dan Colley
A Nollaig na mBan night of storytelling, song and cake celebrating the work of women, featuring performances by Olwen Fouéré, The Evertides, Sonya Kelly, Allison Spittle and many others. An intimate night of storytelling, song and comedy. This will be people coming together in the Irish tradition of Nollaig na mBan, to recognise and celebrate the work of women, in the public and private spheres.
THEATRE
5 – 9 Jan
The Dead
Presented by Dublin Theatre Festival with music by Feargal Murray
Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones, The Wire) brings James Joyce’s captivating short story The Dead to life alongside beautiful live music accompaniment by composer and pianist Feargal Murray.The Dead is the last of fifteen stories that make up Dubliners, Joyce’s searing exploration of life in Dublin.
THEATRE
3 Jan
Globe To Globe Hamlet
The Globe
In celebration of the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, the world renowned Shakespeare’s Globe will perform Hamlet,known as Shakespeare’s greatest play, at Smock Alley Theatre for the first time.