THE LINE-UP for next month’s Galway Arts Festival was announced yesterday in sweltering summer weather.
Highlights of the 32nd festival, now the largest general arts festival in Ireland (July 13th-26th), include the new dance show from the radical British Michael Clark Company, inspired by choreographer Clark's admiration for the music of David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed; and the celebrated Kronos Quartet, whose programme includes the first live performance of Damon Albarn's It Felt Like a Kiss.
Also at the festival, Druid Theatre's newly refurbished theatre at Chapel Lane will be unveiled, with a pairing of two forces in Irish theatre in a new production of Tom Murphy's The Gigli Concert, directed by Garry Hynes. Druid also hosts a celebration of the life and work of JM Synge.
This year’s Macnas Festival Parade is a night-time affair, which should indicate some drama in the dark.
An international highlight is a visit by Edward Hall and his all-male Propeller company with the promise of a "a compelling and riotous re-working" of two Shakespeares, The Merchant of Veniceand A Midsummer Night's Dream. After sell-out performances at the festival in 2007 and 2008, the spectacular Australian company Circa return to Galway with the European premiere of their new show Furioso, a combination of extreme circus skills with dance and a contemporary soundtrack.
The festival’s big top tent will feature a range of music, including world music maestro Femi Kuti, David Gray, Bon Iver and a triple bill of Spiritualized, Primal Scream and David Holmes. Galway’s ensemble in residence, Contempo, will be paired with composer Alexander Balanescu and with singer Julie Feeney.
Visual art in the festival – grouped as the Absolut Art Collection for its new sponsor – features an exhibition of etchings by David Hockney, illustrating the Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm, as well as work from Louise Bourgeois, Pierre et Gilles and Miguel Barcelo.
Literary events include journalist and film-maker Ben Anderson, foreign correspondent Niall Stanage, writer and activist Colm O’Gorman and Canadian novelist Steven Galloway. There will be an array of outdoor performances throughout the festival. See www.galwayartsfestival.com.
