With Dublin Theatre Festival and Dublin Fringe coming up in September – here’s the roundup of the Northern Irish theatre featuring during the festivals!
DUBLIN FRINGE FESTIVAL
ANTHEM FOR DISSATISFACTION
BRASSNECK THEATRE COMPANY & SKELPIELIMMER PRODUCTIONS
Smock Alley Theatre – The Patrick Sutton Studio, Gaeity School of Acting. 8 – 11 & 13 September
Belfast-born ‘Irish Twins’ Sarah and Jamie are about to hit 30. But before they do, they’re reliving their greatest hits: ‘Credit Crunch’, ‘Austerity,’ and ‘Free School Meals’… Benefits Britain never sounded so good!
A euphoric, working-class celebration of the power of live music, teenage angst, sibling rivalry and love in this electric and hilarious coming-of-age anthem for anyone who ever wanted more.
ROSE+BUD
COMMEDIA OF ERRORS
The New Theatre. 12 – 14 September
Finding yourself is never easy, having to find yourself as a closeted t-girl in a nightclub smoking area in Derry? Hellish.
Join Rose and Bud on a journey of realisation, transition and perhaps, reconciliation. Step inside the mind of Rose Coogan and immerse yourself in this play about coming terms with who you were, who you are and who you want to be.
I’VE ALWAYS LIKED THE NAME MARCUS
MATTHEW SHARPE & TINDERBOX THEATRE COMPANY
Smock Alley Theatre – The Patrick Sutton Studio, Gaeity School of Acting. 12 – 14 September
Meet Marcus, your typical Northern Irish lad; with a twist – he’s got a knack for trying on stereotypes like they’re snapbacks. When a surprise encounter turns his world upside down, Marcus finds himself sorting through a puzzle of race, identity, and multiple hilarious versions of himself, leaving him to face the ultimate question: who am I, really?
BIRD ABOUT TOWN
JESSIE DOYLE & AMANDA DOHERTY
The Lir Academy – Studio 2. 18 – 21 September
The seagulls are out to get you, the cupboards are empty, and a mushroom jungle is growing in the kitchen. Alone, hungry, and haunted, one woman’s world has completely unraveled since her breakup with her girlfriend.
Life moves now like a dream while the bills pile up and the phone rings unanswered. Struggling to make sense of her life and her loss, truth and fantasy quickly collide in this 60-minute, one-woman nightmare.
SHAME SHOW
COLM MCCREADY & FERGUS WACHALA-KELLY
Smock Alley Theatre – Boys’ School. 18 – 21 September
‘Honey, you’ve got a big storm coming!’
Have you been mis-sold big gay shame? Have you been blamed for that category five shame storm raging outside? Again? Then you could be owed compen-shame-tion!
For your safety, please follow this pair of prancing poofs to SHAME SHOW – a lip-syncing, talent-searching, Joe McElderry-ing comedy of catastrophic proportions. Quickly.
Before it’s too late. And that’d be a shame right?
DUBLIN THEATRE FESTIVAL
AGREEMENT
BY OWEN MCCAFFERTY
Gate Theatre. 27 Sep – 13 Oct
The Gate Theatre presents a Lyric Theatre production. Agreement is set in April 1998 as the main political parties in Northern Ireland, the British government and the Irish government, all under the watchful eye of Senator George Mitchell, try to hammer out a deal that could pave the way for peace in Northern Ireland.
The production revisits the days leading up to the signing of the historic accord and features the main players involved in the discussions, including Mo Mowlam, Senator Mitchell, John Hume, Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern, Gerry Adams and David Trimble.
Based on real-life events.
TRIFLED
BY CAITLIN MAGNALL-KEARNS
Jen is a bolshy young Northern Irish woman who is housebound with agoraphobia and trying to make the best of a sticky situation. Her days revolve around watching daytime TV and filming niche pornographic content for her profile on OnlyFans, until one day when a heartbroken English university lecturer lands on her doorstep.
TRIFLEDÂ charts their blossoming friendship, in this brutally honest, darkly comedic two-hander about sex work, mental illness and custard.
THE RACHEL BAPTISTE PROGRAMME: FIRST LOOK
Smock Alley Theatre, Boys’ School. 2 – 12 Oct
Matthew Sharpe, I Don’t Identify with My Nose, 2 Oct, 2pm
The Rachel Baptiste Programme is a paid and mentored script development programme for Black Irish theatre makers and writers of colour, named after the 18th century singer who performed to great acclaim at Smock Alley. These are work-in-progress readings from TDNI INVEST 2024 artist Matthew Sharpe, Tanya Bridgeman, Christie Kandiwa and Shannon Welby. An opportunity to catch early draft development scripts from exciting new contemporary voices.