Dublin Theatre Festival returns this year from 30 September to 17 October. After a particularly challenging couple of years for the arts and performance sectors, Dublin is ready to welcome their resurgence. Here are some of the productions you can look forward to at this year’s festival:
Duck Duck Goose
Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire and Draíocht, Blanchardstown
29 Sept – 9 Oct
Caitríona Daly’s Duck Duck Goose tells the story of a young man who becomes wrapped up in a rape allegation while attempting to help his friend. Throughout the play, Chris Quinn (Aidan Moriarty) struggles between loyalty, love and doubt.
Tickets: Pavilion Theatre €25-€28
Draíocht €20-€22
Rearing is Sparing
Axis Art Centre, Ballymun
30 Sept – 2 Oct
TKB’s Rearing and Sparing follows two inner city Dublin mothers. Both women’s lives have been changed forever by the actions of the other’s son.
Tickets: €14- €16
Heart of a Dog
Civic Theatre, Tallaght
30 Sept – 3 Oct
During a gruesome science experiment, a mongrel named Sharik is transformed into a human man. Sharik must learn to navigate life in his new body, exploring areas of life like love, loss and humour from a human perspective.
Tickets: €20-€25
Stronger
Smock Alley Theatre, Temple Bar
30 Sept – 9 Oct
Gúna Nua Theatre Company presents a heart-wrenching play directed by Paul Meade. Based on a true story, the play follows the journey of a teacher after being sexually assaulted by her student. Jan (Mary Murray) –struggling with the legal system and the emotional aftermath of the attack– searches for closure and justice.
Tickets: €20-€25
What Did I Miss?
The Ark, Temple Bar
1 Oct – 10 Oct
Writer and director Shaun Dunne presents What Did I Miss?, a play following a street party thrown by first year student Kyla (Naomi Moonveld-Nkosi). After lockdown comes between Kyla and her primary school graduation, she decides to host her own ceremony for her classmates. All is going well until an unexpected guest shows up. Can Kyla and her mother see eye to eye in a post-lockdown world?
Tickets: €7.50-€10
The First Child
O’Reilly Theatre, Belvedere College
2 Oct – 9 Oct
The final instalment in Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh’s collaborative suburban horror trilogy. Through a variety of performance arts, The First Child tells the story of lost innocence, a baby on a beach and the sea.
Tickets: €25–€40
The Visit
Draíocht, Blanchardstown
13 Oct – 16 Oct
Written by Deirdre Kinihan, The Visit observes Rose (Mary O’Driscoll) as she dusts off her old cowgirl outfit and reflects on her past. She remembers her late husband, her sons, and the stranger who knocked on her door in this humorous, heartwarming performance.
Tickets: €16–€18
Night Dances
The National Stadium, Saint Catherine’s
13 Oct – 16 Oct
A series of dance poems that express the invisible energetic, connective tissue that joins us. Created by Emma Martin with music by Daniel Fox.
Tickets: €20–€30
Bang!
Smock Alley Theatre, Temple Bar
14 Oct – 23 Oct
Written by Michelle Read, Bang! follows couple Marion (Gene Rooney) and Adam (Mark D’Aughton), whose 25th wedding anniversary takes a turn nobody could have predicted. This drama-comedy is described as “moving and compassionate new play about love, family and the struggle to truly be yourself”.
Tickets: €15 – €25
Glue
Axis Art Centre, Ballymun
18 Oct – 19 Oct
Robbie O’Connor’s Glue is a psychological thriller produced by Rough Magic Theatre Company. The play follows Dean after he receives an invitation to visit a childhood friend in hospital.
Tickets: €15–€18