Nine new Irish plays including new works from Enda Walsh and Conor McPherson and a revival of Dancing at Lughnasa are among the highlights of this year's Dublin Theatre Festival which was launched today.
The festival runs from September 24 until October 11 and features 28 productions across the capital. Eleven new Irish works will premiere alongside productions from France, Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, the UK and Denmark.
Conor McPherson’s The Night Alive opens the festival at the Gaiety theatre in a new co-production with the Lyric Theatre Belfast. The cast includes some familiar names including Adrian Dunbar, Laurence Kinlan and Ian Lloyd Anderson.
Other highlights include a new opera, The Last Hotel from Composer Donnacha Dennehy in collaboration with award winning playwright Enda Walsh (Once, Ballyturk) and a 25th anniversary production of Dancing at Lughnasa.
There's plenty of topical fare in the programme too. Bailed Out! by playwright Colin Murphy, a follow up to his acclaimed play Guarunteed, tells the tale of how Ireland fell into the jaws of the Troika, while Rough Magic present a new musical The Train about the contraceptive train in the 1970s Ireland featuring music from Riverdance composer Bill Whelan.
Speaking at the launch of the festival programme, Artistic Director Willie White said: "I believe that the festival we have launched today addresses some of the most important stories at play in Ireland right now, and that it will make for an array of rich and rewarding days and nights at the theatre".
Tickets are now on sale from the Dublin Theatre Festival website.
