Theatre | Business Post

Sara Keating: Artists give us a serious laugh as the world burns

Two novelists and a theatre company use tragicomedy to great effect when addressing the issue of climate crisis

Stage fright – when the audience was a no-show for famous performers

Getting a gig can seem like you’ve arrived if you’re an up-and-coming artist, but as these stars experienced, going on stage can be a very lonely place

Dirty Dancing stage star Michael O’Reilly: ‘I believe hard work beats talent every time’

The male lead in the stage adaptation of Dirty Dancing, believes everyone who keeps trying will make it in the end

Writer Enda Walsh on burnout, the human spirit and his lifelong friendship with Cillian Murphy

The playwright and screenwriter is previewing his new theatre work at Cork’s Sounds From a Safe Harbour festival. Here he explains why theatre should never be ‘safe’

Actress Valene Kane: ‘I like rebels. People who have something to say’

The Newry actress known for a star turn in The Fall shares her daily passions

Sara Keating: Brendan Behan remembered on the centenary of his birth

A series of cultural productions celebrate the earthy Dublin writer’s legacy

Sara Keating: Arts in Ireland in danger of losing a generation of audiences

At risk of losing ‘a generation of audiences’, it’s vital that we make provision for the important role of culture in children’s and young adults’ lives

Sara Keating: Pride’s proud defiance subtly mirrored in Tennessee William’s tense play

The Glass Menagerie, showing in Cork where far-right activists have objected to LGBTQ+ literature in the city library, was inspired by the playwright’s struggle with his sexuality and his difficult family life

Sara Keating: The Irish pub is centre stage in immersive soap opera The Local

The play, staged by Asylum Productions as part of the Kilkenny Arts Festival, is performed in a live pub and set in the 1990s – a fascinating time for social change

Sara Keating: Game on – Butler Gallery’s new exhibition highlights connection between art and sport

The Art of Sport, a multimedia exhibition soon to open at the Kilkenny Arts Festival, showcases the work of Irish and international artists through their expression of the spirit of sport

Sara Keating: Irish theatre makers pack up in preparation for Edinburgh Fringe

The Scottish showcase connects artists with a wider community of theatre producers and audiences from further afield

‘It’s time to get rid of umbrellas and embrace the elements’ – actor David Walmsley

The Liverpudlian is currently playing Agamemnon at the Abbey, but his first ambition was to study physiotherapy

Sara Keating: Gate’s excellent Fun Home reverberates with echoes of theatre’s own LGBTQ+ history

Musical adaptation of the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel gets a wonderfully offbeat production featuring mostly Irish musical theatre stars

Sara Keating: Cork Midsummer Festival offers a celebration of cross-disciplinary collaborations

Highlight of the annual multi-disciplinary arts festival this year is Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days, with Cork actress Siobhán McSweeney in the role of the playwright’s iconic heroine Winnie

Music to their eyes: how TikTok has created a new generation of musical theatre superfans

The social media platform has shaped global communities of like-minded younger audiences who are becoming obsessed with productions before they have even seen the shows live

Sarah Keating: West Side Story dances to tune of tragic romance for the ages

Leonard Bernstein’s musical retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet comes to the stage of Bord Gáis Energy Theatre and this version is a real treat

Classical Notes

Dublin ‘bustin’ out all over’ with a spell of great music

It’s officially summer, and time to bask in the music of the various festivals coming up around the country, from chamber music to contemporary folk

Sara Keating: Two Viennese art experiences paint a global picture of climate change

A visit to Vienna served up two thoughtful exhibitions that force the viewer to confront the damage we are doing to the environment

Sara Keating: Arresting theatre puts the human condition under the spotlight in Shawshank Redemption

With characters isolated and behind bars, the use of the prison setting on stage offers a microcosm of power structures and poses ethical questions to the audience

Jets and the Sharks get ready to rumble in major new production of West Side Story coming to Dublin

An exciting revival of West Side Story with direct ties to the theatre titans who first created it is coming to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre