Fresh off her sold out Dublin Fringe run, trans comedian Allie O’Rourke is hitting the road with her new hour Girl D*ck Energy. Described as “your favourite comedian’s least favourite comedian”, Allie is gonna serve you the one thing she can’t afford; c*nt. Join her as she comedically slaloms through topics such as trans cultchiedom, transition, intersectionality and her years as a whitewater kayaker.

For your safety, please follow this pair of prancing poofs to SHAME SHOW, a sketchy comedy of catastrophic proportions from SkelpieLimmer, the creators of Scaredy Fat and Two Fingers Up.

Adam and Stevie are stuck inside. Storm Seamus is about to strike. The rural fixer-upper they’ve inherited can’t hack it – and neither can their relationship. Channel-hopping their way through programmes of poofy-past, the couple confront home, happiness and heteronormativity as they battle the storm and each other’s beliefs. A worthy First Fortnight Award winner at Dublin Fringe 2024.

Join a special panel and live performance inspired by Au Revoir Tristesse, an evocative collaboration between acclaimed artists Joe Chester and Steve Wickham.

This unique event marks the debut of Chester’s guitar compositions, performed alongside Wickham’s projected artworks, each piece reflecting themes from Françoise Sagan’s novel. Chester, celebrated as a musician and composer, and Wickham, a renowned violinist turned visual artist, offer an intimate exploration of sadness, memory, and resilience in this captivating blend of sound and visuals.

Participants are invited to a creative workshop around the subject of homelessness and mental ill health.

Ireland is currently experiencing the biggest homelessness crisis since the beginning of the state. Homelessness and accommodation insecurity have a hugely detrimental effect on the mental health of both people without a home and the wider community.

Participants will be given a mini placard and will be invited to create a small scale iconic mixed media visual on the placard. The resulting artworks will be showcased in an art exhibition at Smock Alley alongside the work of commissioned Irish artists. The artworks will be returned to participants after the exhibition – we encourage people to keep the placards as artworks, conversation pieces or ideally as messages for future protests.

The National Action Group for LGBTI+ Traveller & Roma invite you to a spoken word event that celebrates and reveals the unheard voices of some LGBTI+ Traveller community members and Traveller culture through spoken word performances. This is a safe space for conversation and discussion to understand the needs of these important members of our LGBTI+ community, the Traveller community and our wider community.

The National Action Group for LGBTI+ Traveller & Roma Rights is a collective that aims to increase the promotion, protection, inclusion and celebration of LGBTI+ Traveller and Roma individuals and their families – within their communities and within Traveller & Roma and LGBTI+ organisations and services.

In July 2024, Safe to Create launched a new research report, AMPLIFY: A Call for Transformative Action. AMPLIFY presents the findings of a comprehensive research programme, designed to shed light on the lived experiences of disabled, LGBTQIA+, and ethnically diverse artists and arts workers in Ireland.

At this special event presented in partnership with Safe to Create, First Fortnight will host a discussion on the importance of this report and its findings and a screening of Diversity Hire, a recording of a spoken word performance by Nigerian-Irish poet FELISPEAKS, commissioned and created for the launch event. The event will conclude with the premiere of an artistic response to the report by Chandrika Narayanan Mohan.

Experience a powerful theatrical journey with Peter Gowen’s latest play, a contemporary exploration of an older Irish man’s inner struggles, shaped by his upbringing in the 1950s and 60s.

Following his acclaimed role as Father Jack in Dancing at Lughnasa at The Gate Theatre, Gowen presents a piece that skilfully blends tragedy with a sharp streak of humour. The narrative follows Declan’s complex journey through childhood, burgeoning sexuality, and his aspirations to take Holy Orders. This production marks Gowen’s third play and offers a poignant reflection on identity and the complexities of the human experience.

With humour and humility, The Tightrope Walker navigates a woman’s journey through the chaotic and profound territory of illness and recovery.

It explores the grief inherent in a serious diagnosis, as well as the community and characters who share in the journey. It is a testament to the care and connection we may find in challenging times. The Tightrope Walker was written during Jenny’s time as writer in residence at the Irish Hospice Foundation, 2022-2023.

How do we present difficult topics in theatre today?

Fight2Flight Theatre presents a workshop around tackling experiences in the recent past that still impact Irish people’s lives. In particular, the trauma around the cruel treatment of children in the care of the educational institutions run by the Catholic Church.

Writer and Actor Peter Gowen will run a workshop on this topic using excerpts from his own work: an exploration of how present and past productions have managed to tell difficult stories. How they have avoided subjecting the audience to the horrors of those narratives, whilst both educating and promoting discussion.

Within this Party is a unique improvisational dance performance blending the traditional Palestinian Dabke and Hip-hop to explore themes of connection and resilience.

Created by Palestinian dance maker Amir Sabra, co-founder of dance company Stereo48, the performance brings a fresh perspective on cultural identity through movement. As a recipient of the Technical Prize for Danse Élargie 2022 in Paris and a commissioned artist of Luail – Ireland’s National Dance Company, Amir’s work embodies personal and collective expression, making Within this Party a powerful exploration of heritage and the universal language of dance.
.

Safe Harbour written by Patricia Forde is a new illustrated storybook for children bereaved by suicide. Safe Harbour tells the story of a family navigating life after the tragic loss of a loved one, as seen through the eyes of a child.

This Admission Free resource, developed by bereavement experts, provides comfort and support to families dealing with the sensitive subject of suicide. It is accompanied by a helpful guide for parents and carers, offering practical advice on how to use the book and navigate difficult conversations with children. At this special event, a panel of professionals will discuss the book’s impact and its potential as a tool for caregivers, teachers, and key workers.

Ciarán left dear Dublin for Australia nearly a decade ago on a famine ship. 4 years ago, having consumed all of the stereotypical potatoes he thought imaginable, he began his vocation as a standup comic and he has now returned home to give his show its Irish debut. His comedy stylings are influenced by the inception of the internet and the vapidity that it brought in abundance. He once met Britney Spears and she said that he was, verbatim; “a cutie pie”.

As a humanitarian, he sells bootleg Ozempic to emaciated, white women in Lululemon outfits so that their dermal filler-ed lips have their desired waist to lip ratio. His incline in comedy has been comparable to the weight loss of someone on Ozempic – gradual but consistent. Get to see him before cirrhosis does.

Collaborators is an award winning, sharp, surrealist fantasy which focuses on the relationship between two real life historical figures: the prominent Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov, and the infamous Soviet Union dictator, Joseph Stalin.

Depicting the trials and tribulations of a writer being forced to write through writer’s block with a metaphorical (and at times literal) gun to his head, Collaborators mixes the satire of JoJo Rabbit, with the dark reality of life in Stalinist Russia during the Great Purge.

Join Bulgakov as he journeys from his (over)crowded apartment into a lethal game of cat and mouse through which the appalling compromises and humiliations on any artist by those with power are held up to scrutiny.

“It’s man vs. monster Mikhail. And the monster always wins…”

For reasons currently unknown, rising sea levels have inexplicably affected Ireland and Ireland only, reducing the island to one small indistinct piece of land owned by one remaining Irish civilian.

The Last Man in Ireland is a comedic three-hander that explores the cyclical themes of family dysfunction and grief. Using the lens of millennial angst, it delves into the past and presents the story of an imagined future. A chaotic tale of family and identity described as John B. Keane meets Bladerunner.

‘We were girls together’.

Naoise, Amelia and Sara have grown up together. They have always shared clothes, beds, lipliners, secrets.
But what happens when they start to grow in different directions?

When Naoise gets dumped the girls gather in her childhood bedroom, rallying together in her moment of need. But as the evening progresses, each of the girl’s places in each other’s lives are called into question. How do we support each other when we can barely support ourselves?

Need Help (No Worries if Not) is a new work exploring the experience of coming of age as a young woman in modern Ireland. In a generation of queerness, internet dating, polarisation, loneliness and heartbreak, navigating even the friendships you have had forever becomes a challenge.

Award-winning dance-theatre artist Luke Murphy presents excerpts from his enthralling series of installations, The Prometheus Project. Reimagining the myth of the fire-stealing god, Prometheus, it becomes a drama of power dynamics, power-cuts and the earth’s shrinking resources.

About The Prometheus Project (Episode One)
Dublin Dance Festival 2023:
“An impressive beginning to the series, with its combination of narrative, immersive installation and use of movement as emotion, saying what words can’t express.” ★★★★ – Michael Seaver, The Irish Times

Scene and Heard was designed to nurture and support artistic collaborations and showcase new works.
Glittering light in the night, a constellation of stars and bursts of creativity throughout the cosmos, was the idea behind the 2025 programme; brimming with ideas, new perspectives and blending art forms! We saw over 111 new shows.

The full 2025 programme can be found here.

But that’s what this is, isn’t it?

The ultimate bitch fight. When John takes a break from his boyfriend, he accidentally meets the girl of his dreams. Filled with guilt and indecision, he decides there is only one way to straighten this out . . .

Mike Bartlett’s razor sharp play about love and longing provides us with questions of who we are and who we want to be. John’s refusal to fix his identity disturbs and disrupts the lives of those around him in this contemporary tale of sex without nudity and struggle without violence. Mike Bartlett’s punchy story takes a playful, candid look at one man’s sexuality and the difficulties that arise when you realise you have a choice.

A one-act black comedy by writer Paul Howard.

You are cordially invited to Jarlath & Gemma’s big day! Check the seating plan carefully before you take your seat.

What do you do with the people you have to invite to your wedding when you really don’t want them there? Easy! Put them all at one table at the very back of the room. But what if putting those strangers together turns out to be the worst decision of your life?

“I have supped full with horrors”

In a brutal society where power is concentrated in the hands of warlords known as Thanes, order is maintained through unwavering devotion to the King. Away from the clans and the heavily fortified strongholds of the Thanes, satanic cults and strange rituals undermine the feudal order.

Macbeth is a war hero, disturbed, in his hour of success, by a prophecy that he will one day be ruler. Goaded by his ambitious wife into an act that goes against his deepest instincts of loyalty, he unleashes a cycle of violence that plunges the country into terror and dictatorship.

This timeless story of witchcraft, murder, totalitarianism, and how a man becomes a monster is brought to the NOH and Smock Alley by Volta, Ireland’s most exciting new Shakespearean theatre company.

Noah has recently contracted lycanthropy. At twelve o’clock tonight, he will forcibly and violently transform into a wolf. Fortunately for him, he has found a nice spot in a derelict house in Stoneybatter to isolate himself until the transformation passes. Unfortunately for him, his irrepressibly positive best friend Colm has arrived unannounced to offer unwanted moral support.

What follows is a spontaneous and highly comedic sleepover, where Noah and Colm’s physical and emotional transformation unfolds.

“I knew I was part of the problem.”

Set against a vivid, shifting backdrop of American landscapes, Robert Caisley’s SANTA FE offers three stark and darkly comedic explorations of 21st century Americana. From a pair of self-serving, fair-weather talent agents with a twisted sense of loyalty, a disastrous first date which spirals into a catastrophically oblivious non-apology, to the tequila-soaked musings of a couple of middle-aged salesmen, SANTA FE explores the dark side of the restless “American spirit” and the subtle (and not so subtle) consequences of an impulsive sense of exceptionalism.

Rich in wit and evocative imagery, SANTA FE offers a meditation on the limits of liberty, the weight of connection, and the fragile beauty of hope.

Step into a world of magic, mystery, and mayhem with Into the Woods. This Tony Award-winning masterpiece by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine weaves together classic Grimm fairy tales — Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and more — into a spellbinding journey of wishes, consequences, and self-discovery.

With a stunning score, unforgettable characters, and a story that’s as heartfelt as it is haunting, Into the Woods is a theatrical experience you won’t want to miss.

A one-man play based on the character SEESAW, AIR is an exploration on how men deal with grief, mental health and death itself. It is also an exploration on the different sides of grief, which often wakes us from the monotonous slumber of our tired lives, to remind us, often in a somewhat vicious way, that those we love will soon be grieving for us in the same way we have been grieving for them. How do we find enough hope, faith and joy to make daily life worthwhile? How can we make friends with our nemesis the AIR and still share our lives with the very person that needs us most; ourselves. If we cannot find some forms of consistent peace, why do we even try? When it comes to the AIR, it is truly a case of ‘do or die’.

Where do forgotten memories go? Are they lost forever? Or do they linger – drifting away in a void beyond time and space?

Nine ghosts find themselves trapped in a crumbling house, floating in an infinite nothingness. They don’t remember much – only that a mysterious apocalypse shattered their world, leaving time and reality in complete ruins. Now, the house keeps shrinking, mysterious earthquakes aplenty and something, or someone, seems determined to erase them for good.

Is it the house itself? Or maybe the pig? The long prophesized alien invasion? Who knows! But they’d really like to escape now… if they can.

Following an incredible year where 2024 saw Áine Gallagher embark on a national sell out tour and be listed among the Irish Times 50 People to Watch, Áine is back using her quirky and deadpan style as her secret weapon as she navigates Irish language learning, mistake-making, dating and mug-cake-baking to create a wholly unique comedy experience.

Known as Ireland’s only guerrilla Irish language enthusiast, Áine has been travelling the length of the country with her Cup of Focals (a literal cup brimming with Irish words). Understanding the nation’s widespread fear of engaging in the Irish language, Áine mostly jumps out at people from behind trees, hoping to surprise them into chatting Irish with her.

However, in FOR THE LOVE OF MILSEÁIN, audiences can sit back, feel inspired and enjoy Áine’s tales, like when she met our president Michael D Higgins and other similar disasters in her own journey to learn Irish.

Step beyond the crumbling walls and into the heart of a forgotten castle, where echoes of the past refuse to fade. From the clash of knights in training to the laughter of lost children, from grand feasts to whispered goodbyes, its stones hold the memories of generations—of love, loss, triumph, and betrayal.

Blending drama, movement, music, and mime, The Castle That Time Forgot is an unforgettable theatrical journey through the ages. The castle is waiting to tell its story. Will you listen?.

An eclectic production combining classic and modern drama, musical theatre, dance and Commedia dell’Arte.

For more than 37 years the City of Dublin FET college Inchicore South West Campus has been providing the highest standards of training in all the disciplines required for a career in the Performing Arts. Many students have developed careers in the theatre as actors, writers, directors, stand-up comedians etc, appearing on stages all over the country and Europe as well as in many popular series on TV and in films.

Brace yourself for a whirlwind of hilarious quests, epic revenge plots, and untamed Viking valor!

Fresh off the longships from Denmark, these masterful comedians will craft a fully improvised Viking saga right before your eyes— guaranteed to leave you laughing until you can’t breathe. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of Norse mythology or simply seeking a one-of-a-kind night of entertainment, this epic show is not to be missed.

So, gather your clan and join us for a riotous evening of spontaneous Viking adventures and non-stop laughter. Monsters, gods and legends await — Valhalla has nothing on this!

A dance show that intertwines a variety of dance styles and reflects on the diverse personalities of its terpsichoreans.

Dublin School of Dance and Etiquette is a dance family that was established in 2011, dancing in several locations in Dublin. Our mission is to promote dance and the well-being of our students as well as an education in all the elements of this synthesis of the physicality and artistry of dance.

Life changes fast. Life changes in the instant.

Becca and Howie had the perfect life – a happy marriage, a beautiful home, great friends and family, and their only child, Danny. But when a life-shattering accident turns their world upside down, the couple must face tough questions about themselves and their relationship.

Rabbit Hole is a Pulitzer Prize winning drama by the highly regarded dramatist, David Lindsay-Abaire.

This is a compelling and beautifully written play, filled with a distinctive wit and grace, in which grief eventually gives way to love and hope.

A story of myth, legend and identity, Ní Liomsa an Teach Álainn Seo (This is Not My Beautiful House) is a one-person play in the Irish language. With English surtitles, the show revolves around an unnamed artist as they wait in their studio for their partner to come home so that they can reveal their secret, and finally come out as non-binary.

As they wait, they begin to delve into their recent obsession with an old Irish legend about a bull that caused an all-island war many centuries before. When the bull comes alive, a battle of monologues begins, as they fiercely debate whether it is better to live as your true self and potentially be alone for it, or to exist only in other people’s expectations and remain a legend.

“You’re safe here. But you have to trust me now. For your own good. I need you to stay. Because if you go, I go and I’d rather not.”

New Year’s Eve 1979. Two souls weather the storm together at Inish Dúbh Lighthouse: Christy the Keeper, shining a ceaseless vigil for all at sea; and a young woman. Christy doesn’t know why she’s here or what she wants from him. Always the joker, always the clown, he puts on a good show. But as the storm rages and truths start to unfold, Christy must decide- to weather the storm or take a leap of faith?

Castle Gillian An Irish Tale – The Musical, tells the story of Gill Morris , a young Irishman profoundly damaged by his experiences in the Second World War who must regain his faith in love, and the world, in order to save his ancestral home – and once famous Irish racing stable, Castle Gillian.

It is 1948. Gill has lost all faith in humanity. Creditors plan to foreclose on his home, his father is befuddled with drink, and his wealthy childhood sweetheart Sylvia – heartbroken at his apparent indifference – breaks off their engagement. The only hope of saving Castle Gillian is if his younger sister Mary marries Garrett Ward, a known bully and womaniser.

Castle Gillian was originally devised and built as a stage musical within a 360˚ game- world. Visit www.castlegillian.com for more information.

THE DEVIL AND DUREX is a look at the 1970’s sexual revolution in a small rural Irish parish written by Fair Dinkum! Theatre’s award winning playwright Nick Makin.

What’s happened to the women folk? Who is filling their head with all this nonsense? Is it the new television in Maloney’s pub or the books coming over from England – The Joy of Sex! – surely that’s a sin?

Join Tom, Paddy and old mad Willie as they struggle to adjust to their wives’ new found assertiveness and determination to establish their own sexual identity. The accepted order is disappearing before their eyes and their desperate efforts to reassert their dominance are failing. The church watches on of course – perhaps starting to feel the first cracks in its own façade.

“How far would you go to protect your family?”

A poetic and touching drama about people escaping hardship in their own country and living under pressure as they attempt to get to Calais to start a new life. Contemporary writing from Iran by the internationally acclaimed Amir Reza Koohestani.

2012. English writer Paula Davey receives an award from her fellow journalists for her ‘true life’ book, ‘Stuck in the Middle with You: An RUC Story’.

September 1996, Davey’s story begins with 5 RUC officers stuck in the back of a landrover during a riot at the top of Belfast’s Albertbridge Road. Over the course of the play we hear their stories – ordinary people caught in extraordinary times. Often darkly hilarious, the play confronts the harsher realities of life in the security forces in the 1990’s head on, with an unexpected and chilling ending.

This powerful and thought-provoking piece of political theatre was written by Einat Weizman, an Israeli Jewish citizen, in conjunction with two Palestinian political prisoners. It shines light on the plight of Palestinian prisoners, the most hidden victims of the Israeli occupation, focusing on the personal and collective experiences of the prisoners and their families.

The play is the result of a long research process of interviewing and hearing testimonies from prisoners and ex-prisoners, who are actively involved at every stage of the creation of this show. The prison experiences uncovered include interrogations, hunger strikes, solitary confinement and family visits, as well as diving into the prisoners’ consciousness.

The play reveals a harrowing and brutal reality but also an account of human endurance and solidarity.

Kitty Clogg is determined not to go quietly into that good night.

Kitty Clog is an aging woman who is determined not to go quietly into that good night. Lots of attitude, a motley crew of supporting characters (all played by star of Father Ted and Fair City Rose Henderson). Kitty takes us with her on a rollercoaster journey to find her lost man.

Threading a blurry line between humour and pathos; yearning and farce; belonging and marginalisation, The Good Crank is an exploration of the flip-flop existence of an older woman at odds with the world she has been squeezed into.

Drag & Draw is coming to Smock Alley Theatre for a very special art class.

This informal life-drawing session is a little bit art class, little bit drag show… and a whole lot of fun.

Whether you’re brand new to life-drawing or a seasoned pro, drawing a drag queen is an artistic experience you won’t forget! At this fun and relaxed life-drawing session, your models will be dressed to the nines and ready to entertain and inspire. Expect lip-syncing, audience participation, and lots of low-pressure sketching. (Ignore RuPaul’s advice and feel free to mess it up!).

A man has been away for a long time. He returns and peers out the window of a flat that he shares with his wife. But is it still his home…and is this even his life? Or does he belong to the past – a spectator of his own abyss?

Find out in this surreal story by Jon Fosse, Europe’s most performed living writer – and 2010 winner of the Ibsen Award and the 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature. Don’t miss the Irish Premiere of this tragi-comic tale.

Lumina Productions presents its debut production, Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years.

Directed by Niamh McGowan, this bold new production is a unique take on a modern classic of American musical theatre. The Last Five Years tells the story of the relationship between Cathy and Jamie, from meeting to break-up. Audiences are brought into each character’s side of the story, with Cathy starting at the end and going backwards, while Jamie tells his story from the beginning. We are thrilled to be welcoming you to Smock Alley Theatre to experience this new company’s debut.

“What’s the worst first date you’ve ever had?”

Following sold out runs in Cork and Waterford Red ‘n Blue Theatre Company present John Morton’s dark comedy TABOO.

There was a boy and a girl and somehow, they met. Lily doesn’t get out much. Tom finds it hard to meet new people. And now they’re having their first date. Lily cooks a three-course meal. Tom brings flowers and wine.

On the surface, everything seems fine. But in the modern world, dating is a surprisingly complex thing with a lot of unwritten rules. There are certain things you shouldn’t do on a first date. And then there are certain things you shouldn’t do at all.

MOTHERLAND SONGS is the debut album from Dublin born actor and musician Edel Murphy. Described as having “a voice that would silence angels”, the Irish singer/songwriter brings a heartfelt intensity and serenity in equal measure to new songs and to memorable female characters in songs by The Beatles, Dolly Parton, Kate Bush and Judy Collins.

Produced by Irish musician Ewan Cowley, this new release is a compelling collection of contemporary Irish and North American folk anthems, modern classics and protest songs from great female artists such as Joan Baez, Natalie Merchant, Mary Black and Carsie Blanton, evoking the universal experiences of working life, independence, love, inequality, and the search for social justice.

Innis Puffin, a craggy rock nine miles off the Kerry coast is poised for the annual invasion of puffins. Instead, it gets a visit from not one, but two groups of somewhat bewildered humans.

There’s no wifi, only half enough beds and a mysterious man with binoculars. The boatman who brought them here smells of fish, has a lousy sense of direction and something moving under his coat.

Then there’s the fog. When there’s no way out, no way home, and no way you should’ve come here in the first place … can you count on yourself? Can you count on your friends? Can you count puffins when you can’t see your hand in front of your face?

For exactly a year, after the death of one of their husbands, the Burke sisters have refrained from seeing, talking to or even texting each other. That is all going to change today, as the sisters meet in the dead husband’s local to celebrate the end of the mourning period. The recently widowed, much changed, guilt-ridden, Carmel Burke, has a potentially life changing plan that could alter her younger sisters lives forever.

Can all the Burke Sisters make it through the day alive, or will one of them be joining the dead husband?

Table Read is a new actor-focused initiative that creates space for theatre artists to explore contemporary plays, develop their practice, and engage in meaningful dialogue with peers. Conceived and designed by Shane O’Reilly, this initiative focuses on performance and creative exchange, centring the actor’s voice while welcoming collaboration across disciplines.

First up:
Infinite Life by Annie Baker
Directed by Annabelle Comyn

Coming next:
Downstate by Bruce Norris
Directed by Mark O’Rowe

One friend moved from London to the Emerald Isle… now it’s time to fly a few others over.

This June, three Friends From the West End reunite — sharing nostalgic, heartwarming, and hilarious stories from their time in some of the world’s biggest musicals. With rich vocals and a lot of heart, this is a thoughtfully curated programme of close harmony & storytelling — with a pinch of theatrical mischief.

STARRING
Sam O’Rourke (Mary Poppins, Half a Sixpence)
Natalie Green (Wicked, Prince of Egypt, Parade)
Paul Wilkins (Les Misérables, Hair, The Dreamers)

Four candidates arrive to what seems to be an unorthodox interview. As things unravel, they find themselves part of a claustrophobic exercise which takes them to dark places. They can leave anytime they want; yet, they do not.

How far would you go?

The Grönholm Method, a play by Jordi Galceran, has received several accolades, including the Premio Max SGAE Winner in 2005 and the Premio de la Crítica de Buenos Aires. It’s a play known for its witty dialogue, tense moments, and exploration of corporate dynamics.

Everything is awful but that’s okay, argues Tom in his ridiculously entertaining show about family and growing up in a Spanish subterranean cave. A show for siblings who shared a rubbish childhood, shirtless ex-pats, and comedy fans alike.

“He has an eye for the mundanely absurd which is truly unique, with an execution that is joyfully daft.” – Rolling Stone (Top 12 shows of the Edinburgh Fringe)

“Immediately dragging us under with his menacing charm” ★★★★★ – Ed Fringe Review

“Lawrinson has turned playful menace into an art form” ★★★★ – Scotsman

Bum Notes (and a very special guest) are back in Smock Alley with a 4th of July improvized musical! And no it won’t be about Hamilton… well it could be. It is improv after all.

Performing with them — for one night only — will be American improv legend, Derek Miller! A Chicago native now living in the UK, Derek was a mainstay of the L.A. improv community — performing and teaching for over 30 years at The Second City, IOWest, and UCB. On screen he worked on Scrubs, The Goldbergs, Superstore, Drunk History, Transformers 3 and more recently with Tim Burton and Edgar Wright!

Come see this sell-out sensation and enjoy what happens when you let the story, songs, and characters of Broadway get written in real time by some of Ireland and America’s silliest improv comics.

Following on from a Dublin Fringe run and a Fishamble New Writing Award nomination, Louis Deslis brings his show Mosaic, back to Smock Alley where it all started. A Franco-Irish tale of craic, joie de vivre, and everything in between. Mosaic was first developed at the Scene and Heard festival.

Shit just got real, c’est la merde, the real big merde. You just broke up with your fella. Your hard-of-hearing granny’s got a broken leg and it’s your turn to go mind her because she can’t get on the commode chair all by herself. Home Sweet Home, you can’t say that in French, you can’t say Maison Douce Maison.

A show about going home, the things we can’t say, and the things we hear even when they’re not said.

‘An enjoyable one-man odyssey that deftly explores the power of words to obscure and reveal.’ – The Irish Times

After critically acclaimed runs at Camden Fringe, Thess Fringe and Smock Alley Theatre Dublin, Nora Kelly Lester’s Bunny Bunny returns to Smock Alley this July.

Bunny is mad. She’s mad as hell and she’s not going to take it anymore… is she?

On the edge of eviction, her love life in pieces and no money in her pockets, Bunny tries to rise again. An absurdist romantic nightmare comedy filled with empty piggy banks, landlords, ex-lovers, their new lovers, and a song about hotel soap, Bunny Bunny is a solo clown show created by Nora Kelly Lester, directed by Nessa Matthews, about trying to hold it all together while everything is falling apart.

‘A master of clowning, miming and comedic timing… Lester was playing comedic tennis with the members of audience she spoke to. There wasn’t a single answer she couldn’t turn into comedy gold’ ★★★★★ – The Reviews Hub

In this swirling and sexy comedy of bad manners, Molière’s France becomes Dublin’s FRANS, a Silicon Docks megacorp brimming with pissants, posers, and plutocrats all grubbing for power and pleasure. As terminally over-it Alceste navigates a tempest of HR complaints and office warfare, his vexed and oversexed lover Celimene treads her own social minefield as she prepares to launch a venture that could liberate her from FRANS and all her hangers-on for good.

The Irish Premiere of American Playwright Matt Minnicino’s Helen Hayes nominated adaptation from the team behind the five-star (Irish Times) production of Tempesta by Deirdre Kinahan: director/designer duo Marc Atkinson Borrull and Molly O’Cathain of Sugarglass.

★★★★★ “Witty, inventive and entertaining” – Irish Mail on Sunday

★★★★ “Knockout satire of a horny and insincere Silicon Docks” – Irish Times

“Whos that!? He’s so fine! Me-oh-my, its DANNY RYAN!”

MARK FITZ IS HAVING A FREE GAFF!!! And you’re invited. So throw on your Rihanna t-shirt, spray on your super skinny jeans and whip and nae nae with us all the way back to 2015. Oh and P.S. Didn’t you hear? DANNY RYAN JUST KINDA RSVP’d!!!

Growing up gay can rob you of your formative romances, but Mark’s on a mission. He’s been in love with Danny since Stonerock Secondary! Everyone’s in college now, the marriage ref totes just passed, and being gay is finally chic… right?

DANNY RYAN is the love letter that every little gay boy never got to send in school. It takes us on a heartfelt first-hand rollercoaster ride through teen angst, junior cup rugby, first loves and… Spin Disco?

An evening of original music, poetry, prose and monologues to celebrate the Irish Lughnasa. Lughnasa marks the beginning of the harvest season. We feel that in this time of increasing division, we want to focus on harvesting from our community. Headlining with the brilliant FILIDH, we want to bring people together to spend an evening of connection.

What will you bring to the harvest?

I’ve got a terrible feeling about this show. Like somehow the whole thing is doomed. I have this recurring dream where I’m on stage, thousands of miles from home and the crowd has turned on me. There are thousands of them and they are all booing me and Sofia Vergara (from Modern Family) is there and so is Simon Cowell and he’s slamming his fist into a red buzzer and the sound splits the air like a gunshot and the ceiling rips open and confetti rains down like debris but the booing only gets louder and louder and louder and louder and then I wake up, and realise that all of that actually happened to me.

This show has nothing to do with that story. I doubt I’ll even mention it.

Break up? No. Just see other people.

A three hander, a couple, and everyone else in their relationship.

Sadie and Danny, have broken up, they’ve gotten back together, neither seems to work for them. They open their relationship to every other Joe, Josephine, Josef and Jo, to find what they’re missing in their relationship.

A slick depiction of an emotionally messy topic.

​In the year 2198, two lesbian astronauts are kidnapped by an Alien Overlord who forces them to perform on loop a musical revue of the entirety of world history. As they spend their days in captivity doing cabaret, the lesbians are forced to consider what became of our humanity and what we the people may become if allowed to survive.

The Lesbian Revue Of World History is a musical comedy cabaret about witch trials, gay whales, alien gods, greek yoghurt, AI rebellions, and the end of the world. Told in three genre defying acts, this Freshly Squeezed LemonSoap production asks us to engage in a farcical, musical, and existential manner with what may become of our gay old humanity.

UBU
Chaos. Tyranny. Farce.
An absurd play for absurd times.

Dublin Youth Theatre is thrilled to present UBU; written by CN Smith, with the company, and directed by Dominic O’Brien.

The play is a radical reimagining of Alfred Jarry’s Ubu Roi, which obliterated convention and incited riots at its 1896 premiere. UBU, performed by the members of Dublin Youth Theatre, is a journey into the absurd. It presents a group of young people confined to detention, who transcend tedium by taking the absolute piss out of their teachers.

Minimal Human Contact; a revival of the award winning one man show by rapper Moglaí Bap – aka Naoise Ó Cairealláin 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.

Sean T Ó Meallaigh – nominee Best Actor
Mags Mulvey – Best Theatre Design Irish Times Theatre Awards
Naoise Ó Cairealláin – BAFTA nominated for Kneecap.

Eli has cancer. Whitney has a girl. They share a history, a table, and a conversation.

Can you find redemption and reconciliation in the shadow of a shared history? Does past pain always define us? Eli has cancer. Whitney has a girl. As the two men talk, they share their feelings, their history, and their lives. David Ireland’s harrowing two-hander brings to light the beauty and truth in difficult conversations.

Baby Tribe Live: A Show About Modern Parenting

Afif El-Khuffash and Anne Doherty, hosts of the hit parenting podcast Baby Tribe, take to the stage for a lively, honest, and funny show about raising kids in today’s world. With guest Stefanie Preissner, bestselling author and outspoken advocate for autism awareness, and cyberpsychologist Nicola Fox-Hamilton, they’ll explore screen time, social media pressure, and parenting as a neurodivergent adult. Expect relatable stories, practical tips, and a room full of people who get it.

‘The most renowned sketch troupe of them all’ (Independent) embark on their annual tour once again!

The Cambridge Footlights are back with five of Cambridge’s best student comedians putting on a brand-new show featuring their funniest sketches!

Meet dublinitgirl, genderqueer icon.

Recently, she hung up her 365 party girl boots. Ever since she met her county player, she’s turned into a trad wife. But he has a sordid past: meet dartlinediva, stun-hun extraordinaire. See, she wasn’t too happy when he dropped her for a… well, she wouldn’t want her choice of words in print.

So what happens when Dublin’s messiest queens turn on one another? And shouldn’t they know better by now? Never fight over a man….

This show is a queer feminist discourse expressed through the highly sexualised and highly confrontational language of a twenty first century rap battle.

They say history is written by the victors… now watch it being made-up by a bunch of improvisers via the medium of SONG*!

You’ve enjoyed many a perfectly curated musical by your ‘Manuel Miranda’s’, and God knows you’ve relished a good history book or two. But what if history could be interpreted with some sparkle fingers?

This un-educational adventure through time is bound to be one for the ages. Pick a date or little-known historical moment and witness it transform into a fully blown musical on the spot, including live improvised musical accompaniment.

This time instead… let history be written by the Bum Notes.

*and sporadic dancing.

A stand up comedy show that doesn’t just ask What do you do for a living? but Why do you do for a living?

Stephen Colfer has juggled two decades of odd jobs to support his ‘real’ one… comedy. Somewhere between alphabetising CDs, demoing tech that doesn’t work, letting one hundred trainee doctors practice on his ears, and occasionally making art for money, he hopes to answer the question: where does Stephen end, and Jobs begin?

In this visceral, genre-smashing collision of bold storytelling and exhilarating choreography, Terndrup exhumes the bones of Mary Shelley’s horror classic, reanimating them into a fiercely modern meditation on creation, control, and consequence.

Part gothic horror, part personal confession— inside this pulse-pounding performance is an artist in her midto- late 30s grappling with her conflicting desires — and fears — as she contemplates having a child.

As she plunges into the chaos, the beauty, and the terror of Creation, the show begins to mirror the very monster it interrogates: alive with contradictions, totally unpredictable, and profoundly human.

This can’t be all there is.

An bhfuil tú cinnte?

Seoirse has been pretending to be a spirit medium. But when he actually makes contact with the other side, he’s forced to confront what he has done.

A one-man show tackling themes of grief, loss, and the macabre, all from the safety of a salt circle. Vulnerable, funny, and horrifying, this play asks: even if we could speak to the other side, would we be able to say anything at all?

I didn’t like it here at first. I didn’t like anything. Join a real-life mother and daughter on a road trip from Donegal to southern Italy, as they weave their personal stories with those of Italian immigrants in Northern Ireland and present-day migrants, activists, and strangers meet along the way.

Blending performance, video, and live music, this show invites you to explore what it means to live between countries, generations, and identities – a meditation on inheritance, migration, and those who live in between: the aliens.

Michael Fry has reached the age his parents were when they had him, and he’s not coping well.

Fry Me to The Moon marks his first full solo show, combining razor-sharp wit, absurd characters, and original music. As traditional milestones like marriage, kids, and financial stability feel increasingly out of reach, Fry dives into the chaos of growing up, growing older, and figuring it all out.

Christopher has an itch, an itch that just won’t go away… through trapeze, self-deprecating humour, vulnerability, and a conversation with his dad, he’s going to show you all the ways he’s tried to scratch it.

From Christopher’s lifelong experience with chronic eczema to growing up queer in the post-conflict streets of Belfast, this performance takes audiences on an emotional adventure towards radical self-acceptance. Expect full-frontal silliness, sadness, and a deeper love for flakey pastry.

Big Axe. Big Muscles. Big Existential Horror. A Real Man. A Bro’s Bro. A macho & cool man who chops wood. Because chopping wood is what Real Men do. The world is burning, the birds are gone, and the only solution? More chopping. But the cracks start to show. And if the chopping stops… then what?

A violently stupid and stupidly violent deep dive into fragile egos, environmental collapse, and the absurdity of existence. Expect big laughs, real danger, and at least one existential crisis (probably yours).

All rise. The Court of Public Opinion is now in session.

Can you ever wear white to a wedding?
Does replying ‘k’ constitute emotional abuse?
Should fuckboys pay emotional reparations?
And seriously, who gets the dog in the breakup?

You’re invited to a courtroom drama like you’ve never seen before. Satirical, comedic and experimental, this show turns the theatre-going experience into a game of cunning and manipulation.

Select your role as a member of the jury or the public audience in this immersive performance where the collective gets to decide: who is the a**hole?

Tony Cantwell is at war with toxic masculinity. His greatest weapon? Crying loads. A comedy show built around life’s strangest emotional outbursts, from odd tears in Transition Year to a meltdown over Bluey.

Through surreal tangents and personal confessions, Tony explores how unexpected tears reveal our truest selves. It’s weird, heartfelt, and hilarious – a glimpse into the moments when emotions sneak up on us, just as we’re pretending to have it all together. This is Tony at his most ridiculous and most relatable.

Get ready to bow down.

Queens of Comedy brings three nights of fearless, fast-paced stand-up to Dublin Fringe Festival. Hosted each night by resident royals, the unstoppable Aideen McQueen and the ferociously funny Sophia Wren. Each night, a rotating cast of Ireland’s fiercest gas women join the court, serving bold laughs, outrageous tales, and serious sass. From rising stars to comedy icons, this is a celebration of women who rule the mic and own the stage. These queens are ready to reign.

Original art is dead and you’re invited to the funeral.

Have you ever had a great idea? Are you sure you had it first? When did you think of it? What prompted it? Can you claim it?
What does it mean to make work in the present without responding to the past? What does it mean to adapt a text you love? To work with ideas from someone you hate?

Gift Horse Theatre wrestles with this question as they attempt to complete an impossible task: to write something new. Is this idea even theirs? Is it even good? And will the Beckett Estate find out?
This show combines lecture, lies, fact, fiction, music, and dance to wrestle with tradition – and to provoke the Beckett Estate. For theatre virgins and veterans, Gift Horse Theatre presents a brand-new play that we stole from someone else.

Matty’s dead, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.

There’s no need to be sad, he says, sure he didn’t have much going for himself in the first place. He’s no big loss… Matty recounts his last day alive, over and over, telling us contradicting stories about a life that was already falling apart.

An irreverent story about love and grief, and a young man making sense of his life on the day that he dies. Performed by Darren Yorke, He Dies in the End is a time-bending, funny and heartfelt piece of new writing, and a riff on time and potential.

Ever felt like you were born to be exceptional… and now you’re just tired? Ever chased perfection so hard you forgot what you actually want? Then, this is the (self-sabotaging) selfhelp seminar you’ve been waiting for. Join Louisa Ní Éideáin for a camp, comedic, musical ode to the mediocre perfectionists who were promised it all and are left as the victims of human shrinkflation.

Expect to laugh, sing, do a few kegels and to ask – who are we trying to be perfect for?

Performed in English & Gaeilge

Third time around. Two Idiots. One rave.

A theatrical, humoristic, physical and personal dive into the constraints, liberties and complexities of nightlife and DJ culture – and all the shite that comes with it. A visceral journey through the liminal realms of the dancefloor, exploring fleeting moments and memories from both in front and behind the decks that last a lifetime in the body.

Join this duo as they chase chaos, euphoria, the especially-highs and definite-lows.

Ordinary people telling extraordinary stories.

A live podcast recording that invites audiences into a warm, intimate space where empathy leads. Two guests write stories on a shared theme from their lives, then swap and read each other’s aloud.

Hosted by the charming duo Gaff and Becks, it’s a raw, emotional, and often funny experience where vulnerability and connection shine. Through spontaneous questions and honest moments, the show reveals the power of perspective and invites the audience to live through someone else’s story. This unique format fosters deep understanding and connection, as listeners witness the transformative power of stepping into another’s perspective.

Anna was born on the 7th of the 7th, and her Da swore it would guarantee her a life of luck. Now at 35, after seven heartbreaks (four real, three delulu), seven tattoos (meaningless), and seven trips back home, she’s starting to wonder if her biggest break was landing a role on Ireland’s biggest soap at 17.

This is a show about luck, life, and what it means to have a lucky life – where you can’t change the channel, because that’s life (live stand-up). Sorry.

Have you ever wanted to read a drag queen’s diary?
Of course you have, you nosey b*tch.

Join Drag Legend Davina Devine on a glitter-soaked, high-heeled rollercoaster through her life and legacy. With razor-sharp wit, outrageous stories, and a whole lot of heart, Davina takes audiences behind the lashes and into her world, from the club to the main stage.

This is not just a show — it’s two decades of resilience, reinvention, rhinestones and a celebration of queer culture, survival, and the unstoppable spirit of a true Dublin diva.

From Siberia to the Solomon Islands, from the Amazon to Papua New Guinea, Hector will bring the audience on a magical and culture filled, language enthused trip around the planet. Join Hector Ó hEochagáin as he brings his stories and scéalta to the stage.

With the success of his Tommy, Hector & Laurita Podcast and his No.1 Bestselling book The Irish Words You Should Know, there will be no shortage of craic and stories, so passports ready, fasten your seatbelts and it’s time to go galavanting around the globe.

A sweet, silly, interactive musical adventure where young folk are the writers. Shout out your wildest characters, games, dream sweets or whatever your imagination can cook up and watch eight fearless improvisers and a live piano turn them into a toe-tapping tale on the spot.

No two shows are the same and every performance is a freshly-mixed bag of songs, laughter and colourful surprises. For young people of all ages, and fun-loving grownups alike.

You may remember the actor Peter Hanly from such projects as BBC’s smash hit TV show Ballykissangel or Mel Gibson’s multi-Oscar winning Braveheart. And how about all the times he appeared on stage with Rough Magic, the Abbey Theatre, the Gate Theatre and many others? Yes, that’s him.

So… where did he disappear to? And why?

During the dress rehearsal for Molly Sweeney in 2011, Peter suddenly experienced extreme stage fright. Nobody watching would’ve noticed at the time but, within a year, Peter would give up acting.
Until now. In this world premiere from Rough Magic and Kilkenny Arts Festival, Peter ends up on stage once more, searching through past and present to find out what happened. And to ask the broader question of himself, and of you… what are you afraid of?

Funded by the Arts Council | An Chomhairle Ealaíon

Artist Noeline Kavanagh and performer Marty Rea, with designer Julian Crouch, present a work in progress of T.S. Eliot’s epic poem The Waste Land.

Performed as a vocal symphony that weaves a spider’s web over fragmented images, the work moves through centuries and across continents, hovering between veils of reality and ritual and merging dream with nightmare.

The Rachel Baptiste Programme is a script development programme for Black Irish theatre makers and writers. This is an opportunity to catch readings of excerpts of early drafts of scripts in development by Tishé Fatunbi, Robert Furey, Tatiana Santos and Samuel Yakura.

Followed by a panel discussion with the writers, led by Esosa Ighodaro.

KOKORO Written by Tishé Fatunbi

I Can’t Wait For You to Die Written by Robert Furey

Fatherless Written by Tatiana Santos

Citizens of Nowhere Written by Samuel Yakura

Two Plays, One Night

A Marriage Proposal By Anton Chekhov
Love ain’t easy. Proposals? Even harder. In this classic comedy, a nervous man, a friendly neighboring daughter and a land dispute collide in the most awkward engagement attempt you’ve ever seen. Chekhov’s timeless tale of pride, panic, and heart palpitations proves that settling down is anything but simple.

Eating Crows By Lea Maas
Cup of tea. Lights turned low. Ignoring the phone. Gripped by the amazing works of Shakespeare (Julius Caesar in case you were wondering), Laura just wanted a quiet night with her book – not a visitor determined to drag up old memories. She could have at least knocked. So rude.

Comedians Áine and Amy are doing a show of two halves.

One half a new comedy from the “Queen of Offbeat” and award winning comedian Áine Gallagher. She’ll talk about her plans to run for president, give everyone in the country a focal and one day work up the courage to ask the man who works in Dubray Books Blackrock out.

The other half will be rising star Amy La Grue’s premier solo show, She’s Making a Show of Herself.
Amy’s deep-rooted trauma and self-deprecation are a match made in heaven for her stand up material. Her desperate need for validation and people pleasing tendencies means she will spill her deepest, darkest secrets to give you a laugh.

It’s fine is the new way to say things are fucked, right?

Beatrice is expecting and it’s a girl… fuck. She’s hormonal, frustrated, horny, lonely and feeling totally and utterly F-… F-… fine about it all.

It’s F-, written and directed by Ishbel Clarence-Ray, first appeared at Scene + Heard: The Festival of New Work 2025. Now the show will be returning to Smock Alley Theatre. This show a passion-driven collaboration between artists, brought together by a shared vision and a love for telling bold, original stories about women whose health will no longer be overlooked.

“We have this one an’ only chance. An’ in all the kingdom of Ireland aren’t we – us women – aren’t we damned lucky to be getting out of it?”

Set in 1850, Belfast Girls tells the story of five fierce young women who face their dark pasts on a ship bound for Australia, as they leave Belfast in search of a better life. Confined in close quarters in the belly of the ship, they embark on a tumultuous sea journey as they sail away from their homeland. Secrets are revealed, enemies made, and it becomes clear that no matter where they go, there is no escaping the past.

A spooky musical entirely in the dark!

This Halloween, for one night only, Ireland’s first improvised musical group will perform another Irish first by improvising the island’s first musical in the dark! It’s bound to be a (trick or) treat.

Come see (or just hear I suppose) this sell-out sensation and enjoy what happens when you let the story, songs, and characters of Broadway get written in real time by some of Ireland’s silliest improv comics.

Lily Burke will do anything to be a real girl. Even if it kills her.

After a decade living stealth, Lily is murdered by her long-suppressed subconscious, Lilith. Trapped in the purgatorial Dolldrums, she reflects on a life shaped by sex, lies, and self-sacrifice.

The Dolldrums is a modern parable about the truths we deny and the perceptions we embrace. No matter how far we run from ourselves, we can never escape who we truly are.

Hailed by Edward Albee as “the greatest American play ever written”, Our Town is set in the small town of Grover’s Corners over three acts. A poignant, powerful exploration of everyday life, love, and loss, we are delighted to host Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize winning classic this November.

If you’re going to be sad, son, you might as well be sad in the sun.

After the sudden death of his father, Aaron is left completely numb. He runs. Runs from his grief, the mourning neighbours, the auntie in laws and the Deirdres and Sharons of Dublin with their endless talk of mortgages and buying bleedin’ gaffs.

He chases the noise and chaos and anything that might make him feel alive again. But what happens when feeling something means feeling everything?

Following a three month affair between two anonymous men, Boyfriends, charts the ups and downs and roundabouts of a modern situationship. As they swing through four million one hundred and ninety one thousand possibilities of what they might mean to one another, through time, sex, Madonna songs, nightclubs, period dramas and calorie counting, Boyfriends asks us to ponder on that age old question: what the f*ck is romance anyway?

Historical Standup is a one-man show that blends sharp comedy with real archival material to retell Russian history through laughter. The performance combines stand-up timing with the depth of a lecture, challenging the idea that history must be solemn. Instead of glorifying or condemning, the show unlocks national memory by treating even its darkest chapters with wit, irony, and empathy.

The stand-up is held in Russian.

Thit an domhan Gaelach as a chéile le linn saol Aogáin Uí Rathaille, agus bhí sé mar dhuine de phríomhthráchtaire ar an gcasadh cinniúnach seo i stair agus litríocht na hÉireann. Is le linn scoil na mbard a rugadh é agus fuair sé bás i mbochtanas le linn aimsir na bpéindlíthe agus na gcúirteanna filíochta. Is é a ghin an aisling pholaitiúil; ceol an dóchais le linn aois gan dóchas.

Aogán Ó Rathaille (1670-1726) is a titanic figure in the history of Irish poetry. He lived through a time of dramatic political and cultural upheaval that saw the Irish language driven to the margins and the death of the bardic tradition. Ó Rathaille’s poetry drew on vernacular speech and song; and more than any other poet, he developed the aisling – or vision poem – into high art.

In Gile na Gile, composer and singer Lorcán Mac Mathúna has set his poems to stunning new music, which he will sing to accompaniment from musicians Martin Tourish and Éamonn Galldubh.

Síceolaí, file, scríbhneoir agus máthair as Ceantar na nOileán i gConamara í Julie Breathnach-Banwait. Tá breis is deich mbliana caite aici féin, a fear céile agus a mac in larthar na hAstráile.

Ag tagairt don Ghaeilge, deir sí: ‘Tá seilbh ag an teanga orm. Is í an teanga a chruthaigh is a mhúnlaigh mé. Táimid doscartha óna chéile in aon taipéis chasta amháin.’ Is Síc-FhiIe í agus sa chéad leabhar filíochta uaithi, Dánta Póca, cantar na limistéir mhothúchánacha sin atá idir na réimsí fisiceacha agus síceolaíochta. Sa chnuasach phrósfhilíochta dhátheangach nua Iéi, Cnámha Scoilte/Split Bones, téann sí i ngleic leis an gcuimhne agus leis an dúchas.

Writing about Cnámha Scoilte/Split Bones, critic Professor Cassandra Atherton says: ‘Julie Breathnach-Banwait engages with the uncanniness of place and the politics of memory in prose poetry with electrifying rhythms and beguiling cadence’. Her work explores family, landscape and history, taking the reader from the shores of Conamara to the deserts of Australia. Tonight she will read to live music from composer and concertina player Jack Talty, interwoven with sean-nós songs from Síle Denvir, and featuring on-screen visuals created by Donegal artist Kim Sharkey.

Oliver Cole, born in Kells, County Meath, is an acclaimed Irish singer-songwriter known for his evocative lyrics and distinctive sound. He gained prominence as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Turn, which released three Irish Top 10 albums between 2000 and 2005. After Turn disbanded in 2006, Cole embarked on a successful solo career, with his latest album, Wingspan, released on October 3, 2025, described as a stream of consciousness approach to songwriting.

Oliver will be performing songs from his highly acclaimed new album Wingspan as well as some old favourites. He will be joined by some very special guests including his old bandmates from Turn.

A jaw-dropping 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 26 years younger! This is classic storytelling that plays out like a movie. Ready to come onboard?

Bhí Éire go léir faoi scamall bróin agus an sárchraoltóir Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, guth chluichí na nGael ar feadh na dtrí scór bliain a chaith sé le gairm na tráchtaireachta, ar shlí na fírinne. Rinne tráchtaireacht shainiúil Mhíchíl agus an tslí a bhí aige leis an dá theanga a úsáid go nádúrtha file cúirte neamhoifigiúil Chumann Lúthchleas Gael de agus bhíodh guth an Chiarraígh mar fhuaimrian an tsamhraidh ag Gaeil le breis is leathchéad bliain. Is ábhar mórtais d’IMRAM é ceiliúradh cuí a dhéanamh ar shaol agus ar shaothar Mhíchíl; Iéamh filíochta agus próis coimisiúnaithe; sleachta as craoltaí leis; agus ceol coimisiúnaithe.

Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh was without doubt Ireland’s most gifted sports commentator. Across his sixty year career, from his 1949 radio debut to his last All-lreland final on television in 2010, he was a deeply loved companion for generations of GAA fans. Bard na Páirce is a literary celebration of Mícheál’s life and work, featuring specially commissioned poetry and prose from Colm Mac Gearailt, Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh, Dara Ó Cinnéide and Alan Titley; as well as new songs and music from Colm Ó Snodaigh, accompanied by Brian Hogan. The show will also feature archive recordings of Mícheál’s commentaries; and on-screen images, created by Margaret Lonergan. Curated by Majella Ní Chríocháin.

Meascann Phoebe Bridgers ceol tire acústaice le popcheol leictreonach aislingeach agus tá cáil ar a cuid sárliricí a chuimsíonn briseadh croí, caillteanas, creideamh, caidreamh teaghlaigh agus teacht in inmhe. Comhrá a bhíonn ar siúl aici ina cuid amhrán a tharraingíonn an t-éisteoir isteach i dtírdhreacha mothúchánacha atá greannmhar agus fírinneach. Thug Rolling Stone ardmholadh dá scil mar chumadóir.

Fusing pastoral acoustic folk with dreamy electronic pop, Phoebe Bridgers is known for exquisitely crafted lyrics that explore themes of heartbreak, loss, faith, family relationships and coming-of-age. Rolling Stone has acclaimed her ’uncanny knack for pop songcraft and classic American songbook melody.’ Amhráin na Gealaí is a special performance of her songs translated into Irish by poets Caitríona Ní Chléirchín and Dairena Ní Chinnéide, and performed by Belfast indie-pop artist Aoibha, of whom Hot Press has declared ’her gripping vocals could halt anyone in their tracks.’ She will be joined by her five-piece band; and by Jessie Dingle, who wowed audiences with her dynamic performance at IMRAM 2024’s Taylor Swift Project. The lyrics will be projected on-screen with beautiful art selected by visual designer Margaret Lonergan.

A comedy-noir absurd mystery by Charisma Check.

An inspector. An artist. A book full of unanswered questions. Whatever happens, this is going to be a mess. Smokey stylish noir meets surreal and silly sincerity in this murderous tale where logic unravels, performers make big accent choices, and nothing is quite what it seems.
From the sleep deprived minds of Charisma Check comes a genre-bending ride full of laughs, lies, and looking hot holding a cigarette.

Expect tension. Expect chaos. Don’t expect a happy ending.

You are cordially invited to Jarlath & Gemma’s big day! Check the seating plan carefully before you take your seat.

What do you do with the people you have to invite to your wedding when you really don’t want them there? Easy! Put them all at one table at the very back of the room. But what if putting those strangers together turns out to be the worst decision of your life?

Would you risk it all for a losing chance?

MU Drama proudly presents 3 original plays written by our very own students. Each play is joined together by a common theme of chance, fate, and the cruelty of decisions.

Nothing to Declare – written and directed by Katie Lawrence
Welcome to New York – written and directed by Teagan Scott
Passive Observers – written and directed by Wilbur Pearman-Howard

Sonya and her Uncle Vanya grind through their days on a crumbling rural estate, their hopes shrinking with the land around them. When Sonya’s father, the Professor, returns with his restless young wife Elena, the fragile balance of the household splinters. Resentments flare, desires ignite, and long-buried frustrations rise to the surface. With devastating and violent consequences.

Brian Friel’s version of Uncle Vanya is clear, urgent, and heartbreakingly funny. Staged for the first time in Dublin in nearly 20 years, it asks us: is happiness ever worth the risk, and what price must we pay for wanting more?

Following the sell-out success of A Streetcar Named Desire at Smock Alley last Christmas, award-winning director Cathal Cleary returns to Smock Alley for the Christmas season with another unmissable classic, staged with a bold, contemporary vision for today’s audiences.

The beloved story of Scrooge and the night that changes everything is brought to life by a young ensemble cast.

This is our tale of how it all began, you know, the whole Christmas thing. We invite you to join us as we delve into the story that has inspired religions, books and films. It may not be quite the tale you know, or even think you know. As we said, this is our tale and sometimes a good story needs a little… fabrication…maybe even a spaceship? Come and see for yourselves.

This is a panto for adults. Yes, we have the classic tropes of dressing in whacky costumes and playing gender opposites etc. but there is language, humour and gestures which may not be suitable for people younger than 18.

Do all monks go to heaven?

When their abbot dies and a Viking ship appears on the horizon, three cowardly medieval monks face a life – and – death decision that swiftly unravels into chaos, self-reflection, betrayal and adventure.