‘I would now identify as Irish rather than British. It was a very proud day when my Irish passport showed up’
Composer Stephen McNeff was born in Belfast, then grew up in south Wales. His Irishness has become increasingly important to his identity
Bertolt Brecht
Fintan O’Toole on his career: ‘You had to learn to live with the fact that some people despised you’
The Irish Times columnist has made a new documentary about his life for RTÉ. Here he looks back on a career that he began as the Michelangelo of Tipp-Ex
Diana Rigg: the husky voiced, leather-clad star who made England hip
Throughout her long acting career Rigg retained the electric irony that made her such a phenomenon in the 1960s
Ute Lemper joins Irish celebration of Bertolt Brecht
Gig of the week: Line-up includes Camille O’Sullivan, Meow Meow and Gavin Friday
Aosdána functions as way of hiding fact that arts funding is shamefully low
If sector was funded to level of European norm there would be no need for allowances
Dead Dog in a Suitcase review: An abrasive, ragged comic opera
Galway International Arts Festival: However crude the satire, nothing can compete with reality in 2019
Epiphany and Dead Dog in a Suitcase: theatre shows to catch this week
Druid Theatre Company stages Brian Watkins’s new play Epiphany, a serious comedy with Joycean inspiration, Cornwall’s Kneehigh turn The Beggars Opera on its head
US voters’ capacity for being appalled by Trump is waning
A relaxation of civic mores is a deadlier threat to democracy than the president
An ordinary bloke with many talents: Remembering Jer O’Leary
‘Will forever be remembered for his unstinting political activism’ - President Higgins
Theatre highlights of the week
Tough choices: audiences get to elect their own prince in Pan Pan’s brilliant alternative take on ‘Hamlet’ at the Abbey; while Veronica Dyas, Bertolt Brecht and Maxim Gorky share a Mother in Dyas’s new production ‘My Son My Son’
Acclaimed Hungarian director swaps the stage for anti-Orban activism
Orban's allies see Arpad Schilling as a threat to national security
Slack Bay (Ma Loute) review: flesh-eating French class comedy is an acquired taste
Juliette Binoche heads a bizarre cast of characters in this deeply odd lampoon
Ten of the best shows at the Edinburgh festivals
From Alan Cumming singing about Liza Minnelli to a heart-stopping play about depression, this year’s festival has had it all
Finnish election will come down to economic fundamentals
Juha Sipilä’s Centre Party likely to lead coalition with incumbent Stubb a minor player
Culture Shock: Stephen Rea on his belief in the cleansing power of theatre
An edited extract of the award-winning actor’s acceptance speech at the ‘The Irish Times’ Irish Theatre Awards
Review: The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
The singers give it all their worth in this production; spreading it throughout the venue proves attractive and frustrating
Overnight success: a theatre becomes the city of Mahagonny in 12 hours
Witnessing the highly pressurised construction of the immersive city of Mahagonny for six performances of Brecht’s opera is impressive – it is amazing what you can achieve without planning permission
How the drug-like voice of Lotte Lenya led me to Kurt Weill
I discovered many of Weill’s works by following the trail of his tremulous-toned wife
Opera meets Twitter in Sky Arts campaign
The broadcaster has commissioned a ‘parallel narrative’ to market Mahagonny production
Gate Theatre makes its German debut with two Samuel Beckett productions
Audiences at the Ruhrfestspiele festival identify with Michael Gambon and Barry McGovern’s takes on absurdity
Not just a symbol but an architect of reconciliation
I was privileged to spend the 20th century with Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela: Prometheus unbound
His achievement was to make his country fit for ordinary men and women to live in freedom
The rise and rise of Mahagonny: Sky brings Irish opera to the box
Rough Magic and Opera Theatre Company have been awarded €230,000 from Sky Arts to stage a Marxist opera. Are Brecht and Weill camera-ready, and what’s in it for Sky?
Rough Magic and OTC win €230,000 Sky Arts award
Theatre companies to stage a Brecht and Weill play in large-scale immersive production
The Threepenny Opera
Director Wayne Jordan restores the satirical and human bite to an opera of opulence and economy
Brecht effect: bourgeois bashing with catchy tunes
‘The Threepenny Opera’ began in disaster and grew into a triumph – a new Irish production hopes to burnish its agitprop credentials
Staging protests vs staged protests
Do we go to the theatre to confront our problems or to escape them?
One small step for man, one giant leap of a musical kind
How to soundtrack Felix Baumgartner’s extraordinary near-space skydive? Ed Bennett has an explosive idea
In Germany, coalition-building is the norm, even between eternal party rivals
Opinion: ‘Grand coalitions’ have advantages, but don’t always tackle difficult issues
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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