THEATRE/LIVE STREAM
8 – 19 Mar
Big Bobby, Little Bobby
Brazen Tales + Smock Alley Theatre
A deliciously twisted, tender comedy about inner gremlins and awkward romance. Bobby has shared a bed with Mammy who sleeps in her tights, plays games in the night and guzzles wine under the stairs. It’s time for Bobby to get out on her own, but it’s not long before Little Bobby appears, filling Bobby’s head with self-loathing and filthy urges. Award-winning ‘Big Bobby. Little Bobby’ is a one woman tour-de-force about keeping your demons sweet.
MUSIC/FESTIVAL/LIVE STREAM
20 – 26 Apr
New Music Festival
New Music Dublin
Our hope is that somewhere in amongst the 37 world premieres, 9 Irish premieres, multiple repeat listens and everything else that is going on in the 25 concerts this weekend, there are likely to be expressions for many things you have been feeling recently. Whether it’s something massive and orchestral, or something choral, or something played by a solo musician, or something heard via a hidden loudspeaker somewhere, it may catch you unawares, just like that – and remind you, that although we have all been desperately separated from each other these past two years, someone somewhere, maybe quite a lot like you, also felt what you were going through back there. Although we went through it all by ourselves, we also, in no small measure, went through it all together.
THEATRE/BEALTAINE FESTIVAL/LIVE STREAM
27 + 28 Apr
On a House Like a Fire
Michelle Read + Brian Keegan
On A House Like a Fire by Michelle Read and Brian Keegan, presented by Age & Opportunity/BEALTAINE in association with Smock Alley Theatre and Droichead Arts Centre. With development support from Dublin City Council, the PanPan Mentorship programme and Theatre Development Centre, Cork.
On A House Like A Fire is a story told through fragments and glimpses – an immersive experience about the comfort of good memories and the objects that can provide them.
In this nostalgic, funny and moving show writer-performer Michelle Read collaborates with composer Brian Keegan to actively remember her mother, Margaret.
Sometimes in a gesture, or in a turn of phrase, sometimes in a cherished object, or glimpsed in an old photograph a loved one reappears. On A House Like A Fire uses an evocative score of musical echoes to help create a personal portrait of Margaret as a younger and older woman in this highly relatable and affectionate personal story. The show explores how meaningful impressions of memory can be, and aims to bring an inter-generational audience on an immersive journey through music, words and imagery.
THEATRE/GSA GRAD SHOW
21 – 26 Jun
Rogue
Lee Coffey + The Gaiety School of Acting
Rogue follows the breakneck journey of a young Dublin woman as she races from domestic abuse to homelessness, until ultimately breaking through adversity to hope. Rogue holds a mirror up to the homeless crisis in Ireland, with the protagonist’s trajectory depicting the stark reality of how precarious any individual’s living situation truly is.
Written by critically acclaimed playwright Lee Coffey and directed by Irish Times Award winner Tracy Ryan, Rogue will be performed by the Gaiety School of Acting’s graduating class of 2021. The play promises to be a fast paced energetic experience that is underpinned by heart and connection; something which is synonymous with the work of both Coffey and Ryan.
THEATRE
3 – 14 Aug
The Chronicles of Oggle
FIGHT2FLIGHT
Meet Pakie. An orphan, a storyteller, an adventurer and a survivor. He may not be the sharpest sandwich in the toolbox but Pakie knows a thing or two.
Pakie’s a laugh a minute…but he’s got secrets. Secrets the God-fearing people of Oggle may not be ready to hear.
COMEDY/IMPROV
8 – 19 Mar
Histrionix
HISTRIONIX
We’re asking our historians to tell us true tales of great returns, shocking restorations and amazing homecomings. Before we completely mangle them.
Histrionix is a show designed to tell you a story from history while totally confusing you as to what actually happened. It’s a mixture of comedy improvisation and historical lecture. A historian tells a lesser-known, true story from history but is interrupted with re-enactments by a team of improvisers who have never heard the story before and don’t know what they’re talking about. The truth is quickly led astray as mistakes are made and amplified, leading to hilarious and surreal scenes and characters. As the improvisers struggle to find the truth of what actually happened the end result is a fun, free-wheeling comedy show which leaves the audience both more and less informed.
THEATRE
23 – 28 Aug
God of Carnage
Firedoor Theatre
Two sets of parents meet to resolve a conflict between their children. What was meant to be a civilised meeting turns into a barrage of name calling, tantrums and tears. In this hilarious comedy, gloves come off, dirty laundry is aired and grown-ups find themselves in their own playground.
THEATRE
3 – 4 Sep
Burial At Thebes
Bright Umbrella
A fast-paced modern version of Seamus Heaney’s ‘The Burial at Thebes’ based on the ancient Greek classic ‘Antigone’ by Sophocles. A young woman buries her dead brother despite a state proclamation that his body must be left to rot in the street. A powerful and tragic tale of personal morality versus state decree.
THEATRE/FRINGE
13 – 19 Sep
Narcissus
ARCHWAY & TASTEINYOURMOUTH
“I was friends with Mark and Matt. Or Matt and Mark. Whatever. They’re the same, really. Hot. Glamorous. Fun.”
A young man reflects on a has-been, would-be life, a never-ending party, all faded in the flash of a camera. A life so glamorous, so beautiful, he may well have dreamed it up.
A meditation on beauty, love, sex and fame told through his relationship with his two friends (who might be more than friends but also might be less). This new play will leave you heart-stopped, heart-wrenched and heartbroken.
DANCE/FRINGE
14 – 18 Sep
Glisten
ISABELLA OBERLÄNDER
Alienation, otherness and sweaty dancing.
It’s already here, tangible but not yet visible. We’re going to create something! You can feel it stir under the skin, waiting to break a sweat, to surface, to move the body and let it shimmer. Let’s imagine a realm beyond the binary. Let’s be intimate and vulnerable together and imagine what the future could be.
Don’t worry, I’ll be dancing, you’ll be thinking.
COMEDY/FRINGE
15 – 18 Sep
TEET
Paul Currie
Come, immerse yourself in the steamy hot waters of TEET as Paul Currie dissolves, froths and fizzes all around you like a lavender bath bomb.
Scratching and burrowing into the cotton cuticles of human empathy in an attempt to expose how we are all still suckling & biting on the teet of Mother Nature.
It’s time we woke up and punched a hole through the shit blanket of mediocrity that we have all personally hand stitched and draped over ourselves.
An absurdist stand-up comedy show for fans of Andy Kaufman, Samuel Beckett, & The Muppet Show.
THEATRE/FRINGE
16 – 19 Sep
Changing The Sheets
Harry Butler
“D’you wanna come back to mine?”
A new comedy play about what Robert and Patti say to each other when the lights are off and no one else is listening.
After the swiping, the drinking, the small talk and the big talk. After the bedroom door is closed.
This is intimacy – without the gory bits – and you get to have a look.
THEATRE/DTF
30 Sep – 9 Oct
Stronger
Gúna Nua
Inspired by true events, Stronger tells the gripping story of Jan, a teacher who is sexually assaulted by her student. As Jan journeys through the legal system, she struggles to find closure and her life is in danger of falling apart. A glimmer of hope appears but it could mean lying to the person she loves the most and confronting the person who has done her most harm.
Award-winning theatre company Gúna Nua presents a tense new drama that deals with the emerging practice of Restorative Justice and the very human stories that it serves.
THEATRE/DTF
14 – 23 Oct
BANG!
MICHELLE READ / On A House Productions
Irish gender recognition laws lead the world in offering acceptance to Irish trans people, but what happens when your husband announces she’s a woman? Set during Marion and Adam’s 25th wedding anniversary, a series of escalating incidents cause Adam to reveal that she is Melanie. Her coming out sends seismic waves through the rest of the family forcing everyone to confront their own identities.
VIDEO INSTALLATION/DTF
9 – 15 Oct
Death and Birth In My Life
Mats Staub
Which deaths and which births have influenced and changed my life so far? Who have I welcomed, who have I lost and said farewell to—and what has happened to me in the process?
The latest long-term project by Mats Staub asks about existential experiences. It approaches universal themes through individual experiences and in relation to local contexts. In every place it is presented it brings people together to talk to each other about their experiences of death and birth – while also presenting conversations from other regions and establishing connections from one side of the world to another. As a video installation in theatre spaces it aims to create locations that permit intimacy while at the same time facilitating a communal experience.
MUSIC
25 Oct
PATRICIA LALOR
MCD
At just 14 years old, Dublin native Patricia Lalor’s delicately haunting vocals and sharp lyrics reveal a songwriter far ahead of her years. The young singer began her musical journey singing covers of songs by artists such as Aurora, Girl in Red and Mac De Marco and uploading them online. She first uploaded her first cover at just 11 years old and since then has managed to garner over 75 thousand followers and even caught the eye of Hozier, who stated that her cover of Cherry Wine was “Hands down, one of the best cover’s I’ve ever seen”. Now ready to unveil her first self-penned solo material to the world, her debut EP is a fantastic indication of what is to come from the young singer.
BALLET/ORCHESTRA
24 + 25 Oct
Candlelight Ballet: Tchaikovsky
Fever Up
The global Candlelight classical music series transforms the most beautiful venues into intimate performance settings. A warm ambiance bathed flickering candlelight provides the perfect backdrop for the elegant sounds of Tchaikovsky, Strauss, and more romantic masterminds. The Nutcracker, waltzes and operas to make you sway… these stunning pieces will come to life before you, culminating in an entrancing ballet performance of Swan Lake. Sit back, relax, and enjoy an elegant evening of music and dance.
THEATRE
1 – 6 Nov
Dublin In A Rainstorm
LipZinc Theatre
Dublin. Autumn 1923.
The rain batters the tenement block, and the wind howls like a banshee…
Two women at war with the world.
A son in search of himself.
A priest lost out in no man’s land.
A London aristocrat.
An American sweetheart.
What brings them together in this dirty old town?
Enter a beautiful stranger, in the most unusual way, ready to turn this house upside down. Join us at number sixteen, where life’s secrets are unfurled.
EXHIBITION
4 – 6 Nov
Recovery
Patrick Sutton
Painting. A journey through surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
In aid of the Beaumont Foundation (neurological unit).
Opened by Mr Darach Crimmins
Words by Mr Patrick Sutton
Master of Ceremonies Mr William Dowling
THEATRE
4 – 6 Nov
Great War | Lovely Head
Monument Theatre Productions
Momentum Theatre Productions is proud to present the Irish premiere of The Great War along with Lovely Headin a night of two dark comedies by Neil LaBute.
Lines drawn, gauntlets down, tongues sharpened.
A brutal and often hilarious battle of truths where divorce might just reveal more than we would prefer to admit.
The Great War will take no prisoners.
Trick or tryst? Lovely Head unveils the secrets of an obsessive recurrent rendez-vous.
When letting go is not an option.
MUSIC
8 – 11 Nov
Dublin SoundLab
Music Current
In this concert the seven composers and five soloists involved in this project reveal the results of their extended in-depth collaborations, and present seven new works exploring new instrumental resources mediated by electronic forces. Each work, although developed separately in one-to-one relationships, was also developed in a parallel process, with all composers meeting regularly to discuss and exchange ideas.
MUSIC
13 Nov
Saibh Skelly
MCD
Saibh Skelly is a 17 year-old, singer, songwriter, and busker from Dublin in Ireland.
Saibh has built an impressive and loyal following since she began busking on Grafton Street in Dublin at the age of 15.
With support from Jacob Koopman.
DBF
12 – 14 Nov
DUBLIN BOOK FESTIVAL
DUBLIN BOOK FESTIVAL
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, publicizing 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.
MUSIC
18 + 19 Nov
BK Pepper
BK Pepper
After a truly amazing reception to his debut album ‘Territories’ late last year, Dublin based composer BK Pepper is set to begin to perform the album live for the first time, exactly a year after the album’s release.
Joining for support is Italian Composer and Pianist Lorenzo Masotto
THEATRE/MUSIC
20 Nov – 22 Dec
All The Angels: Handel And The First Messiah
Rough Magic and Smock Alley Theatre
Dublin, 1742. A city emerging from a winter of famine and despair, looking towards the light.
The great composer Handel is the toast of the town, his masterpiece Messiah completed, the hall booked; but in his desperate attempt to put a company of singers together he must work with an untrained voice, the celebrated stage actress Susannah Cibber. Gradually, he is seduced by the quality of her performance and the truth of her expression.
Partly set in the original Smock Alley Theatre this joyous play tells the story of the world’s most popular choral work, from its fraught birth to its glorious outcome; a tale about the complicated, comedic business of putting on a show and the transformative power of music.
THEATRE
23 – 27 Nov
Soldiers and Sailors
Mob Theatre Company
Spinning Yarns and guzzling pints in the seaside bar they have adopted as home, Johnny Comerford and Mucker Kinsella have carved out for themselves a haven in retirement. They were once men of the sea and when the sea didn’t have anything for them they turned to that other staple of the seaman, the drink.
But the demons remain. As young Peter Kinsella knows firsthand. And then there’s mysterious Virginia, a young woman in search of heritage, a romanticised country she read about in books or admired in movies.
Wrestling with hopes, dreams, demons, and regret all in the confines of Dicky Moore’s modest establishment, pints of plain aren’t the only things spilling on the floor as a storm brews outside. A dance with death, and worse, their own painful pasts, await.
POETRY
3 + 4 Dec
Poetry Ireland Introductions 2021
Poetry Ireland
Established in 1989 by the poet Theo Dorgan, Poetry Ireland’s Introductions Series offers exciting opportunities for talented, emerging poets to showcase their work. Many acclaimed poets have taken part in this programme including Stephen Sexton, Doireann Ní Ghríofra, Pat Boran, Victoria Kennefick, John McAuliffe, Ciara Ní E and Nidhi Zak. Stepping to the stage with work that is playful and current, vulnerable and accomplished, the ten poets performing in both English and Irish over these two nights represent the electrifying future of Irish poetry. These readings will be accompanied by a free downloadable eBook of the poets’ work entitled ‘This Is What You Mean To Me’.
THEATRE
6 – 11 Dec
Tender Napalm
RABBLE COLLECTIVE
In isolation, this sparring couple are locked in a state of unstated trauma. An explosive, two-hander play from the genius mind of Philip Ridley, is a deeply sensual, yet frightening, examination on how love can make us feel stranded. The play digs deep into the mind, exploring what love is, and its close relationship with hatred.