Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival – another year over

All good things must come to an end and so Dublin’s oldest cultural event,Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival, closes its doors after more than two weeks of packed auditoriums, sell-out shows and rave reviews.

With an intensive and creative mix of contemporary, classic and documentary theatre, Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival has once again captured audience imagination, providing solid and cutting edge entertainment in a variety of venues across the city.

I’ve personally enjoyed the intensity and energy of the productions, with KAMP, slat, The Crumb Trail and The Manganiyar Seduction standing out as particular favourites. Whatever your own personal picks were, I hope you got the opportunity to see something that impacted you, as well as entertained!

Until next year...

The Age I'm In

With an interesting and unusual cast that spans several generations, this contemporary dance performance cleverly interweaves the expectations, misconceptions, similarities and influences of age into a pleasantly honest and thought provoking show.

Through movement, dance, voice recordings and film, the cast mime to real life interviews, highlighting and questioning perceptions of age and its behavioural boundaries. Particularly effective is the seamless use of flat screens which add an extra dimension and edge to the characterisation.

With fluid dancing and storylines, the audience are pushed and pulled through a stream of reflections, prejudices and relationships. Also tackling disease and disability, The Age I’m In is another example of important theatre with a documentary element, cleverly wrapped and beautifully presented.

Elizabeth Rose Murray - Festival Blogger

The Blue Dragon

Set in Beijing, this show is visually stunning, with one of the most dynamic and engaging sets I’ve seen during the festival.

Opening with a beautiful demonstration of calligraphy and a dancer exploding onto the set against a backdrop of lightening, The Blue Dragon uses the stage to convey emotion and plot in an enigmatic and commanding way.

Swiftly moving the audience from planes and airports to bars, apartments, cycle rides and art exhibitions, the projected images add to the vibrant scenery changes, enhancing the play’s atmospheric quality. The boat journey is particularly memorable and the dance scenes add a touch of elegance, especially the striking performance against a backdrop of snow.

Using a combination of English and Chinese dialogue to add authenticity, the lives of all three characters interweave through humour, frailty, desperation and hope, culminating in an unexpected twist at the end.

Definitely one to watch if you want to see how perfectly a multimedia approach can be used, The Blue Dragon is an exciting visual feast.


Elizabeth Rose Murray
Festival Blogger

Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival is funded by the Arts Council

Radio Muezzin

Radio Muezzin is calling you

Discussing the ancient Muslim tradition of adhan, or call to prayer, Radio Muezzin presents an open an honest portrayal of how new legislation in Egypt will affect the lives of Egyptian muezzins. It is a beautiful production which is as important as it is enlightening, filled with achingly poetic songs, masterful voices and bare, honest facts.

Soon to be replaced by live radio transmissions from 30 hand-picked muezzins, four Muslim men who play a role in the adhan invite the audience into their daily lives. Against a backdrop of prayer mats, private video footage, radio and strip lights, each has an original story to tell and gives a warm and generous account of their life.

Revealing their opinion of the legislative decision and the personal impact it will have, you’re given a rounded view of the situation in Egypt. It’s handled without lecturing or cajoling, which is particularly important in today’s cultural climate of religious ignorance and distrust.

Radio Muezzin is heartwarming and informative, but it’s not all serious; there’s a short-circuited gherkin, weightlifting and an interest in light-bulbs thrown in. You’ll just have to go and see it to find out the connection.

Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival is funded by the Arts Council

Elizabeth rose Murray - Festival Blogger

The Crumb Trail

The Crumb Trail Reviewed

Bizarre, dark and hilarious are the first three words that spring to mind with this production. At first the show may seem a little bit too disconnected, but this becomes part of its genius: stick with The Crumb Trail and you’re guaranteed to be entertained.

Using Skype, popular YouTube videos and live music as well as unusual props (a loaf of bread is cooked during the performance), the tale of Hansel and Gretel is twisted into an ingenious format which also covers uneasy topics such as death, paedophilia and rape.

The four characters are an exciting mishmash of lively, loving, sinister and menacing. The actors are an impressive bunch, overtly revealing both the frailties and vindictiveness of human nature with an injection of humour and nonchalance. Gretel is particularly powerful and disconcerting.

Expect comical renditions of Hamlet, neuroses, sorrowful music and vocals, bitchiness, over-hammed dancing and a leftfield approach to a classic children’s tale.

Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival is funded by the Arts Council.

Elizabeth rose Murray - Festival Blogger

DV8's To Be Straight With You









Based on interviews with real people, DV8 fuses the energy of dance with the power of language and the possibilities of multi-media, to craft a beautiful and complex production which really has something worth saying.

Covering sexuality, race and religion, To Be Straight With You combines dance, music and interactive imagery with graffiti boards, news pieces and recorded telephone conversations to present worrying facts that show how prevalent prejudice remains across the globe.

Presenting various stories from many different viewpoints while transporting you to a range of countries, including South Africa, England and Nigeria, this multi-layered production shows the fragile and interchangeable nature of human understanding and tolerance. From activists to closet homosexuals, family beatings to religious pride and suffering, DV8 presents an all encompassing vision of what it is like to be gay in modern society.

As well as feeling suitably informed and probably outraged by the amount of injustice in the world, you’ll also leave admiring the beauty and intelligence of the show. The dance scenes are incredibly expressive and perfectly sychronised to the theme, music and multimedia. The interactive globe was particularly impressive and I was amazed by one of the most exciting and sensual duets I’ve seen on stage.

To Be Straight With You is a brave show which handles delicate themes in a humane and informative way without patronizing or insulting the audience. It’s exciting, important and I hope to see more.

Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival is funded by the Arts Council.

Elizabeth rose Murray - Festival Blogger

Three Sisters goes down a storm!!










Don’t be put off by the fact that Three Sisters is three hours long and in Russian with English surtitles. This is a vibrant and graceful production, with a beautiful set and impeccable acting.

Known for its dark, philosophical wit, Three Sisters weaves humourous and perceptive observations through political, social and historical topics. Flitting from naive and innocent gaiety to the solemnity and depression caused by the frustrations of small town life, this is a lively adaptation of what I believe to be Chekov’s finest play.

Themes such as love, marriage, adultery, family and loss are presented with a perfect blend of sarcasm and sensitivity, making the portrayal just as relevant to audiences today and it was when originally performed.

The characters are larger than life as they support, mimic, contrast and conflict with one another. The language doesn’t once become a barrier, as the actors expertly interpret the nuances of Russian traditions and humour to the audience through fluid and professional performances.

This is majestic theatre, encapsulating all the necessary components of a classic play to bring you one of the most impressive productions of Chekov you may ever see.

Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival is funded by the Arts Council

Elizabeth rose Murray - Festival Blogger

SLAT – the stuff of beautiful nightmares

SLAT is intoxicating, yet the stuff of nightmares. A wild and energetic exploration of movement and sound in an intimidating warehouse-style space, this show has a magnetism that is both beautiful and alarming. Combining mesmerising and visceral performances with image projection, the cast skillfully displays the power and misuse of language.

Initially watching the movements of the untamed wolf-child through sheets of floor-to-ceiling muslin, you witness the exploration of basic, feral instincts. Various haunting percussion instruments attack the senses and everything moves in time with the pendulous swing of a bare, low-hanging bulb. As you watch the character learn about her emotions, the shadows creep and mimic her fear of the unknown. There is a very real sense of danger, of being almost under attack.

Moving to watch the rest of the show from the scaffolding, there is something intrinsically unsettling about the power of such a viewing position. As the cast continue their performance, the movement, sound and visuals become increasingly plaintive, sweeping a feeling akin to guilt through the audience.

Menacing and ethereal, SLAT is an intelligent, experiment show which uses the absence of language to show its power. It is truly spectacular!


Elizabeth rose Murray - Festival blogger