Something For The Weekend: Róisín McBrinn's cultural picks

Róisín McBrinn is the new Artistic Director of The Gate Theatre, Dublin - their latest production, Piaf, stars Camille O'Sullivan as the legendary French chanteuse and opens on December 7th.

Róisín took the post earlier this year after a two-decade stint in the UK, where she served Joint Artistic Director of acclaimed theatre company Clean Break, while directing shows for a number of major venues, from The Abbey and The Gate Theatre to West Yorkshire Playhouse and The Donmar Warehouse.

We asked Róisín for her choice cultural picks...

FILM

I have two young daughters and there was huge excitement in our house about the release of Enola Holmes 2, and we weren't disappointed. Wild, bold female leads, lots of romance and suffragette kung fu - what's not to love?

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THEATRE

I know I'm biased but I've just left a run through of Piaf at our rehearsal room at The Gate Theatre. It's going to be brilliant! The cast are exceptional and it sounds magnificent. It's a wonderful journey through the highs and lows of Edith Piaf's life, and a huge celebration of what it takes to make great art. I'm very excited about welcoming audiences to The Gate this Christmas for it.

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GIG

I went to see Susan O'Neill recently in Whelan's. She was phenomenal. I'm a big Mick Flannery fan and their joint album was a real north star for me through one of those lockdowns (!). I can't wait for a full SON album and who knows, a gig at The Gate?

PODCAST

I've just moved back to Ireland having lived in London for nearly 20 years so I am still very interested in UK politics. The Rest is Politics is a brilliant podcast hosted by Rory Stewart and Alistair Campbell and, particularly in those mad days as Liz Truss was leaving, it is wildly insightful and revelatory.

ART

One thing I'm loving doing in Dublin is reengaging with our cultural institutions. The National Gallery is one of these. I loved the Estella Solomon exhibition there. It's overdue, but I'm so pleased we are finally celebrating the women visual artists from recent history.

MUSIC

I'm directing Fun Home at The Gate next year, so I'm playing the soundtrack to that on repeat at the moment. When in doubt, I'm still getting great energy from Beyonce's Renaissance.

BOOK

The Queen Of Dirt Island by Donal Ryan sucked me in, made me weep and laugh. It is such a wonderful celebration of family in its many forms. He has a magical way of making regular, simple lives seem epic and profound - as they are.

THE NEXT BIG THING.....

It's wonderful to be meeting Irish theatre artists who have been making work in the city while I haven't been living here. I'm particular excited by all the new writers whose work I have been reading and seeing. Erica Murray is a playwright that we can expect big things from!

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Piaf is at The Gate Theatre, Dublin, from December 7th to Saturday January 28th 2023 - find out more here.

Something For The Weekend: Róisín McBrinn's cultural picks

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