World Premiere of The Blue Boy

Brokentalkers have not long returned to Dublin from Noorderzoon Festival in Groningen after spending the month of August rehearsing and further developing their production of The Blue Boy. Originally featured in the 2010 Development Strand, we are so excited to have Brokentalkers as part of the 2011 main programme. Brokentalkers set up in 2001, their work responds to the contemporary world -  their 2009 production, Silver Stars, based on the real life stories of Irish gay men, performed by a community cast, received rave reviews and toured round the world. 

Earlier this year, the Festival and Brokentalkers were part of the first 5 projects to go live with the new Irish crowdfunding website, Fundit. After having the piece in Development last year, we were anxious to see how we could get it to the Festival stage for the 2011 Festival and needed to look at other forms of Fundraising. One thing that Brokentalkers required was time and resources, and in particular, to work on the choreography. That’s where Fundit came in. Due to the generosity of over 80 donors, we were able to have a week of rehearsal time with renowned choreographer Eddie Kay which added another layer to an already extraordinary piece of work. 

Gary Keegan Directing

The Blue Boy, brainchild of Feidlim Cannon and Gary Keegan, was devised in response to the Ryan and Cloyne Report but it also touches on a more personal level - Gary Keegan’s grandfather was an undertaker who occasionally needed to visit in the Artane Industrial School and part of his job was measuring out coffins using folding rulers for those children who died while in institutional care. The school plays a large part in the lives of anyone who has grown up in the area and it is with this, a very personal piece for many. 

This production deals with the experiences of men and women who were incarcerated as children in Catholic residential care institutions. Using recorded interviews, live performers in handmade masks, music and film, The Blue Boy attempts to give fresh theatrical voice to recently revealed stories of childhood abuse in Ireland. Have no qualms,  The Blue Boy is a strong and emotional piece of theatre that confronts the current Catholic Church abuse scandal head on but Brokentalkers through their unique sensitive approaches to express what can often be hard to articulate create a sense of reflection and succeed in informing society on the past event.   

Do not miss the world premiere of this astonishing piece of theatre!

The Wild Bride

After weeks of rehearsing intensely in a barn in South West England, Kneehigh have finally premièred their brand new show, The Wild Bride, at the Asylum in Cornwall. Kneehigh, one of Britain’s most innovative and exhilarating theatre companies have time after time pulled quirky and profound productions out of the bag such as The Red Shoes (2002) described as “stunning” by The Times and saw Artistic Director Emma Rice win a TMA Award for Best Director Award and the remake of the classic film Brief Encounter (2008) which is currently touring the US.


Kneehigh, renowned for their magical and creatively ingenious shows promise to bring to Dublin a fairy tale with an edge, a story of hope and healing that will take the audience on a journey of beauty and wisdom. This show is definitely one to catch if you want something more inspiring than the current doom and gloom.


Adapted & directed by Emma Rice, be expected to be blown away with incredible movement and dance, instinctive storytelling, devilish humour and a heady mix of live and found music. Charting a life from girlhood to womanhood using three women to represent the different chapters of life, this is a grown up romance for brave children and adults alike set in a stunning elemental world of leaves, petals, snow and flowers.

Attracting glowing praise and reviews from their recent première, this is the show to catch if you want to experience a Kneehigh production. Go wild and see The Wild Bride!

Take a look at the trailer

Donka, A Letter to Chekhov

With the Box Office just open, excitement is building for our 2011 opening show in the Gaiety Theatre, non-other than the breathtaking Donka, A letter to Chekhov. Directed by the world renowned director, author, choreographer and clown, Daniele Finzi Pasca, who also directed highly acclaimed productions such as Rain, created for Cirque Eloize, Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo, which opened in April 2005 and is still touring the world and he was also responsible for creating and directing the Closing Ceremony of the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Let’s be honest, it’s a pretty impressive CV! 

Promising to be a truly spellbinding production full of dazzling aerial acrobatics, multi-media illusion and circus magic, the show will draw on the plots of Chekhov’s plays as well as his short stories and personal diaries. Donka, A Letter to Chekhov was originally commissioned to open the prestigious Chekhov International Theatre Festival in 2010 celebrating Chekhov’s 150th birthday and received a thunderous 15-minute standing ovation from European theatregoers.

Another fascinating fact about this production is that “Donka” translated in Russian is the little bell that would be fixed on to a fishing rod, which rings whenever a fish bites. Chekhov adored fishing, and for him it was a way of abandoning himself to meditation and Finzi Pasca was fascinated by this image. 

Think aerial acrobatics, melting ice, breathtaking illusion and pure escapsim... this will be a night of sumptuous entertainment unlike any other. Its plays for 5 performances only, don’t miss it! Donka, A Letter to Chekhov will run in the Gaiety Theatre from Sept 29-Oct 2. Check out www.dublintheatrefestival.com or call 01 677 8899 for more details.

Take a look at the trailer