In 2019, a Women’s Health Taskforce was established by the Department of Health to improve women’s health outcomes and experiences of healthcare. In 2021, addressing gaps in mental health services for women was identified as a priority theme.
In this panel discussion, we bring together several stakeholders in women’s mental health to discuss the current standing of mental health care for women in Ireland, findings of recent research and projects, and what we can do next.
The panel includes Fiona Coyle, CEO of Mental Health Reform, Claire Flynn, Development Officer at Mental Health Ireland, and Maria Fleming, CEO of First Fortnight.

In recent years, Irish women have taken to the sea for the physical and mental health benefits of open water swimming. In this panel discussion, we will hear from three women who turned to the sea for solace, motivation, and joy.
Claire Walsh, author of Under Water is a freediver, year-round sea swimmer and teacher of breathwork courses who moved to the coast in her twenties and never looked back.
Ruth Fitzmaurice is the author of I Found my Tribe, the moving tale of how she found solace from family trauma in the cold waters of the Irish Sea.
Maria Fleming, CEO of First Fortnight will chair this panel discussion to bring together these voices and experiences of turning to the sea in support of your mental health.

Nollaig na mBan or Women’s Christmas is celebrated on January 6th. We are honoured to host Irish Women in Harmony for a very special performance which is closely connected to the mission of First Fortnight. We could not think of a more fitting way to celebrate this occasion.

A collective of some of Ireland’s most gifted female artists, Irish Women in Harmony come together through mutual artistic support and in their overarching mission – amplifying awareness for women and children in crisis situations.

Music is something that we are all touched by. It connects people deeply to themselves, others and their world. Numerous scientific studies have explored the therapeutic effects of music, and how it enhances wellbeing. Music and the Mind is a new podcast hosted by professional musician Shane Mitchell from legendary Irish Folk band Dervish and popular psychologist, published author and musician Shane Martin.
To launch the Music and the Mind podcast, First Fortnight will host a panel discussion with musicians and experts on the topic of mental well-being and the positive role music can play.

On the 11th of January 1999, one of the most famous singer-songwriters of Italian music passed away: Fabrizio De André, the author of unforgettable ballads and songs that made generations of Italians dream.

25 years after his death, the Italian Institute of Culture in Dublin is pleased to present a “tribute” concert of the best pieces in Italian language by De André rearranged for guitar and violin by the “Duo Sciapò”, an artistic duo with close ties with Ireland. Together they will retrace all the great successes of the Ligurian singer for an unforgettable concert.

Granny has been incarcerated, the fairytale has faltered & now something is gnawing at Joe.

Selvage is a fast, funny show about unravelling tightly wound modern anxieties and a boy’s reckoning with his gnaw.

Welcome to the musical journey of a woman with late diagnosis ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Fáilte go cheolseó grinn faoi bhean a bhfuil ADHD uirthi.

Can she harness the boundless energy and creativity alongside the crippling self-criticism and impulsivity? Everything, including this show, is in search of one thing – the elusive Dopamine hit.

This cabaret-style show recreates the polyphony of a brain that must do at least two things at all times.

Sam Armstrong leads a cycling cast of musicians occupy the theatre, playing entirely improvised music for 7 hours.

There is a microphone at the front of the stage – it’s for you. Read your poetry, tell us about your day, whatever you feel is appropriate. The piece is in seven movements. Each hour is a new movement.

Each movement has a distinct sound palette. You can come and go whenever you want, but we encourage you to pick a movement and stay for its duration. You can always return later to see how things have changed. We’ll all still be here.

A night of new music performed for the first time by a selection of Ireland’s top improvising and jazz musicians, featuring a suite of music from
the 3 BAN BAM commissioned composers Meilana Gillard, Bianca Gannon and Carole Nelson and their ensembles.

BAN BAM is a biennial commission and development opportunity for female and gender minority composers from across Ireland.

Echo begins as a gig and then becomes something else. Something stranger.

It’s about Ronan, a musician on tour in the UK. He’s the opening act for a much bigger band, and we follow him over the course of two nights, two concerts. The first one goes well. The second is a nightmare. As his past catches up with him, Ronan must decide whether to confront it, or just keep singing the same tune.

This is a show about music, morality, and masculinity; one that weaves songs and stories together to examine the ways we try (and fail) to connect with the world around us.

One relationship. Infinite possibilities. A beekeeper and a physicist meet at a party. Maybe they go for a drink, maybe they don’t. Maybe they end up married. Maybe they never see each other again.
Nick Payne’s epic yet intimate Constellations explores the infinite variations of one relationship as seen through the lens of the quantum multiverse.

Comic and disturbing, this provocative monologue charts one man’s anguished journey from shattered childhood dreams to the tenuous optimism of adulthood, told in dangerous intimacy by a voice loaded with wry humour and deceptive charm.
A surreal but touching exploration of death, rejection, love and fear, where Thom Pain questions as much as he reveals, yet affirms life’s worth through a realization of its unpredictable splendours amid its predictable mediocrities.

Ecstatically happy people should stay at home.

Lift your spirits and soothe your soul with fun, laughter, storytelling and comedy along with a dash of psychotherapy!
Enjoy this all female line-up in the cosy and historic setting of Smock Alley Theatre in the heart of Dublin’s Old City. Expect 100% pure comic mayhem.

Comedians: Emily Ashmore, Eve Darcy, Kate Feeney, Emma Gleeson, Josephine Lacy, Breda Larkin, Mags McHugh and more.
Music by Emileo.

It’s New Year’s Eve and most of the party guests are in the kitchen admiring photos of their babies. Two lonely strangers find themselves cut off from the rest.
Jane was invited because she knows the people in the kitchen.
Tim was invited because he painted the kitchen.
Jane drunkenly asks Tim, “What are you doing for sex tonight?” and a few weeks later she calls him with some unexpected news: she’s pregnant…

Scene + Heard was designed to nurture and support artistic collaborations and showcase new works.
The 2024 programme saw 107 brand new shows across all genres – music, comedy, theatre, dance, poetry, children’s theatre, drag, circus.
Link to the full 2024 programme here

This one woman show charts Rose’s fascinating and life changing journey with Shakespeare from childhood to recent times.
It centres around the controversial subject of Shakespeare authorship which takes Rose on a journey through parts of Italy and England on the trail of 16th Century poet and courtier Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford.

The year is 2024, a white man does stand-up comedy? What?! In this case he’s a man in a cheap white suit daubed in white paint. For lovers of the absurd.
In association with Fly Away Home productions.

The final showing of Francis Breen’s 2023 Edinburgh Fringe run.

Award winning comedian and Ireland’s “queen of the offbeat” Áine Gallagher, is on a mission to prove that speaking Irish can be both accessible and hilarious.

Following her recent sell out national tour Áine is back using her quirky and deadpan style as her secret weapon as she navigates dating, mug-cake-baking, and mistake-making to create a wholly unique comedy experience. A comedy experience that is bilingual but also completely accessible and that guarantees to reignite your grá for the language and unlock your cúpla focal.

Lost and Found is a re framing of the story of the highwayman MacHeath, and his gang of men, Peachum the Thieftaker, his daughter Polly and all the murky underworld of London.
We set our production in the middle of nowhere, in a shop that offers things that are Lost and Found. Here a group of people, seemingly strangers to each other, meet and begin to tell the story under the aegis of the shopkeeper, The Boss. Perhaps they have all been together before, perhaps other stories have been told. This story will be told today.

An Irish raconteur shares the most ridiculous, embarrassing, hilarious and tragic episodes of her life, showing there’s a story in every stumble – and a little magic in every story.
Back by popular demand, following a sellout run in November/December 2023, Mary Kate explores how her lifelong fascination with story has shaped and sustained her and makes a compelling case for how stories shape and sustain the human race.

Donegal singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, John Doherty, first entered the Irish music scene as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the band, Little Hours. He is now releasing brand new music as a solo artist. Doherty, celebrated for his distinctive voice and profound song writing, brings his new show to Smock Alley.

Having graced stages across Ireland, the UK, and Europe alongside industry giants like James Bay, Kodaline, Gavin James, Seal, and Birdy, John Doherty is no stranger to the spotlight. Now, with his solo venture, he is poised to embark on a new chapter.

Look, I’ve almost recovered, I’m going to group therapy. I. Am. Doing. The. Work. So what’s the harm in downloading a dating app? In going on just one little date?

Alright, I’ll admit, it’s not exactly what they tell us to do in the sex and love addicts group – but what do they know?! If we all waited until we were emotionally stable and happy and healthy before we got into a relationship: no one would go out with anyone, would they?! And then wouldn’t life be dull??? I think you know what I mean.

Do you know what I mean? And if you do, what did you do about it? How did you get… unhooked?

From award-winning writer-performer Ella Skolimowski, Unhooked was initially developed at Axis Ballymun, presented at Scene + Heard in 2023, and developed further with support from the Arts Council.

Another unbearably hot evening. It’s 8.45pm. Suzy Storck sits by the window. A glass of wine. A bottle. Three bottles.
Her husband’s left. Maybe he’s coming home. Maybe he’s not.
Upstairs, the sound of tiny hands behind a bedroom door. Her children. Suzy locked them in. Another glass. The smell of an animal that isn’t quite yet dead. And still the sun will just not set.
Suzy realises she never chose any of this. She wonders how she ended up here. After tonight, she might never find her way out.

This powerful and haunting modern classic play receives its Irish Premiere this April. Directed by Ursula McGinn, the first recipient of the Early-Career Directors’ Award from Cathal Cleary Theatre Company.

The Potter parody show is back with a brand-new show, now celebrating the ridiculousness of the second Potter film. The Pottervision boys take you on a Ford Anglia ride through the Chamber of Secrets with new characters, new sketches and the same old Pottervision madness.

“Great comedic timing and an ability to connect with the audience that other companies can only dream of.” – Broadway Baby

Take a trip down the rabbit hole with Bunny. Men, money, motherhood, sex, politics, competition, the world. What’s it all about? Poor Bunny, she doesn’t know whether she’s coming or going… or does she know exactly what she’s doing?

A riotous and absurd romantic nightmare comedy filled with piggy banks, ex-lovers, their new lovers and songs about hotel soap.

“Masterful clowning shows us a woman struggling with life in a way that will be all too familiar to many: full of humour and pathos, as all clowns should be.” ★★★★ Everything Theatre

A chaotic cavalcade of comedy featuring some of Ireland’s tip top improv groups. Nothing is pre-planned so no one knows what’s going to happen next, including the performers. A very fun and very silly night out at the theatre.

Fri 19th Apr: Tiny, Kiss Your Dinner, Broad Strokes and Pro Rasslin’
Sat 20th Apr: Auto-Correbt, Cool Baby, Hayes & Kelly and Parental Guidance

Log into the world of the Incels: an online community of toxic men that blame women and society for their inability to have sex.
That is, until one of them does hook up with a woman who invades their group meeting. And all hell breaks loose.

Strap in as this wild satire turns over one of the darkest stones of the internet to reveal the strange fleshy humans wriggling underneath.

The Ireland We Dreamed Of is a new performance by visual artist Sinead McCann in collaboration with sociologist Dr Louise Brangan.

In Catholic Ireland, moral purity and virtue had become the national motifs. The problem was, you can’t claim purity if you know otherwise. The dirt and sin that defied it had to be scrubbed from Ireland’s national consciousness.

The Ireland We Dreamed Of brings the audience through a series of unsettling dreamscapes. This powerful performance explores what it was like to live with the unbearable weight of self-denial, how silence seeped into our homes, and the bravery it took to break out from this world of secrets.

It’s the 1960s, the world is changing. Protesters take the streets, hippies celebrate free love, and a young band called “The Beatles” is rising to fame. Not in conservative Switzerland, where women did not even get the vote until the 1971.

Bette, star of a regional TV cooking show and Trudy, a housewife with an alcohol problem and an obsession for Bette’s show, are about to change that – and question their life choices, sexualities and what it means to be a good woman in the process.

A new one-man show that explores ideas of work, family, and finding purpose in a broken society through the lens of absurdity, pathos, and pigeons.

Walden has a pretty good life – happily married to his mannequin wife, he works his pigeon children into the ground so that he may feast upon their eggs for sustenance. Walden is doing everything he’s supposed to do – so why does he feel so empty? Can his fantasies about his pigeons sustain him? Or must he do the hard thing, and face up to a great hurt done to him in the past?

Step into a world of enchantment and rhythm with “Night At The Harem” – an exquisite bellydance extravaganza show!

Immerse yourself in the allure of swirling veils, captivating melodies, and mesmerizing movements that will transport you to a magical realm. From sensual solos to dynamic group routines, “Night At The Harem” guarantees a night of entertainment that will leave you breathless and craving more.

The Dress of Memories unfolds as an emotional journey through the boundaries of pain and human resilience, in which the protagonists find themselves confronting the bitter reality of separation, exploring the delicate balance between the desire to stay and the need to leave, between the promise of eternity and the cruelty of farewell. The characters grapple with the uncertainty of the future between fears and hopes, clinging to the past and their memories.

Company B is an association founded in 2002 that carries out production activities for performative and multimedia events (art, video, cinema and theatre), under the artistic direction of Alice Capitanio. It operates mainly in the Sardinian regional territory, with frequent activities on a national and international level.

Our entirely improvised musical is back, better than ever. You don’t want to miss this chance to have your musical suggestion crafted in real time into a fully-realised, ridiculous, comical, and maybe even heartfelt production.

The R.A.P Party for Palestine is a night organised by ArínọláTheatre in the aim of brining talented poems paired with talented DJs to the people of Dublin City while also raising money for the Palestine Red Crescent Society. 100% of the profit made will be donated directly to the PRCS.

The R.A.P (Rhythm and Poetry) Party is the most unique, exhilarating, vibrant, live literature event anywhere in the world. Founded by Inua Ellams, it is a nostalgic, no-clutter, no-fuss, evening of poems inspired by hip-hop culture, paired with favourite hip-hop songs.

A poet reads/performs a piece: a poem or short prose ‘inspired’ by any aspect of hip hop culture, after which the DJ spins a couple of their favourite songs. The format is painfully simple, but THE VIBE is where it’s at…

Set in a working-class suburb of south Dublin, the play centres around JT O’Brien and his father Stephen “Buzzer” O’Brien as they deal with the recent death of JT’s mother Marie. Both must deal with change socially, physically and emotionally as their lives moves forward.

A blackly comic look at how men grieve, New Era, New Éire is a play about change and memory that touches upon more serious issues in Iife such as grief, alcoholism and mental health challenges.

Following an acclaimed sell-out run at the Dublin Fringe Festival in 2023 DublinLand returns for an international tour.

Dublin is in a time of crisis. Rents sky-rocketing, houses turning to hotels, tech conglomerates spreading like wildfire. But don’t worry, the government has a plan to save us… and its called DublinLand! In the near future, the Taoiseach announces that they have sold Dublin to corporate investors who plan on turning it into a Dublin-themed theme park, offering an experience as “more Irish than Ireland itself.”

DublinLand is a daring, biting and wonderfully bizarre satire of all that Dublin is and all that it’s becoming.

Meet the intern.

Alienated, delusional, and with a monumental crush on the straight boy in the office, our intern is the ultimate corporate flop. Join him for one life-changing day as he attempts to suppress his queerness and rise through the ranks at the Greenwich Meantime Museum.

If you’re a recovering workaholic, a Colin the Caterpillar fanatic, or simply looking for a laugh – this is the show for you!

This is a riotous new comedy written and performed by Conor Murray and directed by Emma Finegan.

Step aside, Prince Hamlet, for this is the tale of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two hapless minor characters who find themselves thrust to the fore. In Tom Stoppard’s brilliantly funny play, the spotlight swings away from the Danish prince to shine on these unwitting heroes.

They navigate a dizzying existential labyrinth where reality is as muddled as their memories and every exit is an entrance somewhere else. It’s a story where the sidelines become the centre of action, and whatever is usually meant to happen off stage happens on.Watch as these accidental heroes tackle their unexpected starring roles with a blend of bemused incompetence and whimsical philosophy. It’s a laugh-packed exploration of fate and free will, proving that even the smallest characters have their own stories.

Join Dorian on a descent into debauchery.
This Picture of Dorian Gray explores the ‘Wildest’ side of Dorian and the darker side of Wilde as we expose Mr. Gray’s sensational secret. Why does he look so young? Why is he so unscarred by sin? And what became of that pleasant portrait Basil Hallward painted of him?

FRAGMENTS OF LUCIA is a solo guitar performance by Joseph Chester of his highly-acclaimed album LUCIA, a suite of 10 pieces inspired by fragments of the life of Lucia Joyce.

Joseph Chester is a multi award-nominated songwriter, composer and musician whose albums have featured in the books ‘101 Irish Albums You Must Hear Before You Die’ by Tony Clayton-Lea, ‘Buried Treasure’ by Dan Hegarty and in The Sunday Times list of the best Irish albums of all time. 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.

Building or the ordinary madness of the corporate world gone wrong. One day. Thirteen floors.
Employees work to the untimely rhythm of birds crashing against the windows as their emotions fluctuate beyond their control.

The increasingly frantic pace of their ascent foreshadows a programmed fall, while communication, goodwill and empathy are counterproductive.

From the maintenance worker to the director, everyone is forced to flee the exchange in this absurd universe where personal profit takes precedence over humanity. They become animals with primitive instincts.

“How do we as a society of Africans heal when our entire history is buried in Museums”This play is an innovative storytelling and oral history body of work influenced by the discovery of Chief Maqoma’s stick in the National Museum of Ireland. The stick came to Ireland in 1873 and was donated to the Museum in 1880. The language of colonisation and migration comes to life through challenging whitewashed history and most especially opening the conversation on repatriations.

1 Show, 3 Plays
Endless ways to be a Mammy, or not…

Play #1: Oh Baby, Baby!
Peer inside the mind of pregnant teenager Aoife. This one- woman show exposes the fear, guilt, shame and secret joy of an unplanned pregnancy in 1990s Dublin. This is not the world of The Snapper – it’s much more middle class.

Play #2: State of Grace?
Sick of stigma about being single and childless? Tired of talking about your sex life with strangers? Certain you won’t change your mind about babies? So is Grace. Feel the frustration as she undergoes interrogation in disguise as a dinner party. Familiar territory to women of a ‘certain age’.

Play #3: Lost and Found
You’ve heard of an ‘out of body experience’? Some events are so frightfully awful, so traumatisingly tragic, that we need to escape our own selves to survive. Michie is having a miscarriage. Her flesh feels every excruciating moment, but her mind floats away to find refuge. Can she ever piece together the fragments of her fragile body and soul?

Share in the comedy of The Rising of the Moon (1907) as a man struggles with his conscience to arrest an escaped republican prisoner who knows how to manipulate a situation.Experience the difficulties in The Gaol Gate (1906) of two uneducated Irish peasant women as they face the unexpected with the powers that be.

After a sell-out run in summer 2023 in Dublin, here is another chance to see two rarely performed one act plays. One comedy and one dramatic about the lives of Irish people living through a volatile and rebellious era in Irish history in the first decade of the 20th Century.

The Irish Youth Dance Festival (IYDF), produced by Dublin Youth Dance Company, offers a national platform to showcase young emerging dancers performing works of leading national and international choreographers.

This unique ensemble-based, performance-centred festival brings together dancers under the age of 25 with established and emerging choreographers, composers, film makers and teachers.

Participating companies include local youth dance companies from around Ireland, professional dancers and choreographers from the Dublin Youth Dance Company’s (DYDC) alumni and emerging professional dance artists.

Dungeons and Dragons Live on Stage! Join Hearthfire Tales as they once again take to the Smock Alley Stage with a Semi-Improvised Fantasy adventure where both dice and audience help to tell the story! No gaming experience necessary, come along and watch the adventure unfold before your eyes!

Hearthfire Tales are a TableTop Role Playing Games group, performing live shows at conventions across Ireland, Live on Twitch, and anywhere you get your podcasts.

Wife of Richard, daughter of Liszt. But Cosima Wagner was so much more.
Sassy, driven and passionate, she had her own ambitions and refused to be a victim of her era.
Now, it’s Cosima’s time to tell the world who Cosima Wagner really was.

Your wish is our command,
Not a word nor note is planned.
A brand new musical appearing sans recital
And all we need from you is … the title!

Off the back of 3 sold out shows in the Main Space, our entirely improvised musical is back, better than ever. You don’t want to miss this chance to have your musical suggestion crafted in real time into a fully-realised, ridiculous, comical, and maybe even heartfelt production.

Following the sell-out success of SHAMELESS earlier this year, we bring you another fantastic all-female line-up in the cosy historic setting of Smock Alley Theatre, in the heart of Dublin’s Old Town.
100% “pure” comic mayhem and more… All female line up in the cosy historic setting of Smock Alley Theatre in the heart of Dublin’s Old Town. For one day only folks! Artists include Comedians: Anne Gildea, Aoife Dunne, Josephine Lacy, Eva Darcey, Mags McHugh and more, with music by Emileo.

A chaotic cavalcade of comedy featuring some of Ireland’s tip top improv groups. Based off of small suggestions together the teams create characters, scenes and stories that have never existed before and will never exist again. Nothing is pre-planned so no one knows what’s going to happen next, including the performers. A very fun and very silly night out at the theatre.

Europe is not what it used to be. And things are changing too fast for AJ and Beibhinn. Their hometown is full of strangers and welcome signs, their friends and neighbours are all getting laid off – and nobody seems to care about them.

Stuck in patriotic slogans and the fear of being left behind, the girls start railing against “the foreigners”. Until one day, Beibhinn loses all security and needs to build herself a new life someplace else. Faced with this involuntary departure, the two suddenly need to reconsider what home really is, what being right means, and how far they are willing to go to keep things as they were.

One night, wine taken, a singer-songwriter whose career is on the rocks pitches a show to an arts festival. To her horror, they agree to stage it. Despite impressions, she hasn’t yet written a word of the ‘breath-taking piece of musical theatre inspired by heroines of folksong’.

Thus begins a desperate scramble to create it. Laundry piles up, hot flushes rise like a tsunami and, as the kids beg for anything other than pasta, her life starts to unravel.

Darkly comical, searingly honest, Trouble Come Find Me is a new play with original music that explores creativity, motherhood, rage and age, as one woman’s journey into folksong forces her to confront her own troubles. Along the way, the true events are revealed behind one of the most popular ballads of all time, ‘Frankie and Johnny’.

A WOMAN OUT OF TIME, LOCKED IN STASIS AND DRIFTING THROUGH THE COSMOS…

57 years later, this woman must now face the consequences of her actions. AILEEN is a comedy horror parody, inspired by the movie ALIEN. Meet the two faces of Aileen Ripley: The strong confident warrant officer and the vulnerable survivor under duress.

This is an intimate and magical evening filled with screaming, running, horror, mutilation, death and more running. Watch as Aileen, armed with nothing but a flame thrower, battles with herself, the crew and a 7 foot Xenomorph!

Join Dublin Youth Theatre on a weird and wonderful journey through Anthony Neilson’s The Wonderful World of Dissocia, a playground of bizarre encounters, where humour and surrealism masks a deeper struggle.

Lisa Jones tumbles into a fantastical land filled with unforgettable characters, hilarious situations, and moments of dark and poignant reflection. This thought-provoking play explores the complexities of mental health with a unique blend of humour and heart.
Don’t miss this wild ride through the human psyche, exploring themes of mental health with wit and sensitivity.

A New Irish musical featuring the songs of Tom Waits

In a scruffy old town called Dublin, a night-time city that devours booze and music, a stubborn old singer, down on his luck, and a trinity of ladies, none of them angels, all hold a very special place in their broken hearts for the songs of Mr. Tom Waits. Then California comes a-calling, and there’s light up ahead, but like a Tom Waits song, we can’t promise a happy ending.

Predrinks at Laylah’s is a one-woman show about a transgender girl in her 20’s discovering her found family through partying.

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.

A scandal has struck deep at the heart of the school.

The boys sense it, the teachers whisper about it, and the Headmaster knows all too well where it might lead.

But the recently hired Ms. Turley remains in the dark, preoccupied with getting by as a single mother in a society dominated by the Irish Catholic Church while doing her best for her own son who has recently started as a student.

Caught up in her own struggle she’s unaware just how far down the dark path to scandal she’s already come…

TJ & DAVE walk out on stage without characters, dialogue or plot. Within the hour they miraculously improvise multi-character, fully realized plays. Described by The New York Times as “Second City-seasoned masters of long form improv”.

TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi are legends in their field:

“One of these guys is the best improviser in the world. And the other one is better.” – Stephen Colbert

Irish classical guitarist Darren Loughran presents a programme of classical guitar music from the 16th century to the present day.
He will perform classics from the repertoire to include the works of composers such as John Dowland, S.L. Weiss, Enrique Granados, Malcom Arnold and more.

Join Australian musical comedian Darby James for his multi-award-winning cabaret about sperm donation. Darby’s original songs guide you through his hilarious and heartfelt voyage, sparked by a Facebook ad. As he sets sail across the seas of queer existential mayhem, he navigates the absurdities of clinical procreation and contemplates his potential future as a gay parent.

Belfast-born ‘Irish Twins’ Sarah and Jamie are about to hit 30. But before they do, they’re reliving their greatest hits: ‘Credit Crunch’, ‘Austerity,’ and ‘Free School Meals’… Benefits Britain never sounded so good!

A euphoric, working-class celebration of the power of live music, teenage angst, sibling rivalry and love in this electric and hilarious coming-of-age anthem for anyone who ever wanted more.

Hannah found a lump.

It’s nothing to worry about… right?

Join her for every blood test and biopsy in this combination of trapeze and theatre that explores the death-defying circus act that is chemotherapy. Based on Hannah’s own experience with cancer, this performance examines what happens when your body betrays you, and you’re left hanging in mid-air…

GOOD GURL is being kept on a ward in Tallaght hospital against her will. During her stay in this well-lit hell, GOOD GURL comes to terms with her personal failings and the crimes against the State that landed her there. But GOOD GURL isn’t alone.

In this darkly comedic satire, laughter and empathy intertwine to shed light on issues women have faced in Ireland for generations, offering an ode to self-preservation and resilience.

The definitive director’s cut of their best Film Reads with new updated material for new updated times.

Movies you love, rewritten with jokes and performed by unprepared comedians who never rehearse but have seen the films at least once.

September 2nd. 2023, Electric Picnic.

Between the hours of 4am and 10am the crime of the century was committed against one of Ireland’s most beautiful Drag Queens – Annie Queeries.

Five girls, five suspects, one make-up bag.

This show aims to answer a question few dare to ask… who robbed Annie Queeries?

Meet Marcus, your typical Northern Irish lad; with a twist – he’s got a knack for trying on stereotypes like they’re snapbacks.

When a surprise encounter turns his world upside down, Marcus finds himself sorting through a puzzle of race, identity, and multiple hilarious versions of himself, leaving him to face the ultimate question: who am I, really?

Follow PSYCHE into a surreal dreamscape: the MAKOSH universe.An invigorating blend of aerial dance and experimental theatre. Witness a visually breathtaking expression of the sub-conscious human experience through emotive symbolism. Prepare to be spellbound by a kaleidoscope of Slav-core aesthetics and juicy surrealism.

An emotive and existentially charged experience, join PSYCHE on the quest of illumination. Bear witness to the oneness of all things.

The world is on fire. And so are the hearts of Dublin’s most infamous, improvising female start- up, B.S. Incorporated.

Based on your suggestions and powerpoint slides they’ve never seen, Broad Strokes will perform an entirely improvised presentation solving the biggest baddest booboo they’ve only just heard about: the climate crisis. What could go wrong?

Poor, poor, Sketcherella…

Once upon a Sketch Comedy Show… in the rat infested basement of the land’s only TV Network… DEE dreams of one-day being a Professional Comedy Writer.

When Dee gets the chance to make her dream come true: will she make the deadline before the clock strikes 5pm??

(Or will she spiral, give up and work in the basement…FOREVER)

Being born in England to German parents and raised in Ireland has left Killian Sundermann with an identity dilemma, namely which football team to support.

After 2022’s sell-out run with Michael Fry, join one of Ireland’s most successful online comedy stars (RTÉ, Virgin, Young Hot Guys Podcast) as he brings his first solo run of stand up to this year’s festival.

Marie has mastered adulthood with a perfect gym, dream job, and meal prep delivered to her brand-new apartment. There’s one hitch: the P*ssy Pillow.

Supposedly the cure-all self-care for her life-long struggles, except she can’t quite bond with her new companion. As she hits breaking point, the P*ssy Pillow chimes in with its own hot takes.

Together they dive into a hilarous journey through awkward sex ed, crazy house parties, and self-discovery. Marie’s best life really is just around the corner, but she needs her P*ssy to get it.

‘Can our ancestors look down on us? Would they even recognise me?’

Sam and Max are trying to navigate the world as mixed-race girls. But they’re haunted by the very faces they call their own. They’re angry, they’re pissed and they’re about to go on a ‘trip.’

Maybe the Gods of the Ramayana can help them? Through ancestral deep dives, divine encounters, and with the help of the NCH Gamelan Orchestra live on stage, maybe they’ll find their way home.

Have you been mis-sold big gay shame? Have you been blamed for that category five shame storm raging outside? Again? Then you could be owed compen-shame-tion!

For your safety, please follow this pair of prancing poofs to SHAME SHOW – a lip-syncing, talent- searching, Joe McElderry-ing comedy of catastrophic proportions. Quickly. Before it’s too late. And that’d be a shame right?

A queer coming of age rollercoaster ride through growing up in Ireland. From childhood nostalgia to present day chaos, Sam has been through the highs of first love and the heartbreak of grief. She’s flown the nest, and crash landed back into it.

She doesn’t know quite where she is meant to be but maybe that’s ok…

Musical sketch comedian Simon Hennessy has over 360k followers and 30 million likes on social media, where viral characters like Remy and Adam from Bumble have made him an internet sensation. As a result, he’s chronically online. Be honest, so are you.

Ever fantasized about your life breaking into song and dance?Well, hold onto your top hat, because for one magical night, it’s showtime! Experience a fully improvised Broadway-style musical where music, lyrics, and narrative collide.

From the same team who brought you, SEAN MOYLAN, AN IRISH REVOLUTIONARY, SUGAR is written and performed by Michael Patric (AN CAILÍN CIÚIN, SMOTHER, FRONTIER) and directed by Geoff Gould.

A comedy with a big heart set in Mallow sugar factory prior to its closure. Danyl Sweetnam describes his last days as an Irish Sugar employee. As much as he tries to stay on topic, he can’t help veering off towards “the craic” and taking us on a journey of hilarious shenanigans. “You must have the craic. I don’t trust any fella who can’t have d’aul craic.”

It’s 2006 and Danyl is finding the going tough. His marriage is falling apart, his job is in jeopardy and then there’s a family bereavement. Rather than letting it all defeat him though, Danyl decides to laugh his way through it. Contrary to the stereotypical Irish male who finds it difficult to talk about his problems, Danyl will tell it all to anyone, anywhere, anytime. “If you can keep smiling at all, you have hope.”

Freya’s always been sensitive. Difficult, some say. Funny how those words have started to mean the
same thing.Jack is four and he’s having a meltdown because his grandad won’t let him play with the birthday candles. His Auntie Freya’s also having a meltdown. She’s twenty-four but is hers really any different?It’s September 2018 and everyone’s living in a new, more inclusive Ireland after two referendums and one hot summer. We’re all redefining ourselves. And so is Freya. She got dumped.But when her ex shows up at her parents’ door along with unexpected news, it feels like anything is possible again.Can sensitive, difficult Freya learn to see herself anew?The personal becomes political in Sandpaper On Sunburn, a funny and fascinating exploration of identity and family in this world premiere by David Horan (The Blackwater Lightship, Class).

Urgent and rolling, this 80-minute experience, fuelled with music by Oren Ambarchi and Perila, pieces together value and meaning from the very human ruins of aspiration, history, and language, as it shifts back and forth along a journeyed path between Lausanne and Izmir. Time Based Editions’ ingenious new format offers ‘audio-visual’ as two separate elements, held together in the present through a physical synchronisation of our hands. Together we dive into a here-and-now of the page: printed photography brought alive by a soundscape that both guides and surrounds us.

Ant Hampton’s careful, at times miraculous process of reconnection gradually lights up a constellation: voices and earthquakes, Sephardic diasporas, forced movement, breakdowns and dementia, swifts and swallows, Eliot’s The Waste Land and a unique insight into atrocities at the eastern edge of Europe being funded from its centre.

The Rachel Baptiste Programme is a paid and mentored script development programme for Black Irish theatre makers and writers of colour, named after the 18th century singer who performed to great acclaim at Smock Alley. These are work-in-progress readings from Tanya Bridgeman, Christie Kandiwa, Matthew Sharpe and Shannon Welby. An opportunity to catch early draft development scripts from exciting new contemporary voices.

A mismatched trio rent a house owned by an elderly woman now living her last days in a nursing home. Unlikely housemates, they try to find a connection in the short time they’re here – and a space for themselves amongst the stuff of her entire life. Playful and boldly inventive, this vagabond new play will criss-cross the city to borrow the stages of other festival productions. With no two performances taking place on the same set, each iteration will offer a completely unique encounter.

A world premiere from Stewart Parker Trust Award winning writer Kate Heffernan (In Dog Years I’m Dead, Peat), Guest Host Stranger Ghost is a hilarious and heart-rending cry for a moment of stillness in a life of transience.

Hysterically Shopping! to some sort of end… is a new opera about Carrie, a young woman who falls in love with a till at her local supermarket. Performed by an ensemble of actors, dancers and opera singers, it blends contemporary and classical musical styles to explore consumerism, capitalism and other assorted isms…
Get in a cart and nibble our latest produce!

Mariam prepares for war. She knows that the army often drops small warning bombs on residential buildings in Gaza, giving tenants between 5 to 15 minutes to evacuate before a rocket demolishes their home. She decides to train for the possibility of this “Knock on the Roof”, frantically (and often humorously) practicing how far she can run in five minutes, and what she can carry to safety.

Heartbreaking, gripping and surprisingly comedic, this timely solo show directed by Oliver Butler is presented ahead of a highly anticipated Off-Broadway run at New York Theatre Workshop in 2025.

Harris has been released from prison.
John has recently secured his first real job as a bus driver and is pursuing a new way of life.
Harris has an escape plan, some lipstick, a stash of stolen drugs and a ticket to Disneyland that he can’t use.
The two men reunite on one fateful night where they must make the biggest decision of their lives… and eat some pop tarts.

You’re invited: twin orphans, The Creepy Boys, are throwing their 13th birthday party.

It will have everything. Games. Gifts. Possibly Satan. Probably Cake. Combining 2000s sexy songs, satanic rituals, and Willam Dafoe, these horny little boys do whatever it takes to make their birthday dreams come true. This is one birthday party you’d be cursed to miss. The twins recruit the audience to help them set up their party, with all the deference and direct eye contact you’d expect from attending a twin-teen birthday blast, before driving the show off a horror-comedy cliff – think the twins from The Shining meets My Super Sweet 16. Through sexy dances, party games and reenacting their own birth, the Creepy Boys ramp up the chaos to the point of a blood sacrifice, all while interrogating the trappings of millennial nostalgia.

Step into the dazzling world of Broadway as we bring you an unforgettable evening of musical theatre magic! Broadway – Songs from Stage and Screen, is a one-night-only stage show celebrating the timeless songs of Broadway’s most beloved productions. Including music from Willie Wonka, Hamilton, Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods to name but a few, join us as we celebrate the greatest hits from many iconic shows, performed by an award-winning cast of singers.

Explore the dark, strange and mysterious with this spooky selection of short horror plays.
Stage Fright is an anthology of gripping new short plays, each of them exploring dark, strange and mysterious tales of horror. From true crime and psychological chillers, to journeys into the supernatural and macabre, Stage Fright has something for all those who like a little darkness on the stage. No Drama have selected 10 plays for you, all of which are original pieces from the twisted imaginations of up-and-coming writers from Ireland’s theatre scene.

Prepare for a seductive spectacle like no other!
Step into a world of allure and athleticism “Hell on Heels”, a pole dance competition, happening in the enchanting Smock Alley Theatre.

Experience a night of raw talent, sultry performances, and captivating choreography that will ignite your senses.

A dashing nobleman and his trusty squire.
A rebellious princess and her controlling mother.
A wondrous wizard and an evil witch.
A loveable house maid and the Lord Marshall himself.
Also, yes… the Budgie.

There’s more, much more. If you wish to see what can go wrong, what can’t go right and all things in between on this daring adventure! You better get your candy ready this Halloween and come down to enjoy the fun.

‘Oh, Kathleen Ní Houlihan, your way’s a thorny way!’

Set against the backdrop of the Irish War of Independence, Sean O’Casey’s The Shadow of a Gunman delves into the lives of the residents of a Dublin tenement. The play centres on Donal Davoren, a struggling poet mistaken for an IRA gunman and his peddler roommate Seumas Shields. As rumours and misconceptions spiral, the tenants’ lives become entangled with the political turmoil outside their door leading to unexpected and tragic consequences. This darkly comic yet poignant play explores themes of heroism, identity and the human cost of conflict.

Based on historical events.

1519 in the town of Metz. The notorious Cornelius Agrippa succeeds in defending a condemned witch in court against the Inquisition, the only time in history this has ever happened.

Now, he must defend the condemned again.

Let Reincarnation Begin.

Back by popular demand, this is the culmination of a national tour after a sellout debut run here at Smock Alley in November/December 2023.

Making A Show of Myself is unique piece of theatre with roots in Seanchas (the Irish tradition of live storytelling.) In it, Mary Kate shows how stories save our sanity and sustain our spirits. She demonstrates how storytelling defines the shared values of tribes and binds together families, friend groups and the whole human race. She makes her case while illustrating it with six of her own captivating true-life stories that have made her a Grand Slam Champion Storyteller here and in America.

Power, sex, violence, politics and fierce family feuding all feature in this historical drama that tells the fascinating story of the activist life of Sylvia Pankhurst.

A woman who fought for working class women to have an equal status in society, who supported the Irish struggle for independence much to the chagrin of her English family and friends. Sylvia suffered cruel force feeding in Holloway prison as well as sexual violence. Yet she became sceptical of the direction of her feminist sisters and found herself marginalised. Her verbal battles with her manic sister Christabel and her Mother Emmeline are by times hilarious and bytimes filled with pathos.

A collection of three contemporary Darkly Comic Plays all set in Dublin Town.

Paddy’s Purgatory written by Tommy Nicholson and directed by Greg Marks

A Critical Situation written by Tommy Nicholson and directed by Ray Hoare

The Break of Don written by Greg Marks and directed by Ray Hoare

Tagann an reacaireacht agus an ceol nua-chumtha ag Steve Cooney le chéile sa léiriúchán seo, An Craiceann agus a Luach – bunaithe ar an scéal béaloidis faoin mhaighdean mhara ar cuireadh iachall uirthi fear daonna a phósadh. Cíortar achan réimse den scéal agus an lucht éisteachta á mealladh ar thuras intinne, ag smaoineamh ar an mhaighdean mhara ar fágadh ina hiasc ar talamh. Tá léargas ar an éiceolaíocht agus ar an fheimineachas – agus ar litríocht arsa na nGael: an rúraíocht, an fhiannaíocht, agus an mhiotaseolaíocht.

A traditional storyteller known for captivating live performances, Eithne Ní Ghallchobhair is the author of the critically acclaimed An Craiceann agus a Luach, a retelling in verse of the myth of the mermaid who marries a mortal man after he has secretly stolen and hidden the magic cloak she needs to return to her underwater world. Tonight’s spellbinding show features Eithne reading to a score written by composer and guitar genius Steve Cooney, who will be joined by a stellar cast of musicians including Cormac Breathnach, Billy Mag Fhloinn, Robbie Perry, Dermot Byrne and Odhrán Ó Casaide

Rinne Clíodhna Cussen (1932-2022) – dealbhóir, péintéir, úrscéalaí, file – éacht i gcaitheamh a saoil agus chuir sí a croí agus a hanam i ngach rud a rinne sí.
Sampla iontach dá healaín phoiblí is ea An Chloch Fhada (1986) a sheasann san áit a dtagann Sráid an Phiarsaigh agus Sráid an Choláiste le chéile i mBaile Átha Cliath. Is ann a bhí cloch fhada ag na Lochlannaigh fadó chun nach rachadh a gcuid long i dtalamh ann. I measc a cuid úrscéalta tá An Eochair, cuntas ficsin ar Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill. Anocht déanann IMRAM ceiliúradh ceoil agus filíochta ar Chlíodhna.

Clíodhna Cussen was a force of nature in Irish cultural life – a sculptor, painter, novelist and poet, she excelled in every discipline. Tonight IMRAM is proud to celebrate her life and work through music and poetry. Her husband Pádraig Ó Snodaigh will read from a beautiful suite of poems about their life together. There will also be music from her sons Rónán, Rossa and Colm, from the band Kíla. Biddy Jenkinson will read selections of Clíodhna’s poetry and prose. With screen projections by Margaret Lonergan of Clíodhna’s art.

Tá gnaoi an phobail tuillte go rímhaith ag Meg Bateman. Deir Les Murray fúithi go bhfaightear macántacht phaiseanta uasal ina cuid filíochta, rud a thug teanga na nGael di, tréith neamhchoitianta i ndomhan an Bhéarla atá báite san íoróin. Tá samhlaíocht agus nuálaíocht ag baint leis an bhfile Pàdraig MacAoidh/Peter McKay. Scríobhann Deborah Moffat dánta i mBéarla agus i nGaeilge. Tumann sí i miotais agus i dtírdhreacha an domhain, i Meiriceá Theas, sa Mheánoirthear, i gCeanada, in Albain agus in Éirinn. Tarraingíonn Marcas Mac an Tuairneir as scéalaíocht na ndaoine, cuntais stairiúla agus cúrsaí reatha agus na hoileáin seo d’Oileánra an Atlantaigh. Is filí nótáilte agus sáraistritheoirí iad Paddy Bushe agus Simon Ó Faoláin. Is cumadóir, ceoltóir, amhránaí agus scríbhneoir é Colm Ó Snodaigh a bhfuil clú air mar oirfideach aonair agus mar bhall den ghrúpa Kíla.

A multi-media celebration of Scottish Gaelic poetry, featuring Meg Bateman, Pàdraig MacAoidh, Deborah Moffat, and Marcas Mac an Tuairneir. Tonight they will read their original poems exploring themes of language and landscape; whilst Colm Ó Snodaigh will perform versions in Irish, translated by Paddy Bushe and Simon Ó Faoláin, which he has set to music. With screen projections by Margaret Lonergan.

A successful artist who has made “art out of her pain” is about to unveil her newest and boldest work to date, but before she does, she brings together her estranged siblings for a sneak peak of the exhibit. What ensues is an utterly dysfunctional but healing get-together.

Exhibition puts unresolved family issues and alcoholism under a microscope and asks us “what is art?”

A special once-off night celebrating Driven Snow’s album A Kind Of Dreaming with music, visual art, and comedy/spoken word.

With Driven Snow, the next new low (songs), Shane Langan (spoken word and comedy), Andrea Cullen (visual art). + very special guests!

No Citation is a wry confessional tale that shines a searingly honest light on a legendary piano man as he faces his final judgement and allows the audience to arbitrate the fate of the deeply flawed but ultimately human protagonist Jeremy d’Wolfe McCarthy.

After breaking into derelict Dimitri’s Piano Bar, McCarthy attempts to treat his audience to an evening of his latest songs, but finds he’s being interrupted by ghosts from his past. As the realisation dawns on him that this may be his last gig ever, he tries to set the record straight.

Interwoven with original songs, Kyron Bourke’s musical drama No Citation is having its first Dublin run at Smock Alley after a sellout premiere in Belfast’s Lyric Theatre. Born in Dublin, the now Belfast-based Bourke is considered something of a town minstrel, an outsider telling tales in song of heartbreak, guilt and human experience.

Bing Bong is back!

A chaotic cavalcade of comedy featuring some of Ireland’s tip top improv groups. Based off of small suggestions together the teams create characters, scenes and stories that have never existed before and will never exist again. Nothing is pre-planned so no one knows what’s going to happen next, including the performers. A very fun and very silly night out at the theatre.

A story of love, betrayal, and skiing – where you are the jury.

She’s the Goop-founding, Door-Sliding, Shakespeare-In-Loving, consciously-uncoupling Hollywood superstar. He’s a retired Optometrist from Utah.
In 2016, they went skiing. On the slopes of Deer Valley, their worlds collided, and so did they – literally. Ouch.
Seven years later in 2023, they went to court.
Double ouch.
This is their story. Kind of. Not really.

How many secrets is too many ? Each of our plays in this showcase challenges the notion of secret keeping. It is needed to protect one another, but sometimes it can cause the problems of the plot.

The Maynooth Drama society present to you four plays.

A true story you will never forget…A jaw-dropping true story set on the Coral Sea, Australia. An Irish backpacker blags his way onto a prawn trawler. There he discovers a rarely seen world of hard labour and harder fishermen, where drinking, fighting, storms and hungry sharks are part of everyday life.
His raw, exuberant story of adventure twists dramatically into one of survival culminating in an unforgettable moment of redemptive grace.
Trawled is a one-man biographical drama. The actor plays himself 25 years younger! This is classic storytelling that plays out like a movie. Ready to come onboard?

Prepare to be enchanted as the night unfolds with the mesmerizing art of bellydance! Step into a world where grace meets passion, where every movement tells a story and every beat of the drum resonates with the rhythm of the soul. Our performers, adorned in dazzling costumes, will transport you to distant lands with their hypnotic swirls and captivating energy.

Join us for an evening of magic, mystery, and marvel as we present a bellydance performance like no other. Witness the fluidity and fire, the elegance and emotion, in a dance that celebrates the beauty of the human spirit. Let the music and movement stir your heart and ignite your imagination.

Experience a double-bill of two of Harold Pinter’s most challenging and greatest plays.

Inspired by his own affair, Betrayal is Pinter’s masterpiece of lies and deception, highlighting how we betray ourselves and each other in our desire to be seen. A story told in reverse, Betrayal is quite simply one of the landmark plays of the 20th century and not to be missed.

Played in rep, Old Times is perhaps Pinter’s most ambiguous play. Described by the New York Times as something that ‘people will talk about as long as we have theatre,’ Old Times examines our desire to reclaim the past, as a comfortably married couple are visited by a friend from long ago. Or is she? Nothing is certain and facts are disputed in this remarkable work of forgotten passion and desire for change.

“I don’t want realism. I want magic!”

Blanche Dubois is adrift in the modern world and depends on the kindness of strangers.

When she unexpectedly arrives to stay with her estranged sister Stella in a boisterous, crowded corner of New Orleans, she brings with her a past that will threaten their future.

Her delusions of grandeur frustrate Stella’s crude, brutish husband Stanley. As he stalks closer to the truth, Blanche’s fragile sense of identity begins to crumble, until one violent act changes all of their lives for forever.

Extravagant robes dripped in gold, sacramental wine and putting other people’s bodies in your mouth…Mass or a Gay Bar?

This show doesn’t just blur the lines between the two; it sticks them in a blender and serves the audience a delicious smoothie that leaves them feeling revitalised, energised and ready to dismantle the patriarchy. Queer theatre never looked so ethereal.

A queer mass with choral singing at the centre, readings from the gospel according to Lady Gaga and a menu that serves only the body ody ody of Christ, this is a service not to be missed.

It was the first voice you heard in the morning, and the last image before bed. Grab the remote, it’s time to watch, Television!Flick through the channels of your psyche in this Live Cabaret Musical Performance. Check out the Catholic (Guilt) Channel, XXX After Dark, and The Real Housewives of Carlow Town, as SexyTadhg guides you through the universe of your mind.

This raw and hilarious cabaret questions how our media obsession has shaped society and infiltrated our self-discovery, leaving viewers asking, what is real and what is television?