| Curtain rises on theatre festival |
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| Thursday, 28 August 2008 | |
 STANDING in the pouring rain, shoulder deep in a sweaty, muddy crowd and at a distance from the stage that is best measured in acres.And all of this after paying a three-figure sum for the privilege. Thus is the common notion associated with the word ‘festival’. In fact, the idea of some simple luxuries such as a comfy seat, a good view, and a dry head seems like asking for too much. But there are still places where decorum is in ample supply. This year’s Dublin Theatre Festival, which runs from September 25 to October 12, features 27 shows in over a dozen venues across the city, from Ballymun to Dun Laoghaire. Productions from 12 different countries including South Africa, USA, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Colombia and Argentina, are all set to converge on Dublin for Europe’s oldest specialised theatre festival. Organisers have pulled out all the stops to try and meet the bar raised by the success of last year, which marked the festival’s 50th anniversary. Announcing this year’s programme, the festival’s artistic director, Loughlin Deegan, said he welcomed the challenge. “Building on the momentum generated by last year’s anniversary, we are delighted to announce an equally ambitious programme in 2008,” he stated. “Box office receipts for Festival 2007 reached over e1 million for the first time ever. “But with the ongoing support of our sponsors, and an enthusiastic and demanding audience, the Dublin Theatre Festival can claim to be one the world’s greatest celebrations of the performing arts.” The highlights of this year’s festival include a number of world premieres, as well as performances of major internationally acclaimed productions. Events ‘Black Watch’, a highly physical performance from the National Theatre of Scotland based on interviews with former soldiers in Iraq, has become one of the world’s most sought after theatrical events. Meanwhile, Vanessa Redgrave takes centre stage in ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’. Adapted for the stage by Joan Didion from her best-selling memoir, the play has recently enjoyed hugely successful runs on both Broadway and the West End. Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’ is relocated to contemporary South Africa in a multi award winning spectacular and joyous production complete with marimbas, drums, and township percussion, while the Icelandic Vesturport Theatre Production presents a theatrically explosive new version of Kafka’s terrifying, but bizarrely comic, surreal short-story ‘Metamorphosis’. Naturally, a host of top Irish productions has also been lined up for this year. Hotly anticipated are the world premieres of both a new version of Brian Friel’s ‘Hedda Gabler’, and ‘Dodgems’, a co-production between the Dublin Theatre Festival and CoisCéim. After captivating audiences during its brief run at the 2007 Dublin Fringe Festival, Joseph Conrad’s classic, ‘Heart of Darkness’, returns with the novella performed in its entirety. Theatre has often strived to push its stage-bound limits, and so ‘You Are Here’ is perhaps one of the more peculiar yet innovative productions of the festival. Performed in a city centre apartment, an audience of potential investors bears witness to the intertwined lives of four Dubliners. But yet another twist to ‘You Are Here’ is that it is two overlapping plays in one, as the daytime and nighttime performances offer different views of the characters. Given the focus on the Irish theatre industry from around the world, the Dublin Theatre Festival is to unveil ‘ReViewed’, a major programme initiative designed to showcase successful Irish work to international promoters. Cormac McCarthy, chief executive of Ulster Bank which sponsors the festival, commented on the Irish talent that will take part. “This is set to be another great celebration of theatre and performing arts,” he said. “We’re proud to support a range of key arts programmes throughout Ireland.” |
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Developed by Kevin Flynn