Date/Time: 14 May @ 16:00 (Matinees); 9-14 May @ 21:00 (Evenings);
Venue: THE TEACHERS CLUB (MAIN) Category: Drama
Date/Time: 14 May @ 16:00 (Matinees); 9-14 May @ 19:30 (Evenings);
Venue: PLAYERS THEATRE @ TRINITY COLLEGE Category: Drama
Date/Time: 14 May @ 16:00 (Matinees); 9-14 May @ 21:00 (Evenings);
Venue: THE IRELAND INSTITUTE, 27 PEARSE ST Category: Drama
Date/Time: 14 May @ 14:30 (Matinees); 9-14 May @ 19:30 (Evenings);
Venue: THE TEACHERS CLUB (MAIN) Category: Short Plays
Date/Time: 14 May @ 14:30 (Matinees); 9-14 May @ 19:30 (Evenings);
Venue: THE IRELAND INSTITUTE, 27 PEARSE ST Category: Comedy Drama
Date/Time: 15 May @ 20:00;
Venue: THE TEACHERS CLUB (MAIN) Category: Comedy, Music & Drama
Date/Time: 2,7 May @ 14:30 (Matinees); 2-7 May @ 21:00 (Evenings);
Venue: PLAYERS THEATRE @ TRINITY COLLEGE Category: Comedy Drama
Reserve a table now for our fundraising table quiz!
Where: Street 66, 33-34 Parliament Street, Dublin 2
When: Thursday March 31st @ 8pm
Tables of 4 for €40. Reserve a table at quiz@gaytheatre.ie
Hosted by Conor Clear.
Prizes galore!
We are working hard to bring the stories of LGBTQ+ people back to the stage in Dublin and to support dozens of local and international artists post-Covid. Without any government funding we are depending on the support of the community – the LGBTQ+, arts and business communities. As a not-for-profit voluntary organisation, every cent we receive goes back into the community.
Help us by spreading the word about our Table Quiz, coming along on the night or even donating extra prizes via quiz@gaytheatre.ie
We’re back! We are putting the final touches to our exciting 2022 programme
There will be drama, comedy, short plays and more from Ireland and around the world as well as a programme of free events.
The Festival will take place in venues across Dublin City Centre running from Bank Holiday Monday May 2nd to Sunday May 15th 2022, when we will close with our annual Gala Awards Night.
Join us as we bring live LGBTQ+ theatre back to the stages of Dublin!
The programme will be announced at the end of March, so keep watching for more details on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or sign up to our email newsletters.
Awash with government funding to support the arts during Covid, the Arts Council of Ireland has slashed our funding to zero.
The Arts Council states: ‘Within the changed cultural climate of the present day, where festivals and theatres across the country are now including high quality ‘LGBTQIA+ focused theatre’ in their programme, the IGDTF [sic] mission and recent festival iteration to ‘celebrate LGBT identity through theatre in a dialogue with mainstream society’ appears less compelling in the competitive context of FIS funding. It could also be argued that the organisation’s aim ‘to foster diversity and equality’ is hampered by its corralling of the work of LGBTQ artists within the narrower frame of the ‘gay theatre’ brand’.
IDGTF states: So, there you have it! This is what we have been putting up with along with Covid! Heteronormative society says a community celebrating LGBTQ+ identity through theatre, curated and presented by LGBTQ+ people is no longer necessary as ‘straight’ events now do what we do. Equally, celebrating LGBTQ+ people and their stories in a safe and welcoming environment somehow ‘hampers diversity and equality’… Had this discriminatory nonsense been written in the last century, you could put it down to the prejudice and ignorance of earlier times, but clearly, there is an absence of understanding of diversity, equality and positive action. The right of minority groups to define and celebrate their own identity is essential to diverse theatre and a pluralist society. The don’t get that.
We asked the Council to evidence this ‘analysis’ that everyone else does gay theatre now, under the Freedom of Information Act. We have been told that no studies or comparisons exist to substantiate their bizarre claim. They haven’t undertaken an equality audit or assessed access to theatre by LGBTQ+ artists at all.
In the meantime, grant applicants like us are asked for tomes of evidence of everything they say and do… We provided strong evidence of our recent activities – books, bursaries and online plays that supported artists at this time of crisis. We provided detailed future plans and powerful testimonies from our artists and partners. This was acknowledged and then dismissed by the Council in favour of their own non-evidenced opinion.
It is likely our Festival is the only, still viable, arts event that has had support refused, at a time when Government has provided an extra 50 million euros to support recovery in the sector.
You can make your own views known to the members of the Arts Council and your local representatives if you wish.
The evidence we have accumulated to combat two years of cuts and now abolition, has persuaded the Ombudsman to open a case for investigation into this personalised travesty. We await the outcome of that investigation.
Arts Council Director Maureen Kennelly welcomed the Council’s additional funding, stating:
“People working within the arts have shown remarkable resilience, imagination and compassion during the pandemic. The return to presentation of work for the public is happening steadily and carefully and it is vital that we protect the sector as it emerges. With this increased investment, high quality work can be made and can reach the public safely. It will also help us ensure that people from all backgrounds in every part of the country will have the opportunity to participate in and experience the arts.”
We look forward to a time when the actions of the Arts Council match, rather than directly contradict, their noble words.
We are currently seeking submissions for our 19th Festival, taking place from May 2-15 2022.
If you have a production and are interested in taking part, please see our submissions’ page here.
Our new book is on sale now! 18 and Coming of Age: The Director’s Cut features an anthology of works by our 2021 bursary recipients as well as the story of how the Festival reached its milestone birthday, by Festival Founder and Artistic Director Brian Merriman.
On sale via the Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride Shop and secure online purchase via Ticketsolve (price €20, including national & international postage).
IDGTF Festival founder and Artistic Director Brian Merriman launches our special 2021 online Festival.
Don’t miss the 13 productions on view in 2021, available until the end of June.
We are delighted to announce that our 2021 Online Festival is now available to stream online.
See the full programme and watch on-demand here. But hurry, as the plays will only be available during this Pride month 2021.
We are delighted to support a wide range of Irish and international artists to make this possible.
We particularly want to thank Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride, without whom this would not have been possible, the Arts Council and our donors and friends who have kept us going during this challenging time.
So now sit back, relax and enjoy our 18th Festival as the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival comes of age!
Category: Drama Dates: Free to stream online from June 7th
Whilst we locked ourselves down in 2020 and watched the world burn, we turned to Zoom to keep alive conversations and a sense of community. ‘Conversations’ sees seven people do exactly that.
This production is no longer available.
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The International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival comes of age in 2021.
Welcome to our 18th Festival!
Two years have passed since we last gathered in person to celebrate queer artists and moving expressions of wonderful LGBTQ+ stories.
This year, join us for our online festival, sponsored by Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride and the Arts Council.
Tune in for world premieres and exciting partnerships. Here’s what founder and Artistic Director of the Festival, Brian Merriman, had to say about this year!
2021 is the second year our stages went dark due to Covid. We have had no income and no renewal of the essential volunteer effort that has sustained us to reach our 18th year. Grant support has been lost or cuts maintained.
But there is a lot of good news! Pride month in June is our time to celebrate with you what makes Dublin a unique centre for LGBTQ+ theatre worldwide. Our small team has produced a remarkable programme to celebrate our ‘coming of age’.
2,500 Euro was awarded to 11 Irish and Irish resident playwrights for new Irish LGBTQ+ plays in May.
A new book IDGTF: 18 and Coming of Age the Director’s Cut – including 13 new plays will be published in June to celebrate our special birthday, and available on www.gaytheatre.ie.
We are really delighted to bring our loyal audiences a free online virtual Festival of 13 plays from Ireland and abroad beginning from June 7th.
Thanks to our ongoing partnership with Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride, who funded the recording of new plays and who financially supported our artists, we are delighted to present this free festival of many new dramatic works.
It is great to reconnect our artists with our audience online in June as we await our return to live theatre in May 2022.
I salute all of the writers of the 65 new plays encouraged by our 2020 and 2021 Bursary opportunities – an unimagineable number of new
Irish plays when we began in 2004. I am in admiration of the productions in our online festival who have adapted their plays to fit the digital format.
We hope you enjoy being part of our 18th birthday celebrations and here’s to returning to live theatre in 2022!
The streaming of these plays will be available through Dublin Pride’s Vimeo account on both the Pride and IDGTF websites. All productions are free for viewing and uploads will start from June 7th. Tune in to catch moving stories and beautiful theatre produced against all odds.
Against the ever-present anxieties and stresses of the past year, these plays are a testament to playwrights from Ireland and across the globe triumphing over the odds to produce breathtaking works of art. In a time when we cannot be together nor express ourselves through live theatre, it is important that these voices are heard. These plays are truly inspiring works borne out of these daunting times.
The International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival comes of age in 2021.
Over the past eighteen years, the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival has worked to highlight LGBTQ+ stories through groundbreaking drama. Following the outbreak of COVID-19 last year, our first ever bursary scheme was launched in 2020 resulting in the publication of The Plays Inside.
Carrying on from our successes last year, we are pleased to announce an action-packed 18th Festival for 2021. This includes our online festival, in collaboration with Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride, beginning June 7th and the eleven recipients of our artists’ bursary scheme for 2021. Against the ever-present anxieties and stresses of the past year, these plays are a testament to playwrights from Ireland and across the globe triumphing over the odds to produce breathtaking works of art. In a time when we cannot be together nor express ourselves through live theatre, it is important that these voices are heard. These plays are truly inspiring works borne out of these daunting times. IDGTF’s commitment to highlighting these stories can be viewed on streaming platforms and in print over the coming weeks.
IDGTF Artistic Director, Brian Merriman, had the following to say of this year’s phenomenal effort:
2021 is the second year our stages went dark due to Covid. We have had no income and no renewal of the essential volunteer effort that has sustained us to reach our 18th year. Grant support has been lost or cuts maintained. But there is a lot of good news! Pride month in June is our time to celebrate with you what makes Dublin a unique centre for LGBTQ+ theatre worldwide.
Our small team has produced a remarkable programme to celebrate our ‘coming of age’.
2500 euros was awarded to 11 Irish and Irish-resident playwrights for new Irish LGBTQ+ plays in May.
A new book ‘IDGTF: 18 and Coming of Age the Director’s Cut’ – including 13 new plays will be published in June to celebrate our special birthday, and available on www.gaytheatre.ie.
We are really delighted to bring our loyal audiences a free online virtual Festival of 13 plays from Ireland and abroad beginning from June 7th.
Thanks to our ongoing partnership with Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride, who funded the recording of new plays and who financially supported our artists, we are delighted to present this free festival of many new dramatic works. It is great to reconnect our artists with our audience online in June as we await our return to live theatre in May 2022. I salute all of the writers of the 65 new plays encouraged by our 2020 and 2021 Bursary opportunities – an unimaginable number of new Irish plays when we began in 2004. I am in admiration of the productions in our online festival who have adapted their plays to fit the digital format. We hope you enjoy being part of our 18th birthday celebrations and here’s to returning to live theatre in 2022!
The streaming of these plays will be available through Dublin Pride’s Vimeo account on both the Pride and IDGTF websites. All productions are free for viewing and uploads will start from June 7th. Tune in to catch moving stories and beautiful theatre produced against all odds.
This year was no easy feat for deciding bursary winners. We received twenty-nine wonderful plays from which the selection was made. The plays chosen are incredibly diverse and tell beautiful queer stories centring around this year’s theme. In the eighteenth year of the Festival, there was no theme more fitting than ‘Coming of Age’. All twenty-nine writers embraced this theme to explore pivotal moments in young queer lives.
We also want to acknowledge the support of the Arts Council for their support in 2021, which made it possible to run this initiative for a second year.
All of the following eleven plays can be read in this year’s book, 18 and Coming of Age: The Director’s Cut, which launches this June.
Two Gerry Sinnott Bursary LGBT Ally Bursaries
Maxine
By David O’Brien, Dublin
A play exploring loyalty, legacy and the inseparable ties of family.
Trapped and made infamous by the literary diaries of the lover she murdered, Maxine decides to carry out a plan to reclaim her girlfriend and destroy those who damaged her legacy.
A spectacular life demands a spectacular death.
Masc
By David O’Brien, Dublin
A play about male vulnerability and what happens if it’s exploited by someone who has chosen hatred as their modus operandi. Thynne Davis runs a course for disenfranchised men to become ‘manlier’ through his acting workshop by embodying famous ‘masculine’ characters. However his irresponsible rhetoric radicalises those involved and has disastrous consequences.
Two Amy Dalton LGBT Ally Bursaries
Half of Nothing
By Ella Skolimowski, Dublin
Yaretsi is at that awkward age: their testicles have descended, but their periods still haven’t started. Sex ed class isn’t helping them feel any less worried. Yaretsi begins to suspect they might be a man. But that’s impossible – no one is a man, or a woman; gender is a spectrum. Anyone who claims otherwise threatens the stability of this genderless utopia. Failed by their parents, teachers and the courts, Yaretsi takes drastic action to live in the body he wants.
Suicide Pact
By Jason Goodwin-Tully, Limerick
Two strangers meet on a bridge one night and strike up an unlikely friendship after making a pact to kill themselves. As they share their stories, will the different paths that led them to the bridge that night and their newfound friendship be enough to save them both?
Four Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride Bursaries
The Dwyer Scandal
By Robert Downes, Dublin
A murder investigation is launched into the suspicious death of the minister for Education. Rumours are flying about the conduct of Minster Dwyer. A married man, a family man, found dead at a gay sex party with drugs in his system. What does this mean for the government, can they survive another scandal? What does it mean for the people involved? That is a matter for the courts, first we need to find out the whole story.
Stripes
By Marcus Bateson, Clonakilty, Co. Cork
Stripes is trying to do post-graduate life right. Unpaid Internship in a hipster magazine – check. Tiring barista job earning minimum wage – check. Paying ridiculously high rent – check. Avoiding feelings of abandonment with meaningless and regular Grindr hookups – check. Stripes is a one act play which delves unromantically into the struggles and realities of being gay and in your early twenties in Dublin – crafting tragic events with a dark humour as it explores themes of mental health, queer loneliness and grief.
The Changing Room
By Eveanna O’Meara and Aoife O’Beirne, Dublin
It’s only 11 a.m. in Marks and Spencer’s changing room but a lot is already happening in those cubicles. Bra shopping isn’t fun when Lorna’s breasts are trying to kill her. Peggy thinks she needs parachutes not a sports bra to hold hers up because gravity isn’t kind when you’re 76 years of age! Charlotte has a new partner, she always thought she liked boys until she kissed a girl and liked it! Shauna needs a nursing bra, and possibly a paternity test. And Paula , the shop assistant well her mind is somewhere else, she’s just turned 50 and can’t stop thinking about becoming a swinger, she just needs to persuade her husband Eddie to have sex with other women! A lot of things are changing for them all, but will that change come at a cost and what if it all goes tits up!
The Death of Me
By Sean Denyer, Dublin
Susanne has a great life, a job she loves, a fantastic Polish wife and a son she adores, to say nothing of a gay ex-husband and his partner with whom she has made a rainbow family to be proud of. But during make-up sex her wife, Magda, a lump in her breast is discovered, and her life may never be the same again. ‘The Death of Me’ explores one woman’s cancer journey, one which will redefine all her significant relationships, but more importantly force herself to reflect on a very difficult question. What is it I want out of life?
Four Terrence McNally Bursaries
The Talk
By Jonathan Hughes, Limerick
Inspired in part by my own coming out story, THE TALK is a short comedy about the conversation that takes place between father and son, after a domineering unionist father walks in on his son in bed with a man. But, you see, when Dennis Foster walks in on his son, Dennis Foster is dressed in full IRA paramilitary gear. His secret life as a republican freedom-fighter has just been outed to his staunch protestant son. During the “talk” that follows indiscretions are revealed and old secrets come to light as acceptance and forgiveness are begged for.
Biding My Time
By Tighearnan Noonan, Dublin
After finally finding acceptance within himself and his loved ones, a man struggles with the restrictions a new culture brings as he enters a new life with his partner.
Long Distance
By Katherine O Donnell, Cork
Long Distance is set in the mid 1980s in a Cork city domestic hallway when telephone answering machines were still a novelty. The play features a young lesbian and her older sister and how they triumph in stopping the aggressive phonecalls of a disgruntled ex-lover.
The Last Night
By ‘Benjamin Resande’, Armagh
Gerard and Anthony have bumped into each other after many many years. There is a lot of water “under the bridge”. We encounter them both as Gerard makes a short trip to visit Anthony at his Turkish coastal holiday home to meet up, chat about old times, get to know each other again. It’s the last night of the trip. One last night.
// Ends.
Press Release is downloadable below.
The 18th International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival goes online!
We are proud to announce that after a year of absence, we are back! This year, we are partnering up with Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride, and all of our 13 plays will be available to watch online for FREE. No matter where you are in the world, you can watch this year’s festival from the comfort (and safety) of your own home.
You can already check out the programme here. From Monday, 7 June, you’ll be able to find a link to our online streaming service. Do you want to watch a particular play? Go right ahead. Are you more of a binge-watcher who can’t get enough? Just keep on watching, we won’t judge.
We hope to see you at our 18th festival as the International Dublin Gay Theatre comes of age!
Category: Comedy Drama Dates: Free to stream online from June 7th
‘No Evidence’ is a love story set in 1980’s Dublin, when the definition of ‘safe sex’ meant not getting a girl pregnant!
Our double dating guys always seem to land in bed together after a weekend party.