Category Archives: The Arts

Theatre tip: War of Attrition

  By Anto | September 2, 2013 - 9:32 pm | Featured Post, The Arts, Theatre
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As you may be aware, we’re big of Devious Theatre from Kilkenny. Their work is some of the best amateur theatre in the country and they’re bringing their latest show, War of Attrition, to the Dublin Fringe Festival next week. “We’ve created the conditions for war, but no one wants to fight.” Daisy is the unwitting star of a viral video, Psycho Chugger, which currently sits on 178,234 YouTube views. And it’s ruining her life. Alan is the one who made it. A blogger who goes by the name of Generalissimo Malaise, he targets the ‘everyday arsehole’. Chris is a homeless man who just got caught in the crossfire of their feud. Devious Theatre bring their destructive new comedy to the streets of Dublin. There will be casualties. The show is directed by Niamh Moroney, produced by Ken McGuire and stars John Doran, John Morton and Roseanna Purcell. It will … There’s more →

Arthur Guinness Projects

  By Anto | July 22, 2013 - 1:28 pm | Featured Post, Music, Sports, The Arts
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Got an idea that you haven’t quite set in motion yet? Guinness and Arthur Guinness Projects are looking to invest in great ideas across four areas of creativity and culture: Music, Sport, Arts and Food. You can submit your idea at the moment with a deadline of August 9th. Public voting runs concurrently but is open until 23rd August whereupon the top 10% of applications in each category will be judged by a relevant panel of industry figures (those guys above). Each project will receive between €5k and €50k with up to 20 benefiting annually. There have been some excellent ideas submitted already and you can browse the listings by category here: Music, Sport, Arts, Food. Get on it.

Calling all singers in Dublin: Be part of the Dublin Fringe Festival

  By Darren Byrne | July 19, 2013 - 8:49 am | Music, The Arts, The Culch, Theatre
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Quick quick quick, read this and then drop Jean Hally an email. It’s going to be fun and you’ll be part of something great. Songs in the Key of D, a Choral Exploration of Dublin City, will take place during the Fringe Festival on 14 Sept in the Smock Alley Theatre. The organisers are looking for singers of all abilities to join them in performing some of Dublin’s best known songs and connect the audience to our city through song. Everybody who likes singing is invited to take part you don’t have to be from Dublin or Irish and you don’t have to a good singer (but I guess it would help if you can hold a note during The Auld Triangle). The choir is being set up set up to bring people living in all parts of Dublin together. Auditions will take place on: - Mon 29 July in … There’s more →

Spark and Line Exhibition @ Gallery Zozimus

  By Peter | June 5, 2013 - 7:08 pm | Featured Post, The Arts
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heidi wickham, michael budd

Spark and Line, says sculptor Michael Budd is a joint exhibitionism with the illustrator Heidi Wickham that opened at Gallery Zozimus, Frances Street, Dublin, on the 23rd of May at 6pm and runs to the 7th of June. Heidi has based her work around images of the forge and my work in a response to how I feel working as an artist in Ireland today. This is the first time Heidi and I have worked together on a project and it has been extremely enjoyable. I love Heidi’s evocative, playful work. Attached are photos of Heidi and myself at the opening and one piece of Heidi’s work and acrylic painting called Blacksmith’s block. Also a photo of one of my sculptures, The Gift that keeps on oppressing, which is 500mm square and has over 30 meters of forged steel in it. 30 metres. Three. Zero. That’s wider than your house. … There’s more →

The Lion King Is Coming!

  By Micheál Murphy | December 10, 2012 - 4:45 pm | Featured Post, Performance Art, The Culch, Theatre
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Whether it’s Disney’s animated blockbuster or the world-renowned stage musical, everyone is familiar with the story and characters of The Lion King, as well as Elton John’s soundtrack with such memorable songs as ‘Circle of Life’, and ‘Can You feel the Love tonight’. The success story is such that 15 years later the stage musical is still running on both Broadway and the West End, and boasts being the highest grossing Broadway show of all time. AND IT’S COMING TO DUBLIN! Being a lover of musicals, I’ve tried to get tickets whenever I’m in London but it’s always sold out, which is a testament to its success and popularity. So when the tour comes to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre you can expect to find me begging, borrowing or stealing (albeit unlikely) a ticket from whatever source I can manage. If worst comes to worst, I might even buy one. … There’s more →

Fringe Preview : The Circus Of Perseverance

  By Andy Gaffney | September 10, 2012 - 10:12 am | Featured Post, The Arts, The Culch, Theatre
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The 8th of September brings the Absolut Fringe festival back into town for sixteen days of arts, music, comedy and theatre. A self-proclaimed “dream factory”, it’s probably safe to say there is something for every taste on show from comedy about finding Fassbender to a showcase of photographs of everything tight jeaned in the brilliantly titled ‘Hipsters We Met and liked’. One such show that sums up this up is the highly ambitious ‘The Circus Of Perseverance’ starting from the 10th of September in The Back Loft. Set in Dublin the play deals with the very real and common problem of feeling everything is a little bit rubbish at the moment and wanting to escape that. Using a series of interwoven stories the characters will break out from the crowd of negativity all set in a circus theme. ‘The Circus of Perseverance’ is a rambunctious, highly profane production that … There’s more →

Theatre: Singlehood @ The Absolut Fringe

  By Peter | September 6, 2012 - 6:18 am | Events, Featured Post, The Arts
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I have to admit I’m not really one for theatre stuff. I am. But I am-ish, not. It’s a bit like, The Strokes are playing The O2. Yeah ? I’ll think about it. As versus Led Zep are playing. Yeah ? Mee meep. Roadrunner. I’m already there. Theatre, does that to me. Sometimes however you get a wee little kick in the wotsits. A good kick. A metaphorical one, so to speak and you think could this be the next example of hindsight I may use in a pub quiz ? Like the time The White stripes came to Ireland just after I saw them on Jools Holland and I never went and regretted it ever since ? What kind of play makes me say that ? One with comedian and actor legend Eric Lalor in it. Well, that’s how I cocked an eye and then watched this video below … There’s more →

Night of the Living Dead is…..uh, alive?

  By Anto | July 25, 2012 - 7:58 pm | The Arts, Theatre
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You may remember that in May we asked you to assist in funding Devious Theatre’s production of Night of the Living Dead. Well, after months and months of script writing, set design, rounding up zombies, rehearsals etc, the production is running this week! As you read this, there are 3 performances left: Thursday 26th, Friday 27th and Saturday 28th. It’s in the Watergate Theatre in Kilkenny and you can get tickets (€13) on 056 7761674 or book online at WatergateTheatre.com. Not convinced? Check out this feedback from last nights opening performance PLUS the prologue: Wow. Just out of #LivingDead by @devioustheatre at @watergateKK Smart, funny, bleak and bloody. - @niamhnic So @devioustheatre’s Night of the #LivingDead last night was brill. Very funny, great acting and writing - totally recommend it! - @niamhsmith We’ll be there Saturday. “They’re coming to get your Barbara”.

Event: Dr. Sketchy’s Dublin and Molly Crabapple

  By Kitty Catastrophe | April 20, 2012 - 1:44 pm | Events, The Arts
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Molly Crabapple is an award-winning New York artist, author and all round kickass lady whose Victoriana-steampunk-Rococo work has appeared in places like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Marvel comics. Forever finding ways to fund and create personally fulfilling art projects, in September of last year she locked herself into a hotel room for a week, covered the walls in paper and filled every available square foot with her gorgeous, intricate brand of art. The project was called Molly Crabapple’s Week In Hell, it was funded by myriad backers on Kickstarter, and has since been turned into a book. Not one to stay idle for long, right now she’s in the middle of Shell Game, another Kickstarter-funded project, this time an art show inspired by Occupy Wall Street and the assorted global economic disasters, which will result in nine huge paintings that will deal with themes such … There’s more →

Event: Dublin Dance Festival 2012

  By Jen McShane | March 23, 2012 - 3:00 pm | Events, Performance Art, The Arts
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  For those of you lucky enough not to be blessed with two left feet (yes, I’m talking about myself here), the artform of the dance is a wonder to behold. These super talented people can skip, dance, jump and move (like jagger, we’re told) with such effortless ease that it’s just not fair. Still, regardless of whatever credibility you have on the dance floor, you’ll surely love the Dublin Dance Festival. The Dublin Dance Festival are delighted to announce their deadly dancing (see what I did there) programme for 2012, offering audiences a wealth of experiences from the diverse, creative, sensuous and adventurous worlds of contemporary dance. From May 11th - 26th in venues across Dublin, lovers of dance will be treated to an array of exciting festival shows that will definitely sweep you off your feet. Festival events will appeal to audiences of all ages and tastes in … There’s more →

Theatre Review: Improbable Frequency @ The Gaiety

  By Sinead Keogh | March 19, 2012 - 3:00 pm | Events, The Arts, The Culch, Theatre
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Having debuted in 2004, Rough Magic’s Improbable Frequency is by no stretch a new production but its current run is our first time to see it. Although it was new to us we heard many good things before settling into Thursday night’s performance at The Gaiety. Set during World War Two, the production which describes itself as ‘a pulsating cabaret-style musical’ features a cast of characters imagined and real (John Betjeman and Myles na gCopaleen are written liberally for the stage) and tells the tale of a British spy in Ireland. With Peter Hanly reprising his original role as Faraday (the British spy), we open on the scene of the crossword enthusiast being recruited for his mission to Ireland. There he is to investigate O’Dromedary (Rory Nolan), a radio presenter whose song choices appear to be alerting the Germans to the weather conditions and aiding their air raids over Britain. … There’s more →

TV Review: Why You Should Have Watched Got To Dance.

  By Lisa McInerney | March 8, 2012 - 12:00 pm | Movies & TV, Performance Art, The Arts, The Culch, TV
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Prodijig won Sky1’s Got To Dance last Sunday night, and half of Ireland was bewildered. “Another talent show?” the Paddies frowned. “With dancing? When did this happen? Sure I was watching The Voice Of Ir… I mean, I don’t be watching that kind of shite.” As is right and proper, until a TV talent show actually uncovers something of genuine cultural worth. Not all TV talent show contestants are of the same stuff. Once every fifty insipid, disposable talent show tryhards, you might chance upon a Susan Boyle, or an Ashley Banjo. How these stars are managed is quite another story, and there are occasionally ominous rumblings from those in the know about this casualty, or that binding contract, a cover-up here and a smoke-screen there. The fact remains that sometimes TV talent shows come up with the goods on every possible level. Got To Dance is one of those … There’s more →

Theatre Review: The Master Builder and The Goddess of Liberty

  By Darren Byrne | February 15, 2012 - 3:00 pm | The Arts, Theatre
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I‘ve seen some fine theatre in the past week, including Bookworms in the Abbey, The Master Builder in The New Theatre and The Goddess of Liberty in the Project Arts Theatre. Below is my video review of the latter two plays. I’d love to hear what you think. Both The Master Builder and The Goddess of Liberty run until Saturday 18th February. For more information, click on the links below.

Review: Aladdin - The Pantomime @ Solstice Theatre Navan

  By Jenny Foxe | February 13, 2012 - 3:00 pm | The Arts, The Culch, Theatre
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St Mary’s Musical Society present a fantastic panto and this year it’s Aladdin that gets the ultimate panto makeover. The show opens with the baddest of baddies, Abanezer (Rich Cullen) reciting his evil rhyming plot to get his gnarly, undulating fingers on the magic lamp. The audience was sold straight away. Rich plays a fantastically evil but lovable panto baddie. I wanted to cheer everytime he came on rather than the obligatory boo. The curtains open to reveal a North African souk and after the first energetic, well-choreographed and performed musical number, featuring what seems like a cast of hundreds, the audience is introduced to Aladdin (Ultan O’Cinneide), his brother, Wishy Washy (Matt McGuirk), the Princess Jasmine (Tracy Armstrong) and her lady in waiting, So Shy (Aoife Hoey). There follows a rather madcap, all singing, all dancing, all heart clutching and star gazing, child beating and knicker washing version of … There’s more →