As always, the Fringe is about exploration on the edge. The snazziest title, catchiest copy and most eye-popping picture doesn’t always equate with the best show in town; however, it’s a solid start in an attempt to standout from the crowd. Usually word of mouth, beyond that of friends, elevates exceptional work early on. Keep your ear to the ground but, most importantly, take a chance on fresh new work.
Turning 15 this year allows Thisispopbaby the chance to throw the best tantrums in town. After the popular triumph of Riot comes Wake, “an outpouring, a reckoning, a release and a party.”
This contemporary cabaret will mix beats, spoken word, music, theatre, smoke machines and “partial nudity” in this “collective catharsis.”
National Stadium from September 8, €15 – €45
Feature Image: Conor Horgan and Niall Sweeney
2. Remnant Ecologies – Jony Easterby
An immersive night-time journey in the Botanic Gardens with light and sound installations. This ticks every box. Remnant Ecologies is Easterby’s “response to a growing anxiety regarding our relationship within the natural world” mixing passion and anxiety to what we assume will be impactful effect.
National Botanic Gardens, September 21-25, €12
Image by Nicola Easterby and Jony Easterby
3. The Perfect Immigrant – Samuel Yakura
This Fringe Festival commission has Yakura exploring his Irish life after leaving his native Nigeria to settle here. He threads his story through prose and poetry, tackling the dichotomy of unease with newfound possibilities.
The New Theatre from September 12, €11 – €15
Image by Emmanuel Okoye
4. We Are An Archipelago – Erin Fornoff
Told through poetry, live music and soundscapes, Fornoff tells the tale of a 99-year-old man who returns to his birthplace, North Carolina’s Ocracoke island, and forms an unlikely friendship with a young pregnant woman called Deena. Transport yourself.
Smock Alley Theatre from September 19, €11 – €14
Image by Slater Lemley
5. Pig Brain – Emma Finegan, Sam Killan, Annachiara Vispi
Every Fringe festival needs a show about a lonely online streamer turned terrorist and thankfully, this is it. VOYAGR plans to save all future pigs and will bring us on a pathway of “absurb realisations, wild dancing and pure heartbreak” as we head towards salvation and/or annihilation.
Smock Alley Theatre from September 10, €11 – €14
Image by Hannah Bloom
A coming of age comedy about frenemies, first times and figuring it out; Frigid concerns itself with the life of 14-year-old Niamh O’Reilly. Written and performed by Rosa Bowden, expect cringe laced with wit and provocation.
Project Arts Centre (Cube) from September 14, €11 – €15
Image by Joseph Murphy
Words – Michael McDermott
Feature Image: Conor Horgan and Niall Sweeney
Check out our feature on Hive City Legacy here.
