The 18-day celebration of theatre from Ireland and around the world is in particular celebrating the world reach of Irish theatre and theatremakers in the year of "The Gathering Ireland 2013," an event that celebrates the diaspora from Ireland.
In a press statement, Willie White, artistic director and chief executive of the Festival, commented, "This year’s festival furthers our ambition to bring to Dublin’s stages the world’s most engaging, exciting and ground-breaking theatre. Theatre has always been an important part of the social and cultural life of Dublin and it continues to play a role in the growth and renewal of our city. Though we are a small country we have an extraordinary capacity for creating art and a great appetite for experiencing it. Theatre is a civic occasion where artists and audiences connect with each other through stories. It creates conversation, and over the 18 days of the festival we want to get people talking, be it from the stage, in the streets, or in the bar after a performance."
The Abbey Theatre is presenting the world première of McGuinness' The Hanging Gardens, his first new play at the Abbey in 14 years, which will be directed by Patrick Mason.
Waiting for Godot is presented by Gare St. Lazare Players Ireland, who have performed interpretations of Beckett's prose in over 25 countries. It will be directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett in a co-production with Dublin Theatre Festival.
Brecht and Weill's The Threepenny Opera is presented by the Gate Theatre in association with Dublin Theatre Festival, under the direction of Wayne Jordan and with musical direction by Cathal Synnott. Also at the Abbey, Eamon Morrissey’s one-man show Maeve’s House is inspired by the life and work of The New Yorker columnist Maeve Brennan and the shared family home that connected them across generations.
The Corn Exchange will present Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms, directed by Annie Ryan.
Rough Magic will present Sheridan's The Critic, performed by a cast including Peter Daly, Darragh Kelly, Ronan Leahy, Eleanor Methven and Rory Nolan in a production that will take audiences on a journey between two locations in the heart of Temple Bar.
Tom and Vera is a new play from Desperate Optimists, co-produced by Dublin Theatre Festival and supported by Irish Theatre Trust. It is a creative partnership between Irish-born artists Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy. Responding to recent societal and economic developments, the play charts the rise and fall of two adults who have worked hard, played by the rules, yet find that they’re pushed to a point where the lines between right and wrong are blurred.
Olwen Fouéré will perform her solo show riverrun, adapted from James Joyce’s "Finnegans Wake," in a co-production between TheEmergencyRoom and Galway Arts Festival. Junk ensemble will stage their latest work of dance theatre, Dusk Ahead, featuring a live score played by the cast.
Dublin Youth Theatre returns to the festival for the first time in 21 years with Shaun Dunne's I've To Mind Her, a story about young careers that a cast of emerging performers aged 14-22 from across Dublin City and County will perform under the direction of Gary Keegan.
Amongst international visitors, Richard Maxwell and New York Players will present Neutral Hero, and Australian circus ensemble C!RCA will present Wunderkammer, a cocktail of cabaret and extraordinary physical feats in the Gaiety Theatre. There are also companies from Japan, India, Europe and Britain, including the RSC's production of The Rape of Lucrece and a visit by Actors Touring Company with David Greig's The Events.
Fiona Shaw will take part in a symposium Voyage and Return, being presented in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin.
Public booking will open July 30. To book tickets, contact the box office on +353 1 677 8899 or visit www.dublintheatrefestival.com for more details.
