The 2024 festival will see world premieres of new Irish work and acclaimed international productions, showcasing artists exploring the issues that define our times, in settings from the domestic to the global, in vital and engaging performances, in venues and locations across the capital and throughout the Greater Dublin Area. This year’s programme also strives to be ever more accessible with initiatives such as Aviva’s 10 for 10 (which will see 10 per cent of tickets for select festival productions be available for €10 to under 30s, unwaged, freelance artists and arts workers).
Irish Productions
A major new ensemble play produced by Landmark and Galway International Arts Festival, Reunion, starring a roll-call of Ireland’s finest actors comes to Dublin having received 5-star reviews earlier this summer at GIAF. Written and directed by Mark O’Rowe who turns his laser focus on the deep currents of family life with a masterfully orchestrated story which resonates with biting humour, profound insights and extraordinary authenticity (8-13 Oct, Gaiety Theatre).
Gare St Lazare Ireland take Beckett’s character Belacqua on a journey to the source in Dante, discovering how Melville’s character, Bartleby travels a similar road. Tracing a path across time, this devised work combines a newly commissioned score and visual artworks with an ensemble of theatre makers. Shades Through a Shade is at the Samuel Beckett Theatre from 23-28 Sept.
Pan Pan reimagine William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale – with a retelling from the perspective of the Bear in Exit, Pursued by a Bear (3-13 Oct, Royal Irish Academy of Music).
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. The personal becomes political in Sandpaper On Sunburn, written and directed by David Horan, a funny and fascinating exploration of identity and family (Smock Alley Theatre, 26 Sep – 5 Oct).
A world premiere – an epic adaptation of Nobel Prize laureate J.M. Coetzee’s novels, The Jesus Trilogy is a moving saga exploring the legacy of memory, the nature of passion, and dance (Hatch Theatre Company) reuniting Annabelle Comyn and Eoghan Quinn (colic, DTF 2022) together with a team of leading creatives (Project Arts Centre, 9-19 Oct).
International programmes
International highlights include three remarkable pieces from England. Pioneer of hip hop theatre turned award-winning photographer, Benji Reid mixes Afro-futurist imagery with hard-hitting tales from his life and adventures in a unique show – Find Your Eyes (10–12 Oct, O’Reilly). “A powerful show, filled with devastating honesty and wonder. ***** The Guardian
Leading experimental theatre company Forced Entertainment’s Signal to Noise, a delirious late – night churn of fragments, enlists AI voices to perform the text as six performers lip-sync all the voices (4-5 Oct, Samuel Beckett). Javaad Alipoor’s Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World is an intriguing political mystery that expands into an exploration of storytelling and truth in the Internet age. Part freewheeling comic lecture, part podcast and part play, it is a thrilling ride down the rabbit hole of Wikipedia and murder mystery podcasts about a case you’ve never heard of (10-12 Oct, Samuel Beckett).
Presented ahead of a highly anticipated off-Broadway run, A Knock on the Roof is by Khawla Ibraheem who is herself based in the occupied Golan Heights. Mariam prepares for war, practising how far she can run in five minutes, and what she can carry to safety (Piece by Piece productions (USA). Smock Alley Theatre).
Family Season
An expanded Family Season includes the Theatre for Children programme curated by The Ark, featuring joyful productions including An Ant Called Amy (26-29 Sept, for ages 5-8), BullyBully (4-6 Oct, ages 3+), Grace (27-29 Sept, Pavilion Theatre, for ages 8+) and Dream Factory (24 Sept-5 Oct, The Civic, for ages 8+) a new musical featuring circus, acrobatics and dance from Lords of Strut.
We’re also looking forward to seeing behind the stage of the Abbey Theatre, peeking into the set and costume designs of Lady Gregory’s Grania in Backstage tours at the Abbey Theatre, seeing the city from a different perspective at Dublin’s Older Theatre History tour and the return of popular festival initiatives such as The Next Stage and International Theatre eXchange. In addition, Festival+ includes a series of talks, critical events and works-in-progress.
Dublin Theatre Festival runs from 26 September to 13 October. Download the DTF 2023 programme HERE.
Book online dublintheatrefestival.ie
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In Person: Festival House, 12 Essex Street East, Dublin 2 D02 EH42
Dublin Theatre Festival is funded by the Arts Council, Dublin City Council, with Fáilte Ireland and Fonds Podium Kunsten. Dublin Theatre Festival is supported by RTÉ Supporting The Arts, The Irish Times, Aviva, Olytico, Irish Distillers and Oriana B.
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Feature Image: Find Your Eyes by Oluwatosin Daniju