From Belfast to Caracas
Theatre and Dance NI is delighted to celebrate the international success of Bangor playwright Karis Kelly, whose award-winning play Consumed has opened in Caracas, Venezuela as Consumidas.
The production was discovered through TDNI’s Spotlight on Theatre and Dance from NI programme at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, highlighting the impact of artist development, international showcasing and partnership working in creating new opportunities for Northern Irish artists.
Consumed, presented in Spanish as Consumidas, opened on 22 May 2026 after Venezuelan theatre director Deiby Fonseca discovered the production through Theatre and Dance NI’s Spotlight on Theatre and Dance from NI programme at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2025.
The Spotlight programme gives artists from Northern Ireland the chance to present their work directly to industry professionals at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival each year. One of the biggest global events for the performing arts, the fringe is an important marketplace for new talent to be discovered and further nurtured.
Consumed or Consumidas is a pitch-black comedy exploring generational trauma, dysfunctional family dynamics and the legacy of violence in Northern Ireland. It follows four generations of Northern Irish women reunited under one roof for a 90th birthday party that no-one wants to be at.
Produced by the UK touring theatre company Paines Plough (in co-production with Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Sheffield Theatres, Women’s Prize for Playwriting and the Lyric Theatre), Consumed went on to stage acclaimed runs at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast and London’s Park Theatre in Spring 2026.
 Karis Kelly was the winner of the prestigious Women’s Prize for Playwriting in 2022 and is also a former participant of Theatre and Dance NI’s INVEST programme, which supports the next generation of Northern Irish theatre and dance practitioners to build industry connections and access new opportunities.
Karis Kelly shared:
“It feels very emotional to see Consumed opening in Venezuela, and I’m immensely proud of both myself and the Northern Irish production. Seeing Venezuelan audiences laughing at granny Eileen in Spanish is particularly special. It’s incredible to see Northern Irish humour translating across the world.
Opportunities like Spotlight at Edinburgh Festival Fringe are invaluable for new writing and artists’ careers. The Venezuelan production of Consumed has taken my work onto the global stage, and it simply would not have happened without Spotlight. Deiby Fonseca and I connected through the programme, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities and international connections it has created for my work.”
International Connections Through Spotlight
Deiby Fonseca, Director of Consumidas, shared: “When I first encountered Consumed through Spotlight at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, I was struck by how closely it resembled conversations and dynamics within Venezuelan families. The play is a fantastic journey of black humour that speaks to universal experiences of family, trauma and generational relationships, and we felt strongly that it would connect with audiences in Venezuela. Programmes like Spotlight and the British Council’s international arts initiatives are incredibly important because they create opportunities for artists and audiences across the world to connect and build cultural bridges through theatre. Consumidas proves that it is possible to create spaces for international circulation in the performing arts through this kind of partnership.”
Supporting Northern Irish Artists
Niamh Flanagan, Executive Director, Theatre and Dance NI, added: “We are delighted to see Consumed continue its international journey, with Consumidas opening in Caracas this month. This is a significant achievement and a true testament to the power of collaboration and partnership, to Karis’s talent as a playwright, and to her tenacity alongside that of her producers and our partners.”
Consumidas opened at Trasnocho Culturel in Caracas, Venezuela on 22 May 2026 and will run until 7 June 2026.
The production represents the latest international success story for Northern Irish artists supported through TDNI’s artist development and international showcasing programmes.