40 young international artists. 4 established theatre makers. 4 new plays.

Four European theatres who work with young people have come together to create work for this unique festival in Dublin. Hosted by Crooked House, Ragaire presents 4 different shows that give a flavour of the range and diversity in contemporary youth theatre in Europe. 

All shows are in English.

Running time for each show is 60 mins.

There will be a post-show discussion after each show.

NebeL (Fog) devised by Biondekbuehne, Austria

29 Oct | 3pm | Main Space

BiondekBühne is Austria’s oldest and largest youth theatre. Based in Baden they work with over 200 young people and make theatre for, with and by the members. Their show, Nebel (Fog), has been devised by one of their older groups. It explores the idea of lethargy, of drifting like fog through the same daily systems and recurring time loops, unaware that they exist, and unable to see beyond the immediate.

Directed by Leonora Beuerböck

Featuring Ekaterina Bylkova, Lena Gattinger, Brent Larsen, Fabienne Mühlbacher, Franziska Sauer, Bernhard Schwingsandl.

Queen’s County, devised by Kildare Youth Theatre at Crooked House, Ireland

29 Oct | 7pm | Main Space

Queen’s County is the work on offer from Crooked House’s young Irish ensemble in Kildare Youth Theatre. They received support from the Arts Council’s Young Ensembles Scheme to collaborate with theatre-maker Peter Hussey to devise this work. The performance unfolds in three thematic fields. One theme is driven by the narrative, and features a young man trying to manage depression. We meet him on a train journey through Laois, en route back to Heuston from Electric Picnic. The second reality is woven into the narrative and is expressed through movement and image. It concerns the plantation of Laois and Offaly and is part of an exploration of colonisation. The third thematic thread is visual, aural and shared in the music and certain recurring motifs. It seeks to explore the last 6o seconds of synaptic activity in the human brain, imagining what might occur right before death. All strands come together in the narrative and in the main character.

Directed by Peter Hussey

Featuring Seán Dowse, Ali Eaton, Charlie Farrell-Hughes, Peter Mc Hale,Doug Morrison, Kim Morrison, Cian Ó Náraigh, Narod Shahinian, and Colin Smyth

Encasillados (Name that Chair) devised by Liberakto in association with ON&OFF, Spain.

30 Oct | 2pm | Main Space

The young Spanish ensemble Teatro On&Off are supported by Teatro Dinamico and Liberakto in Logroño in northern Spain. They have worked with theatre-maker Miguel Carrera Juaneda to create a piece of physical theatre exploring mental health issues. Encasillados is a word game that refers to the stereotyping some people suffer. The word “silla”, which means chair, is one of the recurring motifs of the play. In the piece, several characters share with the public, through different theatre styles, what is going on inside their minds.

Directed by iguel Carrera Juaneda and Diana Astola Nicula
Featuring Diana Astola Nicula, Miguel Nahome Raimi Lorenzo, Elia Delgado López de Sosoaga, Joel Llorca Tobes, Luna Latorre Alvarez, Maya Salaverria Aranda and Fernando Armañanzas Soriano.

Εδώ & Εκεί (Here & There) devised by Kinitiras, Greece.

30 Oct | 7pm | Main Space

Kinitiras Studio is one of Greece’s leading dance centres, supporting a professional company, a residency space, community dance workshops, and a young physical theatre ensemble. Led by choreographer Lia Chamilothori, their show Εδώ & Εκεί (Here & There) reacts to police brutality in Athens, and explores though dance themes of obedience and resistance.

Directed by Lia Chamilothori with assistance from Antigone Gyra

Featuring : Eleni Agora, Persephone Apostolakou, Elena Roza Ganoti Parakente, Malkom Georgoulis, Marialena Kokkoti, Panagiotis Liaropoulos, Makis Nanos, Zoi Ragkou, Yiannis Tomazos

Crooked House is a multi-award-winning theatre organisation established in Newbridge in 1993. They have focused on the development and presentation of ambitious work for, with and by young people. Over the years Crooked House have built a strong network of European partners with whom they collaborate regularly to make multi-national and pioneering touring theatre in festivals in Palestine, Greece, Norway, France, Italy, Spain and the UK. Crooked House runs one of Ireland’s largest youth theatres (Kildare Youth Theatre). They are funded by the European Union, the Irish Arts Council, and Kildare County Council. Visit www.crookedhouse.ie for more.

Ragaireacht is an Irish word for late-night wandering, or for sitting up talking long into the early hours. And a ragaire is someone who enjoys precisely that. This project is developed by Crooked House Theatre in Newbridge along with financial support from the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.