Dublin Fringe Festival

The Dublin Fringe Festival allows artists to develop and present their work by submitting their application which is subsequently reviewed by the programme manager. The festival is open to both Irish and international participants.

The festival started in 1995 and expanded into a sixteen day festival, annually held in September and is dedicated to new and emerging artists. The Dublin Fringe offers live entertainment as well as performance opportunities in dance, theatre, live art, visual art, and music. To attract aspiring (and inspiring) artists, the fringe offers workshops throughout the festival to teach a wide variety of skills such as tassel swirling, hip hop, t'ai chi, and others to aid in exploring what’s new in the arts.

Venues

Each performance takes place in a venue which is deemed most suitable to the show. This can range from a number of cafes and theatres, as well as less traditional venues such as the Liffey Boardwalk or on a Dublin bus. For a number of years until 2009, The Spiegeltent, was a major part of the festival. It was erected in several sites most often located in Georges Dock. The Dublin Fringe Festival and Spiegeltent have attracted numerous successful shows such as the European phenomenon La Clique.

History

Originating in 1995, in association with the Dublin Theatre Festival, the Dublin Fringe Festival, known as “the fringe” of the theatre festival was created to promote the work of smaller theatre company productions. The Dublin Fringe Festival’s current director Roise Goan joined the team in 2008, taking over from Wolfgang Hoffmann. The Dublin Fringe Festival’s first year as an independent festival was in 2006. Notable successes of past Fringe Festivals include Conor McPherson, Mark O’Rowe, and Enda Walsh.

Some 2007 productions at the Dublin Fringe

• Waiting for Ikea, one of the many Dublin Fringe’s sell-out shows of 2007, tells the tale of two best friends who use humour to rediscover their past as well as explore what possibilities the future holds. “Everyone loves to laugh, and the duo are a bang on the funny bone.” (The Irish Times)
• La Clique, a “cabaret mix of risqué song, acrobatics, contortion and burlesque comedy that included an orifice-based, knickers-dropping musical stint.” (Irish Mail Sept 07)

“Universally acclaimed and much-traveled...sure to reach a wide audience and, as such, does not make for a bad emissary for what the fringe is all about.” (Irish Examiner Sept 07) “La Clique, the worldwide-sell-out show, will be the highlight of this year’s Dublin Fringe Festival. Get ready to pimp your nights with this phenomenal show, coming to Ireland for the first time.” (In Dublin Magazine Sept 07)

• Particularly in the Heartland raises the question “Can we fall in love with America again?” “The ensemble exhibit great physical skill, imaginative use of props and improvisation in the various games played.” (Irish Theatre Magazine Online)

“A surreal, witty and politically provocative show...” (The Event Guide Sept 07)

• Incarnat was described by Dublin Fringe Festival Director Wolfgang Hoffman as “the most disturbingly moving reflection on human pain and suffering that I have ever seen.”

“One of the festivals trumpeted international shows that left an impression.” (Irish Examiner Sept 07)

• Kuddelmuddel, which took place inside the artist’s flat, gave a real-life setting and model of the clutter of an artist’s life.

“Tackles the themes of stress, therapy and growing up as a Baptist in 1970’s Ireland.” (Irish Mail Sept 07)

• The Convent brings its 2005 sexiest show award winning cast from ‘The Hospital’ back for this tale of three nuns and some controversial subject matter.

“Brilliant choreography and some sharp humour.” (The Event Guide Sept 07) “Stigmata, visions and frenzies, power and humiliation, sex and violence are not just intimated at but actually simulated for our delectation with gleeful physicality and theatrical finesse.” (Metro)

External links

• The Dublin Fringe Festival Official website
• La Clique Website