LIVE PODCAST
20 + 21 Dec
I’m Grand Mam
Pure Brazen
Join Kevin and PJ as they take their podcast ‘I’m Grand Mam’ from their kitchen table to the cutest theatres in Ireland to bring you Pure Brazen; the shameless sex ed chat you never knew you needed but have subconsciously always been craving!
It’ll be a night full of naughty notions so you’ll know all the bits when it comes to making your move at the work Christmas party!
MUSIC
19 Dec
Video Launch & Christmas Special
Clara Belle
A special intimate gig to launch the latest video for alt-pop artist Clara Belle’s ‘City I Love U’.
This is her final Dublin show of the year. She will play never before heard songs from her upcoming EP plus some warming seasonal specials and be joined by some amazing surprise guests on the evening.
COMEDY IMPROV
19 – 21 Dec
Dreamgun Film Reads: The Christmas Binge
Dreamgun
Dreamgun return to Smock Alley with a mini-season of Film Reads tangentially related to Christmas. A different christmasy film script every night, rewritten with jokes and performed by unprepared comedians.
MUSICAL THEATRE
12 – 14 Dec
Baaa Humbug! A Stocking Full of Show Tunes
Gingerboy Productions | Paul Wilkins
Three Wise Men they are not…but stars from the hit musical Les Misérables they are! Join West-End, Broadway and International performers Earl Carpenter, Paul Wilkins & Chris Holland in an evening fully packed with musical anecdotes, witty banter and an abundance of Christmas merriment!
THEATRE
9 – 14 Dec
This is NOT a Cult
No Desserts
Picture it. The near future. The seas have risen, the end times are nigh and you’re stuck…singing…and worshipping…in Athlone. A play with songs (not a musical!), This is NOT a Cult shepherds its flock into the bleak remnants of apocalyptic Ireland where Jesus 2 has gathered a desperate bunch of so-called sinners to his table to worship both his deeds and quite possibly his misdeeds.
MUSIC
6 Dec
Chef Chocolate
Cooks but we’re chefs + Audible Chocolate
A collaboration between Cooks but we’re chefs and Audible Chocolate.
THEATRE
3 – 7 Dec
Gaslight
No Drama Theatre Company
Set against the backdrop of Victorian London in the late 19th century, Gaslight (from the 1938 Patrick Hamilton play Gas Light and its 1940 and 1944 film adaptations) tells the tale of Bella Manningham: a gentle, devoted wife who believes that she is slowly going mad.
THEATRE
18 – 23 Nov
Zandra, Queen of Jazz
Darn skippy Productions
With just her sax and a suitcase, Zandra Mitchell joined a jazz band and toured the world. Born in Phibsborough, Dublin in 1903, she was Ireland’s first female saxophonist.
While the twenties roared she found her way through Europe to Berlin. The dictators rose; the books burned; the bombs dropped…and Zandra played her sax.
DUBLIN BOOK FESTIVAL
14 – 17 Nov
DBF 2019
The Dublin Book Festival is one of Ireland’s most successful and vibrant book festivals, running since June 2006. The annual public festival showcases, supports and develops Irish publishing by programming, publicising and selling Irish published books, their authors, editors and contributors – all in an entertaining, festive, friendly and accessible environment that reflects the creativity and personality of the Irish publishing sector and its authors.
THEATRE
13 Nov
Othello
The Bright Umbrella Theatre Company
The Turks are attacking Cyprus and General Othello, ‘The Moor’, is sent with an army by the Venetian Duke to stop their advance. In the claustrophobic atmosphere of a Cypriot military stockade, the psychopathic Iago convinces Othello that his wife, Desdemona, is having an affair with The Moor’s right-hand man, Captain Cassio.
The result is an explosion of mistaken motives, violence and murder. Shakespeare’s original script abridged to 130 minutes including interval.
THEATRE
10 – 16 Nov
Hollow and Dead-Eyed Beasts
Some People Theatre Company
Three reclusive former child stars are forced to sell their lavish South Dublin home when they finally run out of money after years of living to excess.
Having gathered to mourn their manager’s death, things begin to get weird.
MUSIC
9 Nov
Listening Bodies
Kirkos + Tonnta
One time epic take-over of all spaces across Smock Alley Theatre, created by Tonnta and Kirkos, two music collectives.
THEATRE
4 – 8 Nov
The Haunted Host
Melia Theatre Company
When The Haunted Host premiered at the infamous Caffe Cino in Greenwich Village in 1964, it did so illegally due to its explicit portrayal of homosexuality. This play – coming a half decade before the Stonewall Riots of 1969 – was one of many artistic catalysts that propelled the early Gay Rights Movement in the United States.
MUSIC
1 Nov
Thresholds by Saso & Kevin Corcoran
Glasshouse, MLTDSNW
Glasshouse are proud to present Thresholds, the latest album from Saso and Kevin Corcoran. The compositions in this innovative work are inspired by the cycle of life and the journey to death, making for a contemplative and meditative experience. Glasshouse are excited to bring this experience to you with a live concert of Thresholds in Smock Alley Theatre. Prepare to immerse yourself in a very special night.
NEWvember New Plays Festival 2019
1 + 2 Nov
NEWvember
This is the 8th annual NEWvember, a festival of rehearsed readings of new plays. After 5 years in New York, this is the 3rd year the event will be held in Dublin. The spirit of NEWvember is to provide a dynamic, interactive and welcoming place where writers can hear their plays read by seasoned actors, and discuss their work and creative process with the audience.
LITERATURE FESTIVAL
1 – 3 Nov
Murder One Crimewriting Festival
A series of talks and discussions with various crime-writers and crime-writing experts.
MUSIC
31 Oct
Niamh Strong Sings Eva Cassidy
Niamh Strong
Think of a beautiful tapestry with many vibrant colours. Think Blues, Soul & Jazz. This is the stunning voice of Niamh Strong. Born into the entertainment business, her father Rob Strong is the legendary Blues performer, and brother Andrew Strong was Decco Cuff in The Commitments. Niamh first lifted a microphone at the tender age of 9 when her father was jamming with other musicians, astonishing everyone in the room with an impressive blues run. There and then, it was obvious this little girl had natural talent.
DANCE
29 Oct
Oasis Bellydance Festival
Oasis Bellydance
Oasis BellyDance has been for over 20 years sharing the art of oriental dance around the world. Directed by Thay Molica & Allan Victor.
BALLET
24 – 26 Oct
Grey Matter
ballet project[d]
ballet project[d] presents two new and original works choreographed by Lauren Speirs at Smock Alley Theatre October 24th – 26th.
THEATRE
21 – 26 Oct
20 Seconds
Thunder and Theatre Company
What can you do in 20 Seconds? Wake up? Fall asleep? Make an enemy? Fall in love? Save a life? Is it enough time? In this debut performance by Thunder and Theatre Company, 20 SECONDS is story of two complete strangers attempting to become friends after circumstance leaves them trapped in an elevator.
MUSICAL
15 – 19 Oct
New Fish A Musical
Grace O’Malley
When Dublin girl Anna moves to London ready to make a splash in the West End and finds herself waiting tables instead of waiting in the wings, she struggles to come to terms with the reality of the industry. A story about finding your place in the world when you have lost your way; how friends are the family you make yourself and when things seem just beyond your reach, it’s time to slay it.
IMRAM
14 – 19 Oct
IMRAM 2019
Tugann IMRAM a lucht éisteachta/féachana ar aistear eolais, aistear ina gcuirimid eolas ar shaibhreas na litríochta Gaeilge comhaimseartha trí mheascán d’imeachtaí éagsúla a chuimsíonn prós, filíocht agus ceol, agus sin i dtimpeallachtaí beoga.
DUBLIN THEATRE FESTIVAL
9 – 12 Oct
Burgerz
Travis Alabanza and Hackney Showroom
After someone threw a burger at them and shouted a transphobic slur, performance artist Travis Alabanza became obsessed with burgers.
How they’re made, how they feel, and smell. How they travel through the air. How the mayonnaise feels on your skin.
DUBLIN THEATRE FESTIVAL
2 – 6 Oct
Pike St.
Nilaja Sun
Set in a diverse neighbourhood in the shadow of Manhattan Bridge, Pike St. tells the story of a desperate mother unable to move her stricken daughter down five flights of stairs during an approaching hurricane. As she works to keep the electricity flowing into her daughter’s respirator, an entire community of colourful characters – a decorated war veteran, her ne’er-do-well father, and her octogenarian downstairs neighbour – offer their help, casting new light on the phrase ‘it takes a village.’
THEATRE
24 – 27 Sep
Extra Ordinary
Mind’s Eye Theatre Company
Extra Ordinary tells the story of a young journalist who travels to an asylum in Mississippi, in the late 1970’s, to understand the lives of its patients and how they’re “treated”.
THEATRE
24 – 28 Sep
48
No Desserts
The lives of four friends are changed forever when they enter the Stardust Nightclub on Dublin’s Northside on 13th February 1981.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
17 – 21 Sep
Starlet
Alison Spittle | Blow In Productions
We like sex. We like discovery. We are the voice in your head; the chat over pints; the eggplant emoji. It all starts in a bath, finding that little button and all of a sudden you’ve opened Pandora’s box.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
17 – 21 Sep
GirlPlay
Sarah Richardson | The Morrígu Productions
We like sex. We like discovery. We are the voice in your head; the chat over pints; the eggplant emoji. It all starts in a bath, finding that little button and all of a sudden you’ve opened Pandora’s box.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
17 – 21 Sep
Dreamgun Film Reads Strikes Back
Dreamgun
After their sell-out, award-winning and critically acclaimed run last year, Dreamgun strike back with a whole new lineup of film reads for you to binge at Fringe. Classic film scripts, rewritten with jokes and nonsense, read by unprepared comedians.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
17 – 22 Sep
Minefield
Clare Monnelly | In Association with axis Ballymun
We all have choice. We all have autonomy. But one wrong move can shift opinion. No one wants to be on the wrong side of history. The mob are out for blood. Who’s next?
Joe was a really big deal. Before the video that turned the tide. Jack had a following too, but in a very different way. Cillian was just a kid.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
17 – 21 Sep
Vespertilio
BARRY MCSTAY | Fight and Hope
The rest of his species was declared extinct. His location is a closely guarded secret. He is the last of his kind. Alan is the protector of the last Greater Mouse-Eared Bat left in Britain, his sole focus is this creature’s survival. That is, until a chance meeting in the dark with a charming young runaway changes everything.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
17 – 22 Sep
Afloat
Eva O’Connor & Hildegard Ryan | Sunday’s Child
The climate apocalypse has hit. Dublin is underwater. Best friends Bláthnaid and Debs have survived, and live on the top floor of the SIPTU building.
With only seagulls and their kayak for company, they spend their days drifting and reminiscing over the last days of Dublin. Debs looks to the future, but Bláthnaid is tormented by guilt.
Why were they blind to the wave that was coming?
FRINGE FESTIVAL
13 – 15 Sep
Birthright
Nadine Flynn
The patriarch has passed. A mother and daughter have a story to tell. One is comfortable existing, and the other is eager to be seen. And they have an audience to please.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
12 – 15 Sep
[Re]Framed: Articulations & STICKMAN
ELENA LYDIA KREUSCH & DARRAGH MCLOUGHLIN | Squarehead Productions
In the first piece, the performer conducts an intimate self-examination of her body on stage. She does this in order for us to see ourselves. How many stories can be inscribed on one’s body? The second piece features Man, Stick and TV. Man and Stick engage in various improbable feats of balance. It’s fairly easy to interpret as the TV tells you what to see. Until it starts to tell you what to do. This work is a circus piece on the surface and a tragedy at its core.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
10 – 15 Sep
Nine Weeks
Seán Kennedy
This is a story of love, vulnerability, connection and reclaiming lost power. When Seán discovered his mother was terminally ill, he travelled to Australia to bring her home. Things didn’t go as planned. He’s trapped between two worlds. These nine weeks changed them both forever.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
10 – 15 Sep
The Prosecco Express
Joanne McNally | The Lisa Richards Agency
Joanne is lost, not physically, she knows exactly where she is, she’s in Dublin. But adopted at six months old, she has no real sense of who she is.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
10 – 15 Sep
Sink
John O’Donovan | One Duck
Summer. Heatwave. City’s like a pressure cooker. Country boglands crack open, revealing secrets long buried. Bríd’s coming home to convalesce.
Ciara’s headed west too, investigating a potential archaeological site. But as they arrive in the village, they find peace elusive.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
10 – 15 Sep
LIVE Feed
Tony Cantwell
In the year 2000, comedian Tony Cantwell celebrated his confirmation by buying a home personal computer and entered the world of online anonymity.
A multimedia story told through sketch, stand-up and video of how one chubby fridget successfully juggled multiple personas but found the biggest struggle was his own puberty.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
9 – 15 Sep
Symphony of Worms
Hannah Mamalis
Hannah is an only child. She has an unsettling attraction to Hobbits, always misses the toilet with the toilet paper and is terrified of dying alone.
But what if she could reach out and experience a glimpse of life and death through her alternate selves in alternate dimensions?
FRINGE FESTIVAL
7 – 10 Sep
Circus
Tara Brandel
Interrogate what makes an acceptable performer in contemporary Ireland, be it the ageing pole dancer, the migrant street dancer, or the non-normative body. Playful, intense, poignant, irreverent; immerse yourself in an exploration of the roles of masculinity, queerness, MeToo and gender in our rapidly changing society.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
7 – 22 Sep
MOOP
Game Theatre
Five silent characters find increasingly hilarious and beautiful ways of playing with the strange (to them anyway) stuff that keeps appearing in their world.
A physical theatre performance about curiosity, play and getting un-bored, this is a show for anyone who’s ever found more than one use for a stick.
MUSICAL THEATRE
5 – 7 Sep
Ordinary Days
The Rising Theatre Company
From one of musical theatre’s most exciting new composers comes ORDINARY DAYS, a refreshingly honest and funny musical about making real connections in the city that never sleeps (but probably should at some point.)
THEATRE
19 – 31 Aug
Bright Eyes
Little Shadow Theatre Co.
Bright Eyes is a dark comedy which follows four near-perfect strangers who are brought together through various circumstances and end up spending an alcohol-laced evening connecting with each other. They discover over the course of wine, whiskey and music that their meeting was not accidental and perhaps is far more sinister than they could have imagined.
THEATRE
12 – 31 Aug
The Roaring Banshees
The Devious Theatre Company
After a failed assassination attempt on Eamon de Valera, a rogue Cumann na mBan unit flee across the Atlantic to escape the law. With Prohibition in full swing, they earn their keep by making bootleg poitín and selling it on to the Chicago mob. But it’s not long before a gang war breaks out with them caught in the middle…
THEATRE
23 July – 10 Aug
Waiting For Godot
…no alternative… in association with ETHOS
Vladimir and Estragon wait endlessly for the arrival of Godot, discussing religion, contemplating suicide and crotch rot in a comical wordplay of poetry, dreamscapes and nonsense.
THEATRE
23 – 27 July
The Kelly Company
Jack of All Trades Productions
Set against the back drop of the Wild West, The Kelly Company follows the story of the Kelly Brothers, James and Philip Kelly, Irish immigrants who head out West in search of fortune but soon find themselves embroiled in an epic tale of violence and betrayal that will put them in the cross hairs of legendary gunslingers, corrupt Pinkerton Detectives, scorned women, wild Natives and even each other.
THEATRE
17 – 20 July
Unfit For Purpose
Grace Corry
Ronny has never felt worse. In a desperate effort to treat his depression, he turns to the last person he feels he can – his GP. Dr. Marianne Mc Cormack. A pillar of her community for many a year, Dr. Marianne is less than aware of how to approach such problems An irreverent, thought provoking dark comedy which will make you laugh when you might feel you shouldn’t. But we’re sniggering at depression, not with it.
THEATRE
16 – 21 July
These Stupid Things
White Label
Two doctors work to save lives by improving the decision-making of their colleagues.
As they fall for each other and their professional and personal lives become intertwined, will their emotions cloud their reason and rationality? These Stupid Things is a new piece of theatre about the thin line between logic and intuition that exists in our heads.
THEATRE
9 – 13 July
Kate Crackernuts
No Drama Theatre
Kate’s sister Anne, a ravishing beauty, wakes up one morning to discover a sheep’s head on her shoulders instead of her own.
Thus begins the journey of the ever-practical Kate in her quest to return Anne to her former glory, a journey sidetracked by Kate’s obsession with saving a slim raver-boy from a nasty little addiction. Based loosely and lyrically on the Scottish fairy tale “Kate Crackernuts”.
THEATRE
8 – 13 July
Demelza Eating Apples
Three Wise Women Theatre Co.
A little boy, who is three… almost four, loses his Dad. His big sister steps in to look after the family. A funny and sad tale of love, caring, loss, tragedy and obsession.
THEATRE
1 – 6 July
The Last Corner Shop on Misery Hill
Polliwog Theatre Collective
The Last Corner Shop on Misery Hill is a dark comedy set in Dublin. It follows brothers Mick and Joey O’Reilly as they battle to keep their disastrous corner shop afloat in a world where the conglomerate edges ever closer. Things go from bad to worse for the brothers. What happens next is something that will change the course of the shop and their lives forever.
THEATRE
25 – 29 June
Below Below
Gaiety School of Acting
What happens when everything you have is lost? A divided world, sometime in the not so distant future. A ceremony is happening in the woods. A celebration of a beginning. A celebration of love. You are invited, even if you are from the city. There are some rules though – no gifts, no phones. Only you.
THEATRE
24 – 29 June
Shakers
Waiting Tables Productions
Welcome to Shakers cocktail bar! It’s the place where everyone wants to be seen. From leery businessmen to supermarket cashiers to the local heart throb. We meet our four waitresses amongst the hustle and bustle of gossip and spilled cocktails as they navigate the claustrophobia and chaos of busy bar life. We’re given an insight into their lives, which is at times poignant and always dangerously funny.
COMEDY
22 June
Asperger’s Are Us, LIVE!
Asperger’s Are Us
The stars of the HBO docu-series ‘On Tour with Asperger’s Are Us’ perform a brand new live sketch comedy show for people who enjoy highly verbal absurdist humour.
COMEDY
16 – 22 June
Edinburgh Previews
Lisa Richards
The Lisa Richards agency present a week of top stand-up comedy! Each night, two comedians will perform their new work-in-progress shows. Check them out, for this bargain price, before they head to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
THEATRE
10 – 15 June
My Heart and I : The Life and Loves of Josef Locke
nowRnever
This two-man show brings you the fellow artists, agents and marriage partners of this working class hero whose extraordinary voice soared over the bustle of showbiz wheeling and dealing as he clambered to the top of his profession, no matter what.
MUSIC
9 June
From The Blue
Brian Horgan
Having performed sell out shows in the Sugar Club, The Peacock Theatre and in the New York Foundation for the Arts Brian is bringing a new show to Smock Alley. Featuring Brian’s original songs; ‘From the Blue’ is a warm, funny and intimate, New York style cabaret that celebrates navigating life’s lessons. With four world class musicians and joined by special guest, West End Singer Róisin Sullivan, it’s a show not to be missed.
THEATRE
30 & 31 May
Walkinstown
Monkey Backstage
From the creators of the acclaimed How To Build Your First Robot comes Walkinstown. A surreal soiree that traverses the streets of Dublin’s past, present and future. Two humans on a comedically cosmic trajectory, led by love, lust and all that’s elementary.
THEATRE
28 May
Abair / Samaa
Bealtaine Festival, an Age & Opportunity Arts Initiative
Abair/Samaa is a new commission by the Bealtaine festival. The piece is an intercultural choral performance by musical director Eimear Crehan, singer songwriter Farah Elle and theatre maker Rachel Bergin.
FESTIVAL
18 – 26 May
International Literature Festival Dublin
ILFD
The International Literature Festival Dublin, founded in 1998, is Ireland’s premier literary event and gathers the finest writers in the world to debate, provoke, delight and enthral. Described by the press as ‘boasting a stunning array of top international literary talent’ and ‘the country’s most successful and easily the best annual literary event’, International Literature Festival Dublin line-up is sure to impress.
THEATRE
12 May
Pumpgirl
Decadent Theatre
There’s one in every town, and they call her the Pumpgirl.
She works in the garage, changes the oil and thinks she’s one of the lads.
She’s sweet on ‘No-Helmet’ Hammy, but he loves no one but himself.
He’s out all night with his racing boys, whilst wife Sinead’s off on a joyride of her own, with an ache that’s about to be cured.
COMEDY
11 May
Sight Unseen – The Future of Irish Theatre
Auto-Correbt
Auto-Correbt have set themselves the challenge of performing all the best new plays that are coming to Irish theatres in 2019.
The only problem is that these don’t exist yet.
THEATRE
9 May
From The Plains – The Story of John Devoy
Fia Rua + Glorious Shambles Productions
Actor, writer and musician Fia Rua (Eoghan Burke) presents his one hour show on the life of renowned exiled Fenian, John Devoy (1842-1928).
THEATRE
6 – 11 May
Writers In The Starts
Glorious Shambles Productions
We have lost many great writers over the years.
Where are they now?
Do they come to life every time you read one of their stories or plays?
Are they in the hearts of the children studying them for exams?
MUSICAL THEATRE
2 – 4 May
A Chorus Line
American College Dublin
Ireland’s premiere musical theatre degree students present the quintessential backstage musical.
THEATRE
22 – 27 April
Spotless
Rise Productions and Then This Theatre, in association with Smock Alley, The Civic, and Everyman
Forty-something Genevieve has downsized from an affluent suburb and struggles with life in her new home backing onto a grim block of flats. Jenny, a leaving cert student who
lives in the flats, wants a way out. While Genevieve clings to her last chance of having children, Jenny avoids unwanted attention from the opposite sex.
IMRPOV COMEDY
19 – 20 April
Fur City
Shaffey
Fur City is an improvised soap opera… with puppets! Completely made up on the spot based on suggestions from the audience, this hilarious soap parody features some of Ireland’s most talented comedy performers and improvisers, and a cast of puppet pals.
THEATRE
16 – 4 April
The Seamster’s Daughter
Glass Mask Theatre
After the success of Glass Mask Theatre’s debut production ‘Idlewild’ by Jimmy Murphy, Smock Alley’s company-in-residence invites you back to the Boys’ School for Jimmy’s latest play, The Seamster’s Daughter.
MUSIC
10 -13 April
Music Current 2019
Dublin Sound Lab
DUBLIN SOUND LAB presents MUSIC CURRENT 2019 a four-day festival of the best in new Irish and international contemporary electronic music, 10–13 April 2019.
THEATRE
8 – 13 April
48
No Desserts
The new, lionhearted and savagely funny ’48’ by Dublin playwright Gemma Kane, captures the pulsating youth of 1980s Dublin on the brink of irreparable social change through sharp-tongued narrative and visceral movement, set to the backdrop of a haunting, 80s inspired soundscape by composer Dylan Tonge Jones.
MUSIC / STORYTELLING
6 April
Otherworld : The Story of Tír na nNóg
The Lalala Choir & Ríona Sally Hartman
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.
MUSIC
5 April
Experience Japan 10th Anniversary
Experience Japan
To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Experience Japan Hanami Festival, a special concert will be held on Friday 5th April. Four champion Japanese performers including Hiro Hayashida (former Kodo member and global award-winning Taiko Master) joined by Miyu Kobayashi (Shinobue & Taiko), Luke Hayashida (Taiko) and for this special event, Hibiki Sawada on Shamisen.
TALK
31 March
Balding Made Me Do It
Clare Fullam
A story of struggle, perseverance and the art of learning how to be yourself. Basically a live Insta with Claire Balding! All questions answered, no holding back. An evening of fun, lol’s and uplifting, meaningful chats! Check out Claire on Instagram, facebook or on Snapchat: Claire.Balding.
EXHIBITION / MUSIC
30 March
Continuum
Barry Kerr
A unique exhibition of paintings and songs by Barry Kerr, performed by Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Pauline Scanlon, Niall Hanna, Síle Denvir, Niamh Dunne and Seán Óg Graham.
THEATRE
29 March
In The Window
Nuala McKeever
Life hasn’t turned out the way Margaret dreamed. She’s lonely as hell, in a house that won’t sell, with no kids, no husband and a job that’s deathly boring. So tonight, she’s got a date with a bottle of pink fizz and a bowl of pink pills and she’s going to go out in style.
THEATRE
27 – 30 March
Love and Information
Inchicore College of Further Education
Caryl Churchill’s “Love and Information” is a play addressing contemporary issues about knowledge, technology and communication, and our capacity for love. It was first performed at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, London, on 6 September 2012.
THEATRE
18 – 23 March
Electric
ILA Productions
Baby wipes, glitter and cans at the ready, Joni and Scarlett head off on their respective weekends. From two walks of life and residing on two sides of the festival, the pair unexpectedly meet in the neon fields of Electric Picnic. Hysterically riotous and soul-stirring, ELECTRIC probes our innate prejudices and preconceived notions of who we are while taking you on the session of a lifetime!
THEATRE
18 – 23 March
Fallen Angels
Blacklight Productions
It’s London, 1926. And two “wretchedly happily married” women are about to have their lives turned upside down by the return of their former French lover. Buckle up.
MUSIC / DANCE
15 March
Terra Firmish
Sean Mac Erlaine
Terra Firmish is a new musical work commissioned by St Patrick’s Festival, written by Seán Mac Erlaine for dance, harp, clarinet, marimba, percussion, and electronics.
THEATRE
11 – 16 March
Just an Ordinary Lawyer
Tayo Aluko & Friends
He is Britain’s first Black judge, a fine singer and keen cricket lover. Finding himself stranded in the Heart of Empire, Nigerian Tunji Sowande muses on Black liberation struggles worldwide. He insists he is no political aficionado, but is content to contribute through his music and songs.
THEATRE
4 – 9 March
Call Mr. Robeson
Tayo Aluko & Friends
A rollercoaster journey through African-American actor and singer Paul Robeson’s remarkable life, highlighting his pioneering and heroic political activism. Features Ol’ Man River and other famous songs, much fiery oratory, and a defiant testimony to the House Un-American Activities Committee.
THEATRE
4 – 9 March
Port Authority
Decadent Theatre
A young boy leaves home for the first time, a man begins a job for which he is not qualified, a pensioner receives a mysterious package. As each man confronts the significance of these events, they are forced to take stock of themselves, their feelings, and of the decisions they have made.
FESTIVAL
13 Feb – 2 March
Smock Allies : Scene + Heard
The Festival of New Work
Smock Allies : Scene + Heard is platform for work that is in development. We provide a safe environment with feedback and encouragement to support artists to make new work within the arts.
THEATRE
8 & 9 Feb
Thirteen Steps To The Attic
MayDay Creates / Michelle Cahill
Versatile performer Michelle Cahill presents her first solo work; a multi layered montage of movement and text performed with a live sound-score and recorded tracks from the eclectic band Thieves of Silence.
COMEDY
6 Feb
Gearoid Farrelly Home Truths
Lisa Richards
Gearóid Farrelly brings his brand of chatty stand up comedy on tour, addressing everything from Trump to decluttering and explaining why you shouldn’t toilet train a cat!
THEATRE
5 – 9 Feb
Kracked
JADE
Uncle Tony overdosed last month and has left the future of the family business resting on Sharon’s shoulders. Will Kit Kats and cocaine be her saving grace or will a frantic ex, fifty debts and a recent death in the family cause her to finally crack? ‘Kracked’ is the comic peek inside the mind of a young woman coping with the lows and highs (literally!) of life as a newfound business woman.
THEATRE
4 & 5 Feb
Fond Pageant
Roomkeepers Productions
An illustrated, Poetic, theatrical meditation celebrating the healing and redemptive powers of art, written and performed by Daniel Reardon. The show is based on ‘Fond Pageant’, the author’s book of poems published in 2018.
THEATRE
31 Jan – 1 Feb
One Love
Blue Diamond Theatre
One Love is a joyous exploration of friendship, what it’s like to be in love and have a learning disability. Paul and Orla are engaged and making plans for their future. One Love charts their journey towards their big day. Blue Diamond Drama Academy is a new initiative which is providing a 2 year drama training for talented adult performers with a learning disability.
THEATRE
28 Jan – 2 Feb
So Where Do We Begin?
Sugar Coat Theatre
Psychotherapist Dave has fallen out of love: with his job, with his wife, with everything. But then he is visited by a new patient – a woman claiming she can steal people’s memories – and he is seduced by her story. With the help of his colleague Julieann, Dave begins to unravel the mystery before him.
THEATRE
22 – 26 Jan
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
No Drama Theatre
A classic story of good versus evil, law versus the gun, one man versus Liberty Valance. A tale of love, hope, and revenge set against the vicious backdrop of a lawless society. A young scholar from New York travels west in search of a new life he arrives beaten and half-dead on the dusty streets of Twotrees. Rescued from the plains, the town soon becomes his home as he finds the love of a local woman.
THEATRE
23 – 26 Jan
The First Protestant
Splódar
A gripping psychological drama with moments of intensity and also unexpected comedy. The First Protestant presents a tense duel between Martin Luther and the shadowy figure of the Analyst, and through it the life and struggles of Luther, the monk who defied the Catholic church with profound repercussions for Christendom. The play probes the far-reaching influence of Luther’s thinking on such leaders as Bismark and Hitler and also finds echoes in current events such as a European banking collapse and threats to global peace.
OPERA
18 + 19 Jan
Baroque Opera Double Bill
DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama
DIDO AND AENEAS (PURCELL) & IL COMBATTIMENTO DI TANCREDI E CLORINDA (MONTEVERDI)
Purcell’s much-loved masterpiece, Dido and Aeneas, recounts the love of Dido, Queen of Carthage, for the Trojan hero Aeneas, and her despair when he abandons her. The opera is full of magnificent music including Dido’s Lament, one of the most beautiful and tragic arias ever written. This is coupled with a rare opportunity to see Claudio Monteverdi’s Combat between Tancredi and Clorinda, a romance set against the backdrop of the First Crusade.
TALK
20 Jan
Balding Made Me Do It
Claire Fullam
Claire lost her hair in front of the nation & miraculously grew it back again.
The show is a story of struggle, perseverance and the art of learning how to be yourself. Basically a live Instagram Live with Claire Balding! An evening of fun, lols and uplifting & meaningful chats! Learn how to tell your story.
THEATRE
14 – 19 Jan
Personal Space Volume 2
Colfer Mamalis McGann
After last year’s sell out inaugural show ‘Personal Space’, an anthology of the dark, weird and deeply funny. Co-Writer/performers Stephen Colfer, Hannah Mamalis and Peter McGann return with three completely new short comedy scripts. Personal Space Vol II tells three more stories of the worst people in the worst situations. And then there’s a twist.
FIRST FORTNIGHT FESTIVAL 2019
Fri 11 Jan
Blue Devils
Fleet of Feet – Stella Godmet
In 1943, after being diagnosed as schizophrenic, Rose Williams, Tennessee Williams’ sister, underwent a prefrontal lobotomy which left her mentally incapacitated. Williams was very close to his sister and this trauma left its mark on the man and on the writer. Shades of Rose can be found in many of Williams’ female characters. Mentally unstable or free spirited ?
FIRST FORTNIGHT FESTIVAL 2019
7 – 12 Jan
Nothing But A Toerag
Taking the Biscuit
‘Nothing But A Toerag’ is a dark comedy about dealing with your demons and the effects of suppressing trauma. We meet two women locked away in a cell and a tense drama unfolds. Watch as two alpha females struggle for dominance in the confines of their shared space.
FIRST FORTNIGHT FESTIVAL 2019
8 – 12 Jan
i n f i n i t y
Eoghan Carrick + Nessa Matthews
Captain’s Log, Stardate (whatever). A lone astronaut hurtles through the cosmos on a one-way mission to the edge of the universe. She’s looking for a light in the dark. The source of a signal. Traversing time and space, isolation and uncertainty, her quest to find hope will bring her to the brink of the abyss. An exploration of fact, (science) fiction and the spaces in between. A star-bound journey that looks at the stories we tell ourselves when we feel most alone.
FIRST FORTNIGHT FESTIVAL 2019
Sally Denver Matthews
Gilly O’Shea
Sally + Stephen + 2 bottles of Malbec = Heidi. Heidi has only been around for 6 months, but she is already in charge. Sally adores her new baby, but she misses her old life when she only had herself to worry about. Her new life as a mother is overwhelming and it feels like there’s no time to talk to Stephen.
FIRST FORTNIGHT FESTIVAL 2019
1 – 5 Jan
Stephen Mullan : Son of a Preacher Man
Lisa Richards
From the church to the psych ward, Stephen’s life started with Jesus and almost ended with the Tellytubbies. Childhood Sundays were for watching Dad deliver sermons and Mam lead evangelical worship time, but how was he going to survive being so uncool in ’90s small-town Ireland?