Brian Friel, 70 this year, will be honoured in numerous programmes and activities. The Gate will produce Aristocrats and Faith Healer through April to June, and will later bring its unstoppable Beckett Festival to London's Barbican in September.
The Abbey's Friel tribute will have Freedom of the City and Dancing at Lughnasa in the main theatre, with Living Quarters and Making History in the Peacock. Earlier, in March, Hugh Leonard's new play Love in the Title will open in the Abbey. This will be the final year of Patrick Mason's already distinguished tenure as artistic director.
The Project Arts Centre will return to its rebuilt home in Essex Street before the year ends, and will also be seeking a replacement for its innovative director Fiach MacConghail, now surveying pastures new. Before that it will house in February, at The Mint, Webster's The White Devil, with the Loose Canon company. In May, the all-conquering Barabbas company will return there with a new play, as yet untitled, by Charlie O'Neill.
Another giant-killer company, Rough Magic, has an unusual world premiere scheduled for April. It is an unfinished and previously unproduced work of Frances Sheridan (mother of Richard Brinsley) called A Trip to Bath, now completed by actress Liz Kuti. The original author did not have much luck getting her plays staged, possibly due to their bawdy female characters. It opens in Limerick's Belltable, then goes on tour.
Waterford's Red Kettle company will offer Lennox Robinson's classic comedy Drama at Inish in April, and follow it later with a new play by actress Hilary Fannin. It is named Mackerel Sky, and had an outing last October in London's Bush Theatre, home to many an Irish initiative.
Galway's Druid company now pursues a policy of new plays and major projects. It will stage the premiere of Marina Carr's Raftery's Hill, and is deep into planning The Synge Project, a huge undertaking including all his plays. It has commissioned plays from several major playwrights.
Phyllis Ryan's enduring Gemini company will revive Heno Magee's Red Biddy in the spring, and has commissioned a new play from the author for production later in the year. Finally, Michael Scott, having lost his tenancy at the RHA Gallery, is taking a lease on the SFX Hall, once home to the Passion Machine, for more adventures.
Bon voyage.