YOU'VE heard superlatives before, the biggest, the best, the most spectacular. Try this for size: "the largest production of a play ever seen in Ireland". The Dublin Theatre Festival will present just this, in the form of Les Danaides, an epic reconstruction of one of the lost plays of Aeschylus, to the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght, on October 16th and 17th.

So you're saying your grasp of the lost works of Aeschylus is dodgy? Still, there's no doubt that the production sounds exciting: it is directed by the wonderful Romanian director, Silviu Purcarete, whose extraordinary adaptation from Jarry, Ubu Rex, caused a storm of excitement in Edinburgh some years ago. Les Danaides was developed under commission from the Avignon, Holland and Vienna Festivals with La Villette in Paris. There is a cast of 110, picked from the 800 who auditioned. The production has already been seen in Bucharest, Craiova (Romania), Vienna, Amsterdam, Avignon, Rome and Paris, and Dublin is its last European date for this year.

The Dublin Theatre Festival is not called after any official, "named" sponsor - is year, after Irish Life ended its five year association with the event last year, but it does have a principal sponsor in Telecom Eireann, which is willing to push the boat out. Due to the support, local community and young groups will be able to avail of a special £5 ticket price for the event.

The programme for the festival will be announced on August 27th and booking begins in September. Contact Kate Bowe on 01-6778439 for further information.