IN DUBLIN SEPTEMBER 17: Lin-Manuel Miranda's stage production Hamilton (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)Dublin Fringe Festival
From Saturday, September 7th until Sunday, September 22nd, various venues, Dublin
If there’s one multi-disciplinary arts festival that positions emerging theatre-based artists amidst more experienced practitioners, then this is it. As the event website states, “We push boundaries and strengthen the conditions in which they work. We champion artistic risk, ambition and excellence across art forms, and extend the possibilities of what art can be and where it happens.” In other words, expect the unexpected from a broad range of independent productions that run the gamut from theatre, comedy, drag, and spoken word to circus, dance, cabaret and works-in-progress. Something for everyone in the audience? Yep. More info: www.fringefest.com
Robert Sheehan
Sunday, September 8th, Gate Theatre, Dublin
It is a rare occurrence that a very well-known Irish actor would write a book on the subject of meditation (and how it brought them back from the dead, figuratively speaking) and then rock up to a theatre and talk about it, with no thespian pretence or enigma. Robert Sheehan, however, is not your usual well-known Irish actor. With one book already under his belt (2021’s Disappearing Act: A Host of Other Characters in 16 Short Stories), Sheehan’s latest is far more personal as he outlines how to welcome the practice of meditation into your life, with coping mechanisms for easing the nervous system, and relaxing a restless mind. Also included in the evening is a Q&A section wherein, no doubt, someone will ask the actor about his roles in the likes of the television series Love/Hate, Misfits, and The Umbrella Academy. More info: www.ticketmaster.ie
Hamilton
From Tuesday, September 17th until Saturday, November 16th, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin
Is Hamilton the most awarded musical in contemporary theatre history? With 11 Tony Awards, seven Olivier Awards, the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album, we reckon it might be. Not that anyone is counting. Rather, we are hopping in anticipation for this musical, which details the life of US Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, who was fundamental in influencing the country’s social fabric. It arrives in Ireland with such a wealth of advance praise that its entire run (which is surely one of the longest in the history of Bord Gáis Energy Theatre) is sold out. More info: www.ticketmaster.ie
Dancing at Lughnasa
Until Sunday, September 21st, Gate Theatre, Dublin
One might have guessed that yet another outing for a classic Irish play might have brought little to the table, so to speak, but critics and audiences have been wowed over by Caroline Byrne’s exceptional revival. Very wisely, Byrne doesn’t do the all-too-obvious thing and ‘reboot’ Brian Friel’s work for a new generation but rather teases out new elements of the play that were either ignored or overlooked in previous numerous productions. ‘Carried off with integrity and invention,’ noted the Irish Times theatre critic, ‘this triumphant revival deserves groaning houses from now until the leaves turn.’ Consider that done. More info: www.gatetheatre.ie
Grania
From Saturday, September 21st until Saturday, October 26th, Abbey Theatre, Dublin
The Abbey comes out of its summer ‘darkness’ with the first-ever production at the national theatre of Lady Gregory’s groundbreaking 1912 play, which reconfigures age-old human dynamics (how the balance of relationships between friends, families, and communities is upended by greed, power and desire) through the story of three legendary Irish figures: Gráinne, Diarmuid, and Fionn). Caitríona McLaughlin directs; Lorcan Cranitch, Ella Lily Hyland, and Niall Wright co-star. More info: www.abbeytheatre.ie
Dublin Theatre Festival
From Thursday, September 26th until Sunday, October 13th, various venues, Dublin
International productions in this year’s Dublin Theatre Festival include Javaad Alipoor’s Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World (Samuel Beckett Theatre, October 10th-12th), and Benji Reid’s Find Your Eyes (O’Reilly Theatre. Belvedere College, October 10th-12th). Irish stagings include Druid’s production (directed by Garry Hynes) of Tom Murphy’s The House (Gaiety Theatre, September 27th-October 6th), the world premiere of Enda Walsh’s Safe House (Peacock, October 8th-12th) and, following the international premiere at July’s Galway International Arts Festival, the Dublin premiere of Mark O’Rowe’s expertly arranged collaborative play Reunion (Gaiety Theatre, October 9th-13th). More info: www.dublintheatrefestival.ie
Krapp’s Last Tape
From Monday, October 21st until Saturday, October 26th, Gaiety Theatre, Dublin
Two words: Samuel Beckett. Two more words: Stephen Rea. Put these words together and you have one playwright and one actor that fit together like any complementary thing you can imagine, but not even Batman and Robin, fish and chips, or Adam and Eve can match how closely connected Beckett and Rea are. The play is Beckett’s one-act solo masterpiece, while Rea’s performance as the titular character celebrating (or perhaps not?) his 69th birthday has been described as ‘hauntingly good’ (The Guardian). As for the work itself, how about this from the Irish Daily Mail: ’55 minutes of perfect theatre’. You know what to do, don’t you. . More info: www.ticketmaster.ie
No Magic Pill
Thursday, November 7th-Saturday, November 9th, Town Hall Theatre, Galway; November 12th/13th, Backstage Theatre, Longford; November 19th/20th, Glór Theatre, Ennis, Co Clare; November 22nd-23rd, Civic Theatre, Tallaght, Dublin
If you’re looking for something funny, poignant, provocative, and cheeky, then you’ve come to the right play and the right place. The winner of the Audience Choice Award at the 2022 edition of the Irish Times Theatre Awards, No Magic Pill is inspired by Martin Naughton, the activist and wheelchair user who passed in 2006. Directed by noted Irish actor Raymond Keane, and written by Christian O’Reilly, this production breaks new ground in Irish theatre with its casting of disabled actors. The shows will be presented with additional accessibility considerations, including increased seating for wheelchair users and their companions. More info: websites of respective theatres.
Manchán Magan: Rewilding the Mind
Monday, November 11th, The Everyman Theatre, Cork
Subtitled ‘Reconnecting to the Spirit of the Land’, this one-man event features one of Ireland’s most connected talkers, writers, and broadcasters. As indicated by the title, Magan explores the progressive associations between Irish people and their relationship with the land, the increase of interest in the Irish language, how our ancestors negotiated the (says Magan) “physical and magical realms”, and the deeper connections felt by nature and landscape. The evening’s talk will also delve into the broader meanings of Ireland’s heritage with Indigenous cultures and Vedic India (the period of transition in India from nomadic pastoralism to settled village communities). Expect an evening that is somewhat more esoteric but no less interesting than usual. Following this particular evening, Magan will bring the show across Ireland throughout November and into December. More info: www.everymancork.com and www.manchan.com
Richard Dawkins
Friday, November 15th, The Helix, Dublin; Sunday, November 17th, Ulster Hall, Belfast
The internationally celebrated evolutionary biologist and best-selling author of milestone books such as The Selfish Gene (1976), Unweaving the Rainbow (1998), and The God Delusion (2006), has earned millions of admirers through his passion for the marvels of science and the crucial meaning of reason. Now aged 83, Richard Dawkins may not be much admired by those who believe in creationism (the religious belief that humanity, life and the universe were created by a deity), but to those who don’t he is viewed as one of the great unapologetic thinkers of our time. Few things can be guaranteed in this world, but one thing is certain: sparks will fly at these events. Special guests for each will be announced closer to the show dates. More info: www.singularartists.ie
