Dublin Theatre Festival: World-class Theatre at The Civic

By London Brazal

The Civic eagerly welcomes audiences to watch three diverse offerings as part of the three-week Dublin Theatre Festival taking place from September 29 to October 17.

Found in the heart of Tallaght, The Civic is excited to be able to present world-class theatre, free events and digital experiences for the 2021 festival. Viewers have the opportunity to find a production tailored for them with the available choices entering October.

From September 29 to October 3, Director John O’Brien and the Everyman present ‘Heart of a Dog’ written by Éadaoin O’Donoghue. The live theatre shows are at 8pm and the matinee performance is at 3pm on October 2. Tickets start at €23.

Inspired by Mikhail Bulgakov’s masterpiece novel, Éadaoin O’Donoghue’s play is a Frankenstein fable that is an absurd and superbly comic odyssey. Sharik, played by Matthew O’Brien, is a gruesome scientific experiment that transforms into a man.

Audiences will empathize with the human challenges he must face in the 95 minutes on stage. Other cast members include Derbhle Crotty, Steve Blount, Michael Grennell, and Karen McCartney.

Available on-demand from September 30 to October 17, ‘about:blank’ is an audio immersive play of interconnected narratives by Adam Wyeth. The site-responsive play’s tickets are €11.

With this different kind of performance, audiences engage with their phone for a run time of two hours and 15 minutes. ‘About:blank’ is what appears when there is nothing else to display. It exists in the space between the internet and viewers.

The play has emerged from the 2020 pandemic, specifically through the isolating times. It is a series of Dublin stories that are interconnected and explore themes of identity, loss and love. Listen to the stories of an émigré working in a charity shop, a missing cat, the internal chatter of a yoga session, a writer disagreeing with her characters and a couple discussing their absent daughter.

A one-night-only presentation at The Civic of ‘The Death of Pablo’ will be staged on October 10 at 3pm. The event is free but space is limited.

Directed by Ali Hardiman, the hour-long production is an explosive comedy about friendship, loss, Wezz, What’s App and Jesus. In the sitcom, an estranged group of friends come back to town for the funeral of their beloved childhood friend Pablo.

The events surrounding Pablo’s death are suspicious and no one seems quite sure how he died. In their quest to understand what happened, dark secrets and old rivalries quickly resurface and the group finds themselves reverting back into what they have spent the last eight years trying to escape.

The Civic is an integral part of the arts in Tallaght and South Dublin County. It is a place of possibility, opportunity, and transformation, where all people are inspired and nurtured to play a creative and civic role in our world.

For a full list of all events available as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival see dublintheatrefestival.ie.

For more information about The Civic and tickets to the upcoming performances see www.civictheatre.ie