STREAMING: SMALL TOWN BIG STORY
A decade after Moone Boy, writer and actor Chris O'Dowd returns to Ireland with another quirky small-town tale, as Hollywood TV exec Wendy (Mad Men's Christina Hendricks) returns to the border town she left 20 years ago to scout locations for her latest mega-budget project - and to expose the decades-old secret she shares with respectable local doctor and family man, Séamus (the great Paddy Considine); the whip-smart ensemble includes David Rawle (Moone Boy is now a Moone man) and the mighty Eileen Walsh (Now streaming, Sky and NOW)
THEATRE: DRUID ON TOUR
Following their monumental DruidO'Casey project, the Galwegian theatre legends hit the road with a trio of rip-roaring one-act plays from one of Ireland's greatest playwrights - A Pound on Demand (1939), Bedtime Story (1951) and The End of the Beginning (1937) - directed by Garry Hynes and performed by a cast of six, including Druid ensemble members Marie Mullen, Rory Nolan and Marty Rea alongside Venetia Bowe, Caitríona Ennis and Liam Heslin (Venues nationwide until 29th March)
FILM: THE LAST SHOWGIRL
Pamela Anderson reinvents herself as an actress to be reckoned with in this melancholic drama - think The Wrestler in (even more) sequins - as a seasoned showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run; Jamie-Lee Curis and Dave Bautista shine in supporting roles, and director Gia Coppola earns her place alongside her grandfather Francis Ford and auntie Sofia in the ever-expanding Coppola filmmaking dynasty (Cinemas nationwide, now showing)
DANCE: NIGHT DANCES
A love letter to dance in 4 parts, crackling with energy, choreographer Emma Martin's acclaimed production offers a kinetic series of dances that express the invisible energetic connective tissue that joins us all, with exhilarating results. Featuring a cast of ten intergenerational dancers and a live band of three, led by Gilla Band's Daniel Fox, this is one of the most profoundly live shows you'll experience anytime soon - do not miss (Venues nationwide, 28th Feb - 29th March)
ART: LOUISE CHERRY
All That's Left of You in Me showcases multi-disciplinary artist Louise Cherry's innovative approach to traditional life drawing, her bold and dynamic compositions challenging conventional depictions of the nude in art and contemporary culture. As critic Cristin Leach writes in her introduction to Cherry's latest show, 'Here is an artist finding freedom and wisdom in a still exploratory space, not exorcising so much as she is carefully exercising the sprits now clambering for presence in her paint.' (An Chéad Tine, Kilkenny, until March 25th)
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