Manchán Magan, Fabulous Beast Board Member Talks About Rian

“Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre’s new show Rian will change everything.  It is likely to become a sensation, in my opinion – finally, a show from Ireland that can fully, proudly and potently represent us on the world stage. It may be as era-defining as the original ‘Ó Riada sa Gaiety’ show over 40 years ago. Describing it without succumbing to hyperbole is difficult.

As a show it’s closer to ritual or sacrament than standard theatre. It outstrips any previous Fabulous Beast show in terms of integrity, performance, subtlety and choreographic beauty. It has a visceral, almost spiritual, impact on audiences, without being in any way manipulative or sensational.

Watching it is a cathartic experience – it seems to somehow bypass the rational mind, hitting home somewhere far deeper. Rian is by far the fullest manifestation of what Michael Keegan-Dolan and Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre has been trying to achieve.

There are only 4 performances of Rian in the Gaiety starting this Thursday. It is going to be an exciting week! Something very special is being born.

Manchán Magan, author, Fabulous Beast Board Member.

Venue: Gaiety Theatre
Dates: Oct 6 - 8
Price Range: €15 - €35

It’s Competition Time!

It’s the week the Festival all kicks off and there is great excitement not to mention loads of drama on offer! We have lots in store for everyone but first comes first, it’s COMPETITION TIME!

We have a fabulous competition currently running on facebook  where  the makings of a great night at the theatre is up for grabs - tickets to see the spellbinding Donka, A letter to Chekhov at the Gaiety Theatre and dinner for two at Café Novo Bar and Brasserie in The Westbury Hotel!

To enter is simple, follow the link below to our facebook page and answer a simply question. Closing date is this tomorrow - Tuesday September 27th so no dilly-dallying, enter and be in with a chance of winning. Remember it could be you!!!!!

To enter the competition click here.

Family Season Shows

The wonder of theatre doesn’t have to be for just the adults in this world, it can be for the little ones too and Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival has just what you need. The 2011 Family Season offer shows that are a nice gentle introduction to theatre and will entertain all your little mites this Autumn. Take a look at these three shows on offer that will make enjoyable Family days out for both adults and children.

A SONATINA

A Sonatina from Denmark tells the tale of Little Red Riding Hood sparing none of the grisly bits with a very ferocious wolf. However, it’s not the classic version of the story as we all know it; a LIVE chicken and a newly laid egg play the main part in this gripping version where the beast that eats the granny and granddaughter is a potato ricer!

Gruppe 38 Theatre Company are well-travelled with their shows including Norway, Croatia, Estonia, the USA, Canada, and Japan and was last seen at the Festival with Hans Christian, You Must be an Angel and the mezmerising version of Hansel and Gretel (2009 Festival). A Sonatina which was nominated for the theatre award in the category Best Performance for Children in 2001 will be a very fine example of excellent theatre with a fresh approach to storytelling not to mention exceedingly funny. This performance is suitable for 6years and upwards. 

The star of the performance, the real –live chicken will be taking up 5 star lodging at the Ark with servants waiting both claw and beak on Dublin’s new celeb. We hope  she enjoys  her stay in Temple Bar and enjoys her new found fame.

BERNINNA

Berninna by Belgian theatre company Studio ORKA tells a story about finding the courage to start all over again and letting go the past. Berninna, the main character was a world famous pianist who made hearts beat faster and ice caps melt everywhere she played but now her fame is gone and she spends her days in a musty old house filled with mothballs and dusty trophies. 

Studio ORKA thrilled audiences at last year’s Festival with Lava and are back with the same cast for this Festival. Berninna will be an exceptionally funny performance mainly to do with the male actors, who play an eccentric cook and butler. This animated family performance, suitable from 8 years and upwards, is set in a big old house and succeeds in introducing children to some classical music. This will be a fun site specific performance!

KALEJDOSKOP

Danish theatre company Carte Blanche presents Kalejdoskop, a must see production that is taking place in the Banquet Hall at Smock Alley Theatre this October. Kalejdoskop is an interactive performance that is set in a sensorial labyrinth, a chamber of curiosities with art, nature, science that stimulates all the senses. Kalejdoskop will have you travelling inside a kaleidoscope where everything transforms into patterns, embarking on an expedition where you will be walking through crooked doors and crawling through narrow tunnels, to a never-ending universe.

If your family is fan of the Alice in Wonderland story this is definitely the adventure for you and is suitable from 8+ years. Carte Blanche have previously charmed Dublin with the 2008 The Attic Under the Sky and have returned to charm again with a performance like no other and an experience you will never forget!

The Family Season will run from Sept 29 – Oct 8 and for more information check out  www.dublintheatrefestival.com

Behind The Scenes at the Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival Part 2

Still not sure what you want to see and time is against you? Not to worry, here are some more suggestions from the  UBDTF staff and their reasons are to be taking very seriously!! A little reminder also, Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival kicks off with a jump and a leap this day two weeks so get onto buying your tickets before it's too late!

 

Sarah Durcan, General Manager– Rian

The show I’m most excited about this Festival has to be Rian as I’m a big fan of Fabulous Beast’s work. For me, Fabulous Beast create such extraordinary moments on stage and it’s always an unforgettable experience.

Fabulous Beast has a long association with the Festival starting with the magnificent Giselle (2003) which blew everyone away and is still talked about to this day. 

I’m particularly looking forward to seeing how Michael Keegan-Dolan fuses new movement with the traditionally inspired music of Liam Ó Maonlaí, I think it will be quite an event to behold. 

I was lucky to see Fabulous Beast's Rite of Spring in the London Coliseum, approximately a 30 minute piece playing to a packed house of over 2,000 people where each moment seemed to expand in the most powerful way, and the audience was left enthralled and buzzing at the end, and this what I am expecting for Rian. 

Aoife Van Wolvelaere, Development Assistant – The Blue Boy

The show that I won’t be missing this Festival has to be The Blue Boy. I happened to catch an open rehearsal piece before Brokentalkers headed off to Noorderzoon Festival in Groningen in August and I was utterly moved by it. I think Brokentalkers are extremely talented in how they combine dance with a multimedia piece in a way that still feels incredibly well connected. The short snip of the performance I saw gave me goosebumps.

The Blue Boy is a visual a concept and will be breath-taking despite the subject matter. You will be moved beyond words.

Soracha Pelan Ó’Treasaigh, Finance Assistant – Laundry & Trade

I’m really looking forward to Laundry and Trade in this year’s Festival. They are representative of the trend of site specific work emerging in Irish theatre and are part of the Behind Closed Doors season. I am familiar with Mark O’Halloran’s excellent films Adam and Paul and Garage, and have not seen his previous theatre work so I’m interested to see how his unique voice will transfer to theatre. Trade is a thisispopbaby production, and they are one of the most exciting theatre companies working in Ireland today, and I expect that they will not disappoint. The location is particularly interesting as it takes place outside the theatre space in a room in a bed and breakfast.

Similarly, in Laundry, the play takes place in the Magdalene Convent. This is the second part of ANU Productions’ work about an area in North inner-city Dublin, following on from World End’s Lane.  In the wake of public revelations of the institutions and stories about the women who lived there, it is interesting to see how art can respond to this history, and how they choose to represent this history to audiences. These are two of my favorites in this year’s Festival as they promise to offer a unique and exciting experience, and hopefully a real insight into the hidden stories of Dublin.

Aoife Glenn, Marketing and Development Intern – Revolution Now!

I’m most looking forward to seeing Revolution Now!, with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. The company behind it, Gob Squad, are real theatre revolutionaries so there’s a feeling that anything could happen during the production. The fact that they combine audience participation with television, music and even slices of cake means I’m sure this is going to be nothing like any theatre I’ve been to before. The events going on in the world around us at the moment give real resonance to Gob Squad’s ideas about peaceful protest and the use of the media so hopefully there will be much food for thought. I’m going to be brave and immerse myself fully in the experience and if I get too carried away and become a full blown revolutionary UBDTF may be without an intern….

Aisling Mulhall,  Marketing Assistant – She She Pop & Their Fathers: TESTAMENT

I will be making time during the Festival madness to see She She Pop & Their Fathers: TESTAMENT which is part of the Radical Mind programme. I think this German production will be truly unique as it’s based on Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy, King Lear and the cast are accompanied by their real fathers on stage. The show will be to emphasising the issues of ageing and parenthood that affect us all but are seldom spoken. I think it will be witty, soul-baring and therapeutic and mid-way through the Festival madness that is exactly what I need!

Ruth Gordon, Show Programmes Editor – Donka, a letter to Chekhov

I’m most excited about seeing Donka, a letter to Chekhov. It is the perfect escapist piece. Ethereal and dream-like, filled with music, dancing, acrobatics, it’s a front-row seat inside the head of director Daniele Finzi Pasca as he portrays the effect Chekhov has had on his imagination.

Pasca has previously directed work for Cirque du Soleil which speaks volumes for what sort of a spectacle to expect and you don’t need to have seen any Chekhov’s plays to enjoy this piece for what it is. 

The cast are exceptional - singing, dancing, clowning musician-acrobats! I’m expecting to be dazzled.

Marie Breen, Production Manager – Testament

I’m really looking forward to Testament. I think the collaboration of three extraordinary people - writing by Colm Tóibin, direction by Garry Hynes and performance by Marie Mullen will have an amazing outcome.

I’m very excited about Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival hosting the world premiere and the first Festival commission in 11 years of this one women play. The subject matter will be intriguing, witnessing Marie Mullen play the most famous mother of all time – Mary the mother of Jesus Christ, one of the greatest characters whose story has never been told on stage.  I will definitely be putting all my money on this show.

Shauna Lyons, Marketing Manager – Peer Gynt

I’m most looking forward to Rough Magic's brilliant new version of Peer Gynt. I’m a big fan of Arthur Riordan and having followed the rehearsal tweets and updates from the cast, I’m getting more and more excited about it. Asides from an amazing cast, it has the wonderful Tarab playing live and will have spectacular design by the multi-talented John Comiskey and Alan Farquharson. A production packed with lots of laughs, this could be the most fun production in this year’s Festival.  A perfect antidote for a cold Autumn’s evening.

Behind The Scenes at the Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival

Still haven’t booked your tickets for the 2011 Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival and need help deciding on what show you should go see, fear not the UBDTF staff are here to the rescue!

Here is an opportunity to get the inside load-down about the Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival programme and to see the people who work extremely hard behind the scenes to make this Festival happen. Take a look at what the UBDTF Box Office and Admin staff recommend and why they are so excited about their choices.

Theresa Garrihy, Box Office Assistant – I ♥ Alice ♥ I 
I’m very excited about I ♥ Alice ♥ I by Amy Conroy, a fantastic writer and director who has won two Absolut Fringe awards in 2010 including the Fishamble New Writing Award. The diversity of the show has completely drawn me in given the era that the two ladies who this love story is based on are from. I think I ♥ Alice ♥ I will be a fresh and human love story that defies all stereotype and will appeal to a broader spectrum of audience. This will be exactly what I need after a hard days work at the Box Office!

Aoife Madden, Box Office Supervisor – La Voix Humaine

I have to see La Voix Humaine by Toneelgroup this Festival, a play that was originally written in 1930, particularly as Loughlin, the Festival Artistic Director has been trying to programme them for the past 5 years so it must be worth the wait!  I have always been interested in Jean Cocateau’s work and the various mediums that he uses as modes of expression especially his use of the telephone in this work as a single prop to investigate human communication.

I’ve heard such great things about this play in how it relies on a delicate balance between silence and the voice of Halina Reijn. I think La Voix Humaine will be affecting and exciting and one of the best performances of the Festival. 

Lisa Towell, Office Assistant – 16 Possible Glimpses

16 Possible Glimpses is the show that I will be definitely catching this Festival in between all the madness. I’m a huge fan of Marina Carr and I think she is one of the best female playwrights in Ireland.  I’m very excited about the fact that this production is based on the life of Anton Chekhov, an individual who fascinates me. In my opinion Marina Carr’s work is magnificently dark, introspective and absorbing. I think this particular production that reimagines life and death of the elusive Chekhov through glimpses into his world will be no exception. It also helps that this performance is running for the entire Festival which makes it that bit easier for me to get to it! 

Danielle Lynch, Box Office Friends Specialist – The Wild Bride

I’m really looking forward to seeing Kneehigh’s The Wild Bride this Festival.It is going to transform the Gaiety like nothing we have seen before. The storyline sounds like really good fun and the fact that it’s a dark fairytale makes me want to see it even more!

If online images and reviews on our website and Facebook are anything to go by, it is going to be a very magical performance. This is the show I’m recommending to all the Festival Friends!

Adam Eager, Box Office Supervisor – The Lulu House

I first saw Camille O’Sullivan perform at the spiegeltent as part of the Fringe Festival and I thought she was excellent. The Lulu House is definitely at the top of my list for this years Festival. I’m looking forward to seeing Camille alongside Lorcan Cranitch in the extraordinary venue where The Lulu House is set – The James Joyce House (The Dead), one of the most important literary and Historic buildings in Dublin. This is the house where James Joyce set his famous story, “The Dead” so it will be interesting to witness this house first hand.

The fact that there is a multimedia aspect to the production also intrigues me, with the use of film, music, performance, installation, I am looking forward to seeing  how this is going to be presented within this unique, historic building.

Geraldine Fitzsimons, Administration Intern – Slattery’s Sago Saga

Slattery’s Sago Saga, set in the Rathfarnham Castle sounds like the best fun ever! Adapted for the stage by Arthur Riordan from the unfinished novel by Flann O’Brien, the plot involves a Scotswoman’s evil attempt to eradicate the potato from the Irish soil and replacing it with Sago: a glutinous creamed substance sourced from the Sago tree. Add in a politically correct leprechaun and a tycoon TD to the mix and I think it’s going to be an absolutely hilarious set up for her downfall. Set in the supposedly “haunted" Rathfarnham Castle adds a little bit of extra excitement to this site specific show and it’s a wonderful opportunity to see the castle from the inside. The inner kid is definitely coming out in me and I really cannot wait to see this show!

Ciara Harrison, Box Office Assistant – The Speckled People

Having read Hugo Hamilton’s memoir The Speckled People, I was delighted to hear that a stage adaption would feature in the Festival programme. I am excited to see how Hamilton’s parents will be portrayed on stage and the approach Hamilton will take to show the audience the core of the story which deals with the connection between language and the home. The book is a captivating read and with Hamilton’s own adaption combined with the skills of Director Patrick Mason, the play will be an engaging and enthralling performance.

Caoimhe Mac Andrew, Sponsors, Funders Specialist – Gardenia

If I had to choose one show from the 2011 programme that I’m most excited to see it would have to be Gardenia. This will be my first time to see any work by les ballets C de la B but I’ve heard amazing things about them not to mention their famous director - Alain Platel. 

I’m really interested in the fact that it will be documentary theatre where the performers are portraying their drag queen stage personas and their real live stories. I’ve heard it’s supposed to be a really moving and uplifting performance, and it looks like a lot of fun too!

For more information check out www.dublintheatrefestival.com

A Drastic Warning from Gob Squad!

LISTEN UP EVERYONE, Gob Squad have been in touch with a warning and it sounds serious!

A feeling for revolutionary action is spreading. Gob Squad's Revolution Now! is coming to the Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival and is an ideal opportunity to activate and prepare your own, and our collective, revolutionary spirit. 

We must work out what we want, and how we're going to get it. We will storm the theatre, gaining access to props (weapons) and pyrotechnics. Inside we will re-enact revolutionary moments in an attempt to make history. Armed with video cameras and very long cables we will move out into the streets of Dublin in search of one symbolic act of insurrection. Something we can all believe in. Incidentally, the revolution will be televised. 

Hurrah it’s September and we have Flags!

To celebrate it being September 1^st, the 244th day of the year and simply for no other reason than we at Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival are feeling tremendous generous today – we want to give you a prize! A pair of tickets to the opening of Peer Gynt in the O'Reilly Theatre, Belvedere College on September 30^th is up for grabs and to be in with a chance of winning is easy.

Simply take a picture of one of the Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre flags that are now displayed around the city centre, upload and post the picture on our facebook and tell us why you love the month of  September.Hint Hint - the Festival starts in September!

Get snapping and remember Dublin Loves Drama!