The Theatre Machine Turns You On: Volume Three

Project Arts Centre, Dublin Jan 8-19 (no show Jan 14) Beginning at 6pm €6-€12 (combo ticket €25) projectartscentre.ie

If they were slavish to their inspiration ( the 1968 record sampler The Rock Machine Turns You On), then the third installment of THEATREclub’s mini-festival of new performance would be called Fill Your Head with Theatre. That title, near enough, was the third record in a series of introductions to underground music for any latecomers to the counterculture, and it also neatly describes the agenda of this biennial event. It’s a simple invitation to come and discover new talents, new styles and – with this year’s emphasis on “revolution” – an encouragement to expand your mind.

The Theatre Machine Turns You On has now grown to a double-album worth of productions – 24 in all. The shows are divided into four or five performances each night and priced according to section: Demotape (6pm, €6) showcases short works in progress, while New Releases (7pm, €10) is a platform for theatrical debuts, including Sheer Tantrum’s Chekhovian riff Konstantin Has Shot Himself. Later, LPs (8.30pm, €12) hosts fully staged headline shows, among them a new performance from Edwina Casey (pictured) called Safe Filth, which investigates tensions between contemporary feminism and submissive erotica. The night is rounded off with EPs (10pm, €10), a bonus section of experimental work from better-known artists, featuring new performances from Veronica Dyas, Sorcha Kenny, Lynnette Moran and Ger Kelly.

All in all, it’s well worth a spin.

Can't see that? Catch this:Druid Penguin Project Arts Centre, Dublin

PETER CRAWLEY