Star-studded Galway Arts Festival draws near

THE world premiere of a new play by Enda Walsh starring leading Irish actor Cillian Murphy; a major new exhibition by Hughie O’Donoghue; two Shakespeare productions from Ed Hall’s Propeller Theatre Company; a new play by Mike Bartlett; AfroCubism, featuring Toumani Diabaté and Eliades Ochoa; Blondie; Macnas; Colm Tóibín and Emma Donoghue, are just some of the attractions lined up for the 34th Galway Arts Festival next month.
“Festival 2011 features an international programme of artists from Africa, America, Asia, Australia and Europe, with a strong focus on Irish work and home-grown productions at the heart of this year’s festival,” said the festival’s artistic director, Paul Fahy.
Galway Arts Festival also announced a new partnership with NUI Galway in support of the festival’s Volunteer Programme and Selected, a new development strand of the festival for emerging artists and producers. Full details of this new partnership, which will see both organisations working together, will be announced in mid-June.
“We are particularly delighted to work in co-production with Landmark Productions on Enda Walsh’s Misterman featuring Cillian Murphy and we are very excited to work once again with Hughie O’Donoghue on a major exhibition of his work. Galway Arts Festival from July 11 to 24, offers a treasure trove of the very best of international performing and visual arts,” said Paul Fahy.
A world premiere of a new version by Enda Walsh of his play Misterman, reunites two of Ireland’s major stars for the first time since their collaboration on Walsh’s groundbreaking Disco Pigs in 1996 and features a newly commissioned score by Donnacha Dennehy.
Propeller, under the direction of Edward Hall, make a welcome return to Galway with a hugely entertaining double-bill of Shakespeare’s Richard III and The Comedy of Errors, while the Paines Plough/Drum Theatre production of the funny new play Love, Love, Love, by Olivier Award-winning playwright Mike Bartlett, makes its Irish debut at the festival. Australia’s ThisSideUp also make their Irish debut with Controlled Falling Project, a thrilling and breathtaking display of acrobatic and circus skills.
Other Irish theatre and performances at the festival include Fishamble Theatre’s new production Silent, a remarkably touching story of a homeless man written and performed by Pat Kinevane; the extraordinary Request Programme, a site-specific play for an audience of just 20, featuring Eileen Walsh in a Corcadorca production directed by Pat Kiernan and a unique festival performance, The Devil’s Spine Band, a multi-disciplinary performance and installation under the direction of Trevor Knight, in a stunning visual setting by Alice Maher, featuring an international cast, including the extraordinary performer Olwen Fouéré.
The streets of Galway will come alive with the world premiere of This Fierce Beauty from Macnas directed by Noeline Kavanagh, central to this year’s street theatre programme, which also features the spectacular Les Philibulistes’ Arcane from France and the visual feast that is Dinosaur Petting Zoo from Australia’s Erth. New theatre work from Galway includes An Taibhdhearc’s West of Ireland version of Dario Fo’s Italian classic Accidental Death of an Anarchist and new work from Galway Youth Theatre.
The Mood of a New Frontier, a panel discussion featuring cultural practitioners and commentators examines the impact and value of the arts nationally and internationally, while Willy Vlautin, Roddy Doyle, Colm Tóibín and Emma Donoghue also participate in this year’s literary programme.
Backstage at the festival is a series of post-show and gallery conversations creating an informal platform for audiences to hear artists discuss the process of creating their work.
Live at the Festival Big Top features an amazing line-up of musicians and artists, including a double-bill with De La Soul and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble; a fantastic night of world music with AfroCubism featuring Toumani Diabaté and Eliades Ochoa and Blondie making a welcome return to Galway, following their unforgettable performance at Festival 2008, headlining another Big Top show.