A collaboration of productions designed and directed by final year MFA theatre directing and stage design students at The Lir Academy.
Gradfest is a collaboration of productions designed and directed by final year MFA theatre directing and stage design students at The Lir Academy. These plays are a culmination of an intensive year of hands-on training in directing, set design, lighting design and costume design.
The cast of each of the productions consists of final-year acting students and these productions will be stage-managed and technically managed by our stage management and technical theatre students.
Whats On:
The Nest by Franz Xaver Kroetz
Saturday 6th July – Wednesday 10th June
In the environmental drama The Nest by Franz Xaver Kroetz, translated by Conor McPherson, set in 2024 Dublin, Martha and Kurt, expectant parents, reside in a small apartment, work tirelessly, yet their efforts never suffice. When Kurt is offered quick money for a mysterious side job, his decision is swift. The play delves into the interplay between individual choices and collective consequences, exposing the underlying violence within our socioeconomic structure. It poses the question: What catalyses unity amidst such circumstances?”
Learn more and book your tickets here
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Monday 8th July – Thursday 11th June
In the rising darkness of Nazi Germany, Bent tells the story of Max, a gay man living a carefree life in Berlin. When violence erupts and his world crumbles, Max is forced to make a desperate choice. As he enters a concentration camp where and meets fellow prisoner Horst, and a brutal reality for the two men unfolds. Bent explores themes of survival, love, and the fight for humanity in the depths of depravity.
Learn more and book your tickets here
Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl
Tuesday 25th June – Friday 28th June 2024
Exploring questions about grief and loss, Sarah Ruhl’s 2003 play, Eurydice, breathes new life into the classic Greek myth. This poignant telling follows Eurydice’s journey through the underworld after her sudden death. The play is a powerful contemporary exploration of the dilemma of choice, and of romantic and familial love.
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The Almighty Sometimes by Kendall Feaver
Monday 24th June – Thursday 27th June 2024
Diagnosed with a severe mental illness as a child, Anna has been on medication for so long she can’t remember who she is without it; All she knows is that, as a little girl, she was a prodigious writing talent, in possession of a thrilling imagination. Has this been lost to years of pills and prescriptions? Now 18, Anna is determined to find out. Walking the line between control and care, her mother Renee, has always been at her side, keeping her safe.