The Dublin Theatre Festival kicked off this week with Giselle at the Samuel Beckett Theatre. Catherine Dolan, with her niece, Kate Dolan (13), brought flowers for the only woman in the cast of 10, Daphne Strothman, along with good wishes for her brother, the writer and director of the choreographic work, Michael Keegan Dolan.
Fergus Linehan, director of the Dublin Theatre Festival, was officiating. Earlier in the day, he had received an invitation to take part in the Australian Cultural Awards Scheme and travel next February with 12 other cultural leaders from around the world on a month-long visit to meet the artistic directors of festivals held in Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth.
Actor Olwen Fouéré and director Selina Cartmell took time out from rehearsing their own show, La Musica, which will open next week as part of the ESB Dublin Fringe Festival at the SS Michael & John in Essex Street, to catch the opening night of Giselle by the Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre.
Tony Reilly, of the British Council, chatted to Gregory Nash, the Giselle project manager. The British Council is supporting the Hamlet production, under the direction of Calixto Bieito, opening next week at the Olympia Theatre.
Sheila Pratsche, director of the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Annaghmakerrig, Co Monaghan, said the centre's new money raising initiative, The Big House at Your House programme, aims to improve on the €22,000 raised last year.
Later in the week, Duck, by Stella Feehily, opened at the Peacock to a full house. Feehily, who will appear as a new character in RTÉ's Fair City, said "it's about two girls trying to escape their small-town families and their families trying to escape them".
The opening night crowd included Sebastian Barry and Jimmy Murphy, whose next play, The Castlecomer Jukebox, will be produced by Red Kettle.