The programme for the Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival, which takes place in September and October, will include 221 performances of 26 shows from 12 different countries.
Highlights include Chekhov's Three Sistersperformed in Russian, an enormous model of Auschwitz populated by thousands of eight-centimetre high hand-made puppets for the Hotel Modern production of Kampand the return of London's National Theatre with a play about miners learning art appreciation.
To kick start the festival, 47 Indian musicians and singers from three generations will take to the stage of the Gaiety Theatre for The Manganiyar Seduction, a finely choreographed evening of Indian gypsy music.
Plenty of home-grown talent also features in the line up, which promises performances from Stephen Rea, Derbhle Crotty and Sinead Cusack among others.
Thirteen Flemish teenagers will also be taking to the stage en masse during the 18-day festival, which takes place between September 24th and October 11th, for Once And For All We're Gonna Tell You Who We Are So Shut Up And Listen.
Every night during the festival, the face of Dublin’s Liberty Hall will be the backdrop for light animations designed by some of the festival’s leading artists and the general public, who participate through a specially designed online interface.
This year's festival is spreading out from the city centre, with the Dead School, an adaptation of Pat McCabe's novel of the same name, to tour to three suburban theatres, visiting the Draíocht Arts Centre in Blanchardstown, the Pavilion Theatre in Dún Laoghaire, and Tallaght's Civic Theatre over the course of its run.
Festival director Loughlin Deegan said he was proud, at a challenging time for the arts, to be offering such a strong programme, which includes new plays by Sebastian Barry and Michael West, as well as a new adaptation by Conor McPherson of Daphne Du Maurier's short story The Birds.
“It’s very difficult to put together a programme of this scale in the current climate,” admitted Mr Deegan, paying tribute to the Arts Council and festival sponsors for their continued support of the festival. “I think the arts in Ireland have never been given due recognition for the fact that they are a major driver for the economy, not only in terms of cultural tourism but also in making this an attractive destination for foreign companies to set up headquarters in.”
The festival also includes a season of Documentary Theatre entitled Real Lives, Real Voices, which brings to Dublin four of Cairo's Muezzins, who lead the Muslim call to prayer, as well as the return of director Robert Lepage with The Blue Dragon, and the Druid production of Enda Walsh's The New Electric Ballroomto be staged at the Abbey.
For full programme details, see www.dublintheatrefestival.com