MUSIC/FIRST FORTNIGHT FESTIVAL
6 Jan
A Celebration of Hope on Nollaig na mBan
First Fortnight and HSE Engagement and Recovery
We invite you to celebrate hope, celebrate the progress made in tackling the stigma associated with mental ill health, celebrate all those who have struggled and found support for their mental health, and celebrate those who work to support and empower others.
COMMUNITY GATHEING/FIRST FORTNIGHT FESTIVAL
12 Jan
Where’s the hub?
First Fortnight and Fight2Flight Theatre
“Where’s the hub?” is an Open Space Technology Meeting for all members of the theatre community, that poses the question how do we create support structures and systems for theatre makers?
How do we identify what supports are needed for theatre makers? Whose job is it to provide these supports? What would it look like to deliver supports? How do we achieve that? Ove the years there have been various models proposed to support theatre makers. Artists from abroad living here and artists returning to Ireland from other places have suggested models they have seen in operation. Let’s progress the conversation.
COMEDY/FIRST FORTNIGHT FESTIVAL
12 – 15 Jan
Oops, This is Toxic
First Fortnight and Lisa Richards presents Julie Jay
This dark comedy love letter is a nostalgia fest for anyone who has ever dropped to that Hit Me Baby beat, for anyone who came of age against the backdrop of nineties/noughties misogyny, for anyone who has wanted to be defined by their moments of joy rather than their moments of pain.
From the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal to the terrifying lows of noughties reality TV, ‘Oops, This is Toxic’ is a celebration not just of Britney, but of everyone who survived an era wherein Justin Timberlake’s flew high while Janet Jacksons got grounded.*
*Warning: this show may contain images of nineties and noughties fashion which some audience members may find upsetting.
THEATRE/ FIRST FORTNIGHT FESTIVAL
13 – 15 Jan
24/7 Bliss
First Fortnight and Bluehouse Theatre
Marina works in a 24-hour dry cleaners in a lonely Dublin. The streets feel like a film set and everyone looks like a stranger.
Every day, accompanied only by radio broadcasts from musical weatherman Anthony Murphy, she creates stories from the clothes her customers won’t come to collect.
Written by Iseult Deane, this is a play about film stars, banshees, build-to-rent apartments and losing the sensation of touch. A demi-opera dedicated to clean clothes.
THEATRE
16 – 21 Jan
An Evening with Mere Mortals
Mere Mortals
A double feature inspired by Hollywood blockbusters. Come join us on two thrilling adventures!
Stjälkar: An everyday civil servant thrust into a global conspiracy. Can John Chesterton survive in this world of espionage, deception and murder?
Inbound: Three heroes, one mission. Obtain the source of ultimate power in a race against time and across continents before it falls into the wrong hands, bringing about unimaginable destruction.
MUSIC/ GALA
18 Jan
A World Born of Love
EUROPE-CHINA CULTURE AND ART EXCHANGE ASSOCIATION
A Chinese New Year charity party that transcends language and culture.
A World Born of Love will feature performers from all over the world mand the evening promises to be filled with music, dance, laughter and celebration.
The gala centres on the theme of world peace, envisioning a future based around community and coming together.
It celebrates the exchanging of ideas, culture and artistic ideals between Europe and China.
COMEDY
19 + 21 Jan | 4 Feb
Cliché
PJ Kirby
Warning this show contains a gay man having an identity crisis as he turns thirty. You may experience extreme eye rolling.
Join PJ Kirby in his first solo comedy show as he comes to terms with the fact that for his entire life he has basically been a walking Cliché.
I mean a cis white man doing a one man show about his life is another one that we can add to the list.
CABARET
20 Jan
Here We Are Now
Ben Morris Productions
Over a decade after winning RTE’s ‘Fame the Musical’ TV Show, West End stars Ben Morris and Jessica Cervi are returning to Dublin with a brand new show! Join them for an intimate evening of songs and stories from their lives, careers and a friendship born during a reality TV experience they could never forget. ‘Here We Are Now’ explores Ben and Jessica’s unbridled desire to go against the grain and run away with the circus. A wonderful meander through their musical lives, accompanied by renowned Musical Director David Hayes and his band.
MUSICAL THEATRE
25 – 28 Jan | 13 – 15 Apr
Spring Awakening
Entr’acte Musical Theatre and Drama Society
Entr’acte presents a new production of the Tony award winning Broadway musical, Spring Awakening
Following a sold out January run of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, Spring Awakening, Entr’acte is delighted to present a rerun of this performance. This group of young Irish creatives brings an innately physical production of this coming of age story to the stage. The show is set in 1890’s Germany to a rock music score. Entr’acte are thrilled to be able to bring this show back to Smock Alley for a second run.
MUSIC
27 Jan
LUCIA 2022/2023
Fragments of Lucia
Joseph Chester
A SOLO GUITAR RECITAL TO CELEBRATE THE LAUNCH OF THE ALBUM, LUCIA.
On January 27th, 2023, Bohemia Records release LUCIA, multi-award nominated musician Joseph Chester’s first major composition for classical guitar & strings, commissioned by Axis Ballymun, Dublin, as part of the celebrations marking the centenary of James Joyce’s Ulysses taking place in Dublin and globally on the 16th of June 2022. The suite, which was “inspired by fragments of the life of Lucia Joyce,” had its world première performance in Dublin on Bloomsday, 2022.
Lucia Joyce (daughter of James Joyce) spent 47 years in institutions as a result of mental illness, including long periods in isolation. She died in the notoriously cruel St. Andrew’s asylum, Northampton at the age of 75. And yet, in her youth she had shown enormous potential, as a dancer and illustrator. Over the course of two years, Chester took ten key moments from the life of Lucia Joyce, ten facts of her existence, and composed a piece of music for each, to pay tribute to her, to bear witness to her and, in some fantastical, imaginary way, let her speak.
THEATRE
2 – 4 Feb
Should I Stay, or Should I Go?
Bracklyn Productions
On the eve of what she knows will be her final birthday, Ronnie reflects on the good and bad of an ordinary yet interesting life, settling scores, making peace with the major players in her life – both living and dead – while struggling to contain a guilty secret she has buried deep for over twenty years, in the knowledge it’s revelation would destroy her already fragile family.
Should I Stay Or Should I Go? is an irreverent, entertaining, sad and hilarious comic drama about a terminally ill, broad-minded, complex and risque old woman with a punky attitude to life and a fierce love of Marty Whelan.
Through all the drama that unfolds it is Ronnie’s universal humanity that shines through.
SCENE AND HEARD FESTIVAL
9 – 25 Feb
Scene and Heard Festival
Scene and Heard
Scene + Heard was designed to nurture and support artistic collaborations and showcase new works. Each year we give time and support to help 100 new shows find their creative developmental path + reach an audience. Here is a link to the full 2023 programme.
MUSIC
26 Feb
Schubert: Schwanengesang
Irish Songmakers
Acclaimed Irish baritone Owen Gilhooly-Miles and pianist Niall Kinsella collaborate to perform Schubert’s iconic final song-cycle, Schwanengesang (Swan-Song). Composed in the final months of his life and published as a cycle after his death, Schwanengesang is often seen as Schubert’s final testament to life. Comprising of two groups of songs to poems by Heinrich Heine and Ludwig Rellstab, plus his final song, the poignant ‘Die Taubenpost’, Schwanengesang’s experimental and sometimes avant-garde nature shows us the promise of a hugely-talented composer taken in his prime. Irish Songmakers is delighted to present this performance of Schubert’s Schwanengesang, having presented performances of the composer’s other two cycles in recent years: Die schöne Müllerin in 2020, and Winterreise in 2022.
THEATRE
28 Feb – 4 Mar
A Very Irish Killing
Basement Productions
Ireland, Christmas Eve 1970, everything is about to change. To lose one parent is unfortunate, to lose both must be pure murder. June and April O’Brien, sisters, accomplices, orphans. Together, they hope to commit ‘A Very Irish Killing’ . . . again.
A dark comedy by Dublin playwright Derek Murphy.
THEATRE
4 Mar
Minimal Human Contact
Aisling Ghéar
A new play by rapper Moglaí Bap brings us into the mind of a young gambler struggling to get it ‘all under control’.
A new voice from the urban Gaeltacht of west Belfast, the play is in Irish with surtitles.
MUSIC
10 Mar
SlapBang
SlapBang
Lina Andonovska (flutes) and Matthew Jacobson’s (drum kit) worlds collided in Ireland’s experimental music scene – Andonovska from a contemporary music background and Jacobson from the world of improvised sounds. Their collaboration blurs the boundaries and distinctions between genres. Together they subdivide, recite semiotic quotes, and bring new sounds into the ether.
This is the bass flute and drum kit duo of your dreams! Hear what sonic exploits are possible when you bring together two genre-defying musicians exploring heard and unheard timbres of their instruments. A musical match made in heaven, Andonovska and Jacobson explore the horizons of contemporary music, embarking upon a mission to place this instrument combination at the front and centre of your standard concert platform. A sonic combination that you never knew you needed to experience.
MUSIC
11 Mar
Lōwli
Róisín Lowry
Lōwli (aka Roisin Lowry) brings her captivating live show to the Boys School at Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin on Saturday March 11th. Joined by violinist Aisling Bridgeman, and cellist Rob Campbell, Lōwli will perform pieces from her recent EP Otherworld, along with new and unreleased work.
Lōwli (pronounced Low-Lee) is the stage name of Roisin Lowry, a composer, songwriter and performer hailing from Galway, Ireland. Her music, an enchanting blend of elegant piano arrangements, delicate strings and haunting vocals, has charmed and captivated audiences around the country. Her work bears elements of neoclassical, dark-pop and folk, and has been influenced by artists such as Agnes Obel and Olafur Arnalds.
THEATRE
14 – 16 Mar
Áine Gallagher: A Beautiful Mess
Presented by Lisa Richards
A fun and wholesome comedy from the “queen of the offbeat” and award winning comedian Áine Gallagher. Áine is on a quest to find calm and contentment in her own life. She’s realising that crying every time she attempts a “to-do” list, is not a healthy reaction. Similar to the fact that each time she opens Instagram, she somehow finds herself researching the price of house boats in Norway. She’s tired of her constant self criticism and feeling like she needs to do something huge to be happy. She’s a person who loves ribbons and that can be enough if she lets it be.
So join Áine in her honest, quirky and hilarious journey of self discovery. Her life is a little bit chaotic, which she is learning does not make her any less of a person, in fact it is quite beautiful.
THEATRE
18 + 19 Mar
Áine Gallagher: For the Love of Milseáin
Presented by Lisa Richards
Áine Gallagher is proud to be Ireland’s only guerilla Irish language teacher. Having absolutely no qualifications or credentials, she has spent the last years on the road, popping up wherever she can to share her love of the language. Typically, Áine’s lessons focus on stories about her own mistakes, why speaking Irish and making mug cakes are exactly the same thing and why it is essential to understand Irish culture, for example our sophisticated dating system, in order for the language to make sense.
In this show, Áine finds a wholly unique way to promote Irish through fun and humour. There is no doubt that this “lesson” will surprise you as you understand much more than you expect, given Áine’s simple approach. With her deadpan, offbeat and wholly unique style, there is no doubt Áine will ignite your passion for Irish, even if you’ve never even heard the language before.
THEATRE
24 + 25 Mar
The Last Prime Minister of Ireland
Splódar Theatre Company
Tension and comedy come together in this historical drama centred on David Lloyd George, where family dynamics provide much of the intrigue, and no one is who they seem.
On the morning of his wife’s funeral in January 1941 David Lloyd George is forced to confront his past political and personal behaviour. In his dealings with Ireland he stands accused of deceiving both the unionist and nationalist communities but it is the betrayal of his family and his native Wales that torture the former Prime Minister most. Through interactions with his daughter Megan, and Philip Noel Baker, founder of the United Nations, you will question if the historic figure often credited with winning the Great War was a hero or a villain.
THEATRE
29 + 30 Mar
Hic et Ubique
Maynooth University Drama Society – The Roscian Players
“The Museum of Irishness welcomes you to its latest dramatic exhibit – an adaptation of Richard Head’s 1663 work, Hic et Ubique, or the Humors of Dublin. Our crack team of overworked and underpaid actor-curators (remember to edit this out before it goes to print -Management) will be test-driving this exhibit in front of a selected audience to bring a slice of almost-forgotten Dublin life back to the stage for the first time since the 17th century. As always, we will be putting our own modern twist on things as we stage this tale of Londoners leaving their homeland to find fame and fortune in that most exotic of locations – Ireland.”
What does it mean to be Irish? Or, what does it mean to become Irish? These are the questions that this rehearsed reading of Hic et Ubique is going to explore in this collaborative theatrical research project between Maynooth University’s Drama Society and PhD researcher, Alan Waldron.
By tapping into the rich history of famous Dublin locations, such as St Stephen’s Green and Moore Street, and by using Richard Head’s 1663 bawdy comedy Hic et Ubique, we will explore the serious and not-so-serious issues surrounding contemporary life in Dublin today, and the many different ways we construct what it means to be “Irish”. Hic et Ubique, the first play written in Ireland, by a person from Ireland, to depict everyday life in Ireland (though not one we might recognise!) will be reconceptualised in the Smock Alley Theatre from March 29th-30th.
DANCE
6 Apr
After Love
Stephanie Dufresne/Galway Dance Project
Based on a debut poetry collection by Dani Gill, After Love blends dance, physical theatre, music and poetry to explore the end of a relationship.
Dance and poetry fuse in a visually stunning show with an original musical score from Anna Mullarkey and Adrian Harte, After Love is an original, haunting and evocative dance work, rooted in the west of Ireland.
Performed and choreographed by Stephanie Dufresne and Lewis Wilkins, directed by Laura Sheeran, written by Dani Gill.
MUSIC
6 Apr
An Intimate Evening with Holly Lovelady
Holly Lovelady
Making a special trip over from Liverpool to the place from which her ancestors originate, singer-songwriter and pianist Holly Lovelady would love to invite you on her journey of magical ballad songs and beautiful folk music.
“A unique and rare talent, Holly Lovelady’s vocals evoke a plethora of feelings and memories”
– Broadway world Magazine
“Holly hauntingly opens the doors on real life love story’s, using poignant piano melodies and echoing vocals”
– Wonderland magazine
THEATRE
7 + 8 Apr
Work In Progress
No Drama Theatre presents a Capitol Theatre Company production
A play about a man trying to write a play
Capitol Theatre Company is back with the extended version of ‘Work in Progress’, adding a second act to the 20 minute one-act-play performed at Scene and Heard 2023.
With an imminent deadline fast-approaching, Wilson Reynolds is unable to complete his project for his theatre company, no matter how hard, or how long, he tries. Although his trusted, but somewhat peculiar, friend is sat by his side, the muses just won’t budge and Wilson feels like he’s staring at a blank page. What exactly is it that’s preventing him from completing this work in his small, strange apartment?
‘Work in Progress’ is a two-act-play that explores the subjective experience and the illusion of choice while examining the nature of theatre and raising questions about what it really means to be free.
THEATRE/MUSIC
8 Apr
Tonic
Fionn Foley and Rough Magic in association with Solstice Arts Centre and Kilkenny Arts Festival
It’s the year 2047 and the end is truly nigh. That is, until a miracle tonic is discovered – Halcyon – which promises to restore the mind and body to the glory days of the 2020s.
Charged with spreading this good news, the amazing Calibri Triplet Family Band embark on their most challenging touring schedule to date. Using only their charm, their music and their notoriety they will show their adoring audiences how to take the doom out of doomsday.
From award winning playwright Fionn Foley, Tonic is a blistering new comic musical for the times we live in.
THEATRE
12 + 13 Apr
Loot
Purple Door
Strap yourself in for Joe Orton’s dark masterpiece, Loot, a farce so outrageous it was heavily censored for over fifty years. But not any more! Uproarious slapstick meets shocking morals as two young friends stash the proceeds of a bank robbery in an occupied coffin, attempting to hide their spoils from the attentions of a psychopathic policeman, a gold-digging nurse and a grieving widower.
The ensuing black comedy shocked and delighted audiences in equal measure when the play premiered five decades ago, winning the Evening Standard Best Play award.
MUSICAL THEATRE
13 – 15 Apr
Spring Awakening
Entr’acte Musical Theatre and Drama Society
Entr’acte presents a new production of the Tony award winning Broadway musical, Spring Awakening
Following a sold out January run of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, Spring Awakening, Entr’acte is delighted to present a rerun of this performance. This group of young Irish creatives brings an innately physical production of this coming of age story to the stage. The show is set in 1890’s Germany to a rock music score. Entr’acte are thrilled to be able to bring this show back to Smock Alley for a second run.
THEATRE
14 + 15 Apr
Predrinks at Laylah’s
Laylah Beattie
Predrinks at Laylah’s is a One Woman Show about the life of a transgender girl in her 20s.
Join me as I get ready for a night out and I’ll tell you all the gossip from the last few years of my life. I’ve been partying hard, I’ve been hospitalised, I’ve had my heart broken by every man I ever liked and oh yeah, I got a vagina. Just make yourself comfortable and give me a few minutes to put my face on.
THEATRE
18 – 22 Apr
Country and Irish
Fight2flight
Donie Burris has a whole heap of troubles facing him: with his girlfriend, her son, Dublin gangsters, the Midford mafia and a very overbearing mammy. How can he get them all off his back? He imagines himself as the star of his own gangster movie, and he won’t go down without a fight…
THEATRE
19 – 22 Apr
Indigestion
Big Guerilla Productions
The madness of a simple rural man… A man, whose name we never hear, tells us his story of a life, always slightly out of his control. Shipped off to London at the age of 17… goes through bouts of depression, obesity and anger issues… finds and loses love, comes back to Ireland to more misfortune and mayhem and yet there is HOPE.
DANCE
28 + 29 Apr
Atlas da Boca | How The Land Lies
Aerowaves Spring Forward Festival
Atlas da Boca explores two trans bodies through the mouth. As a symbol, the mouth becomes the interface between the public and the private, between the erotic and the political, between silence and the word that lasts.
How the Land Lies is a dance performance for 5 bodies and 3 LED scrolling signs. Navigating between tourism slogans and visa questionnaires, the dancers –who carry experiences of migration and displacement between countries– interact with the text scrolling on the LED panels to question borders.
These performances are presented as part of Spring Forward Festival, which is taking place in Dublin, from Thursday 27 to Saturday 29 April. It brings together 21 inspiring dance makers from around Europe.
Each performance is presented as a dance double-bill.
CREATED BY: Gaya de Medeiros/BRABA Platform, Bianca Hisse and Laura Cemin
About The Artists
Gaya de Medeiros (1990) is a choreographer and producer from Brazil currently based in Lisbon. She studied Animation Film and worked for nine years as a dancer and co-creator at a Brazilian Dance Company. In Portugal, she has worked with several artists such as (ASK ARTIST). In 2021, she created her first piece, ATLAS da BOCA and in December 2022, she premiered BAQUE. Gaya founded BRABA plataforma which aims to support, enable and finance initiatives led by or focused on the trans community. Her artist research ponders upon dance, words and affection.
Bianca Hisse (Brasil/Norway) and Laura Cemin (Italy/Finland) both operate at the intersection of visual art, performance and choreography. Their work, often presented in galleries and non-traditional performance spaces, focuses on language and on how contemporary discourses influence mobility and social circulation. They have been exploring such topics in their individual practices while developing their collaborative body of work. How the Land Lies is their first stage performance as a duo.
Aerowaves is a hub for dance discovery in Europe. We identify the most inspiring new work by emerging dance artists and then promote it through cross-border performances. Aerowaves’ network of partners in 33 countries enables these emerging choreographers to bring brand new dance to new audiences.
Aerowaves prides itself on its unique role as a connector between choreographers, dance programmers and dance enthusiasts across Europe.
THEATRE
24 – 29 Apr
Resurrection
SCATTERDREAM THEATRE COMPANY
The hunt is on! When news breaks that Jesus has risen from the dead, two bumbling Roman soldiers are tasked by the revered Pontius Pilate with finding him. But is the Jesus they are searching for the one they expect to find?
The play challenges the concepts of good and evil and paints new portraits of characters familiar to us.
THEATRE
2 + 3 May
DAFT
WRIGHTHERE
“DAYLIGHT COMES AND WE WANNA GO HOME”
Dublin is at war; Martial law has been called and three absurd renters must decide whether to take to the streets or stay inside. The Irish housing crises has taken its toll and sanity has fled the nest. DAFT is inspired by rental stories but told with a twist. Three people, two sides, sharing one room. This Cosmopolitan quirkiness lets loose as Generation rent takes full affect. Sounds a bit daft doesn’t it.
MUSIC
5 May
Artemis
REYLTA AND SINÉAD ANN
Artemis : Goddess of the hunt, the moon and the natural environment. The first show of our Goddess collection. An adventure into the divine feminine with Reylta and Sinead Ann two Galway folk musicians dedicated and entranced by the moon, sea and stars. Aesthictally inspired by Ancient Ireland, vintage style and the occult this night promises to be a sonic and visual dreamscape transcending you to the spiritual realm through haunting melodies, lucious string arrangements and choral harmonies.
Reylta is a folk singer songwriter from Galway, Ireland currently based in Dublin. Her music combines sweet & lamenting sounds coupled with a complex alternative view providing the ultimate juxtaposition. She is deeply connected with Irish traditions and heritage: the poetry, the music,
the landscape and the storytelling. These influences have nurtured a unique and haunting perspective, illuminated through poetic lyrics, luscious string arrangements and rich choral harmonies.
The recent BIMM music graduate (songwriting) has been performing with an 8 piece band since 2019. Relyta began writing when she was eleven, with her musical influences including Florence and the Machine, Damien Rice, and Hozier.
Reylta’s band is an essential component of her work. The artist composes pieces, and each player brings their unique style, creating unmatched synergy. The band size varies, with each member influencing the tone and emulating trad performers with a classic, melancholic folk pop vibe.
German-Irish singer songwriter Sinéad Ann evokes wistful, mystical music influenced by the misty landscapes of Ireland. Sinéad Ann’s music casts light uponthe shadows through juxtaposing, ethereal melodies. She was awarded the Irish Youth Music Awards BIMM Bursary in 2017. She went on to study a BA in Commercial Modern Music in BIMM Institute Dublin, graduating in 2021. Her career was elevated by her performance in Irish language duo Muirsiné alongside fellow musician Muireann Ní Bhaoill. Muirsiné won the GRETB award of Excellence and Achievement in 2016. Sinéad Ann released her debut single Lemonzest in October 2022. An invitation to perform at Celtic Connections January 2023 followed. Sinéad Ann performs as a solo artist and occasionally accompanied by herensemble including the Irish bouzouki and harp. More of her music will be released soon.
COMEDY
6 May
Hearthfire Tales Live
Hearthfire Tales
Dungeons and Dragons on the Live stage!
After multiple performances around Ireland, The Hearthfire Tales Podcast brings their unique live show to Smock Alley theatre. Tabletop Roleplaying games meets live interactive comedy in this fantasy and Classic Rock themed experience. No experience with D&D or other Table-Top Games necessary!
THEATRE
11 – 13 May
Doing Time
Paul Winters
A dark comedy set in a prison, Doing Time is a piece like no other, which sets out to explore the relationships between strangers thrust together in this unique and trying environment. With their release dates a distant and faraway thought, and with long, slow, laborious days ahead, Mart and Frank fill their time with the rumours about Crapper and his young cell mate, Scanner. To relieve the never-ending boredom, they become investigators; Did anything untoward happen in Crapper’s cell? Where did Frank lose his precious treats? What is going on with Gloria? And how can Mart get through all of this without losing his mind.
“”A beautifully written and directed play with light and darkness, moments of hilarity and moments of great pathos. The play has a cast who have brought the four characters to life, imbuing them with a powerful and moving humanity.” Playwright/Author John McKenna
THEATRE/MUSIC
11 – 27 May
Masterclass: An Audience with Maria Callas
Smock Alley Theatre and Once Off Productions
Winner of the 1996 Tony Award for Best Play.
Passionate, fascinating and supremely talented, Maria Callas remains the pinnacle of operatic stardom. Famous for musical virtuosity, elegance and a sharp temper, Callas was a unique and towering talent.
Terrence McNally’s award-winning play invites an audience in to hear Callas speak in her own voice. Inspired by a series of real masterclasses given at The Juilliard School NY, we encounter Callas’ public lessons about music and performance as well as some of her most private and intimate memories.
To mark the centenary of Callas’ birth, Smock Alley & Once Off Productions are proud to present the Irish premiere of Master Class. Hugely successful on Broadway and the West End, this new Irish production directed by Conor Hanratty will see Smock Alley transformed into an intimate concert space, allowing audiences encounter the magnetism of this great singer up close and personal.
Caitríona Ní Mhurchú will play Maria Callas. The cast includes some of our finest young talent in Leo Hanna, Rebecca Rodgers, Niall Kinsella, Gillian Roberts and Kelli-Ann Masterson who together will conjure those heady days in New York where Callas demands impeccably high standards of her students.
Filled with humour, passion and stories from a legendary career, Master Class is an unmissable celebration of music, theatre and art.
THEATRE/WORK IN PROGRESS
17 May
Glimmer of a Rainbow
Aoife Fagan
‘Rhinestones is like a museum – full of beautiful dead things.’
Ivory, tortoiseshell, human teeth – you can make jewellery out of almost anything. The more endangered the better! Orla the vegetarian is disgusted by this, but Orla the sales assistant leans right into it. In Glimmer of a Rainbow, Orla battles with her own insecurities, and struggles with who the world tells her she is versus who she wants to be. Throughout the play, Orla gets wrapped up in workplace dramas, until tragedy hits which brings her back down to earth. This sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking play, explores what beauty is and questions society’s value on material things.
MUSIC
9 + 10 Jun
James Joyce’s ‘Dubliners’ interpreted in song
Hibsen
Irish folk music act Hibsen pay homage to Joyce with performances of their debut album, ‘The Stern Task of Living’. The album is a collection of 15 songs, one for each short story in Joyce’s book, ‘Dubliners’ with lyrics and music writen by Jim Murphy and Gráinne Hunt. Each song is named after the story on which it is based and captures the essence of the storyline through its lyrics and the sentiment of the story through its music.
THEATRE
13 + 14 Jun
Mojo Mickybo
Bruiser Theatre
Owen McCafferty’s play Mojo Mickybo is about a friendship between two boys growing up in Belfast – a friendship that at first is immune to the sectarian violence taking place around them, but which nonetheless is ultimately destroyed by it.
THEATRE
13 – 17 Jun
A Rare Journey
Cadence Theatre Company
A world premiere of a one woman show which celebrates the life of a remarkable Irish woman, Nora Joyce. The play, which is written and performed by Paula Greevy-Lee, is highly entertaining and filled with music, giving free reign to Nora’s witty and often acerbic commentary on her life and times.
THEATRE/COMEDY
15 – 17 Jun
Dreamgun Film Reads
Dreamgun
Dreamgun return to Smock Alley with their ever popular, always hilarious parody comedy show Film Reads! Since 2017, Dreamgun have taken some of our favourite movies, (The Lion King, Toy Story, Lord of the Rings) rewritten them and pumped them full of nonsense. A different film every night, performed by unprepared comedians and actors? What could go wrong!
THEATRE
26 Jun – 1 July
Hub Nub!
Gaiety School of Acting
Written by Roger Gregg and Directed by Tracy Ryan, this production will be the culmination of the students’ two years of intensive actor training. This explosive production is sure to assault your senses, exploring the art of revolution and asking the question just how dedicated one can be to a cause…
THEATRE/COMEDY
27 Jun
Coffee Kid: Edinburgh Preview
Siomha McQuinn & Jamie Sykes
Meet Beanie: the love child of George Clooney and a Nespresso machine. Step into her life as she struggles to reconnect with her dad while learning what it means to be different in a caffeine-hungry world. This freshly ground one-woman comedy romp will awaken your spirit as it examines universal themes: the journey towards self-worth, the meaning of love and the impact of being the unwanted child of a megastar. What could be more relatable? Settle in for a coffee break(down).
MUSIC
28 Jun
‘I Cross This Universe’ Album Launch
Malachy Tuohy
“I Cross This Universe” is a beautiful offering that solidifies Tuohy’s place as one of Ireland’s great songwriters and performers.
THEATRE
30 Jun + 1 Jul
Darkk
S.D Clifford
Living in a tiny room that is a self-created world of isolation, negative voices and self-recriminations, it seems the modern world, AI and Social media is suffocating Terry into a hole he cannot seem to escape from. As a child he entered the world with a feeling that he does not quite belong. As an Adult heading into the latter part of his life, he finds modern life with all its complexities near impossible, especially the voices that keep reminding him that he has already been sentenced to death.
THEATRE
3 – 8 Jul
The Real Inspector Hound
No Drama Theatre
Take your seats alongside Birdboot and Moon, two respectable albeit slightly pretentious theatre critics and enjoy the antics that take place in the isolated environs of Muldoon Manor. We’re introduced to the eccentric cast who all have a potential motive for murder. But all is not as it seems… surprising even our critics!
THEATRE
6 Jul
Knuckles
GURNWAH AND RCT THEATRES PRODUCTIONS
The last day of anyone’s retirement is usually calm and peaceful, that is unless your name is Victor ‘The Knuckles’ Norman. This is the dark and gritty story, based loosely on true events, of one man’s rise and fall and all the chaos that ensues in-between.
MUSIC
7 Jul
Here We Are Now
Ben Morris Productions
Back by popular demand, following their sold-out run in January; West End stars Ben Morris and Jessica Cervi return to Smock Alley with their acclaimed show. Join them, over a decade after winning RTÉ’s ‘Fame the Musical’ TV Series, for an intimate evening of songs and stories from their lives, careers and a friendship born during a reality TV experience they could never forget.
THEATRE
9 – 15 Jul
The Father
Out Of Time Theatre
A moving and unsettling journey through the ravages of dementia, where everything, and nothing, is as it seems
THEATRE
17 – 22 Jul
An Evening With Mere Mortals
Mere Mortals
A double feature inspired by Hollywood blockbusters. Come join us on two thrilling adventures!
THEATRE
29 Jul
La Mansarda
La Mansarda
A day-long event showcasing the best of the Dublin arts scene.
THEATRE
7 – 12 Aug
Sean Moylan, Irish Revolutionary
Blood in the Alley
Sean Moylan, Irish Revolutionary is one man’s account of key events during the Irish War of Independence. A man who sacrificed, suffered and risked his life for his country.
THEATRE
10 – 13 Aug
Animal Farm: Musical
Dublin Youth Theatre
The subjugated animals of an oppressive farm decide, in the cover of darkness, to rise up and overthrow their brutal Master, Farmer Jones.
THEATRE
18 Aug
Predrinks at Laylah’s
Laylah Beattie
Predrinks at Laylah’s is a One Woman Show about the life of a transgender girl in her 20s. Join me as I get ready for a night out and I’ll tell you all the gossip from the last few years of my life.
THEATRE
19 Aug
Dublin Modular – Sustain
Dublin Modular
An all-day festival of electronic music and instrument workshops, along with demos, talks, and performances across all 3 of our spaces.
THEATRE
23 Aug – 2 Sep
The Devil Himself
AboutFACE Theatre
This fast-moving and engrossing new drama brings to life the amazing true story of Lizzie Nutt. Complete with duels, murder, courtroom drama, a media circus and a scandal that engrossed America.
THEATRE
6 Sep
The Accidental Activist
Diane O’Connor
Diane O’Connor didn’t grow up expecting to be an activist, it just sort of happened, one minute she was holding a pint in the pub the next it was a placard at a protest.
THEATRE
7 Sep
An Evening of the classical guitar: A Recital by Darren Loughran
Darren Loughran
Irish classical guitarist Darren Loughran presents a programme of classical guitar music spanning from the 16th century to the present day.