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This same focus on access within the festival als
o extends to the financial, as this year the festival will introduce a ‘Pay What You Can’ night on Wednesday September 17th, applying to all the shows after 7pm. “It’s a really great opportunity if you would like a subsidised ticket,” Sparks sets out. “But also, if you have a little bit extra that you can use to support others who might not have access to the arts, you can pay a little more so it’s all balancing itself out.” For the first time, the festival are also trialling a new ‘Home Ground’ initiative. This is whereby one night of a show’s run will hold space for the specific community or demographic that the work speaks to. “So we have nights for working class audiences, for black and global majority audiences, for queer audiences,” Sparks explains. “Those will be popping up across the across the festival, and you can check them all out on the access and inclusion page.” If you’re an audience member seeking a more traditional live experience, there’s a wealth of diverse possibilities to choose from. You can enjoy brand new comedy shows from the likes of Sinead Quinlan, Tony Cantwell, Michael Fry or Anna Clifford. The more musically-minded can soak up stunning performances by Tolü Makay, Farah Elle or SexyTadhg. Those who prefer dance can delight in performances by Luail – Ireland’s National Dance Company, Jessie Thompson or Emily Terndrup. Theatre heads are also in for a treat, with shows from Oisín Kearney, Scaoilte Theatre, Gift Horse Theatre, Colm Keegan, Bluehouse Theatre and many more running throughout the festival. The programme also boasts brand new shows from gaeilgeoir Hector Ó Heochagáin, drag queen Shakira Knightly, Egg Cabaret and Felispeaks. And all of this is only the tip of the iceberg! So, be sure to check out all upcoming events by grabbing a Dublin Fringe Festival programme around town or visiting www. dublinfringefestival.ie. In terms of choosing what to see, Sparks advises taking a chance. “It’s always good to balance one of your ‘Fringe Favourites’, whether that be Alison Spittle or somebody like that… with somebody that you don’t know, or an art form that you haven’t seen before, because Fringe is that place where you might discover the person who would be your favourite in three years.” And with almost one third of programmed artists making their professional debut at Fringe, the odds of finding the next big thing are definitely in your favour! Whether you’re after drama, comedy, dance or something brand new – or none of the above – here are 10 Dublin Fringe Festival productions that Bee Sparks believes you should have on your radar: ALIENS Join a real-life mother and daughter on a road trip from Donegal to southern Italy, as they weave their personal stories with those of Italian immigrants in Northern Ireland and present-day migrants, activists, and strangers meet along the way. Blending performance, video, and live music, this show invites you to explore what it means to live between countries, generations, and identities - a meditation on inheritance, migration, and those who live in between: the aliens. CONSTRICTION Mai Ishikawa’s play is set inside a Japanese bullet-train, where we hear two voices talking about a woman who headed West to give up her baby. Sometimes serious, sometimes playful, they discuss the implications. But the more they talk, it seems, the less there is to say. And who are they, really? This experimental work is a surreal exploration of motherhood and identity, using sound and movement to explore the pain of facing reality. Written by a poet-and-translator who has lived in three different countries, the piece also transcends cultural boundaries; she draws inspiration from her Japanese heritage while delving deep into a universal theme. CHANGE BY CROÍ GLAN This dance performance weaves a powerful call-to-climate-action through movement, music, and diverse bodies in motion. Created by Croí Glan, a disabled-led dance company, and inspired by Rebecca Solnit’s Not Too Late and Christiana Figueres’s The Future We Choose, this hope-filled performance reimagines the world through resilience, connection, and community. Created in 22 collaboration with scientists from the Environmental Research Institute at UCC, and with diverse performers from diverse lands, this interdisciplinary dance theatre piece is a vibrant celebration of what we’ve lost – and what we can still save. CIRQUE DU HONEYPOT Presented by Dublin Fringe Festival this collaborative party for women comes to Dublin Fringe Festival 2025, curated by HONEYPOT. CIRQUE DU HONEYPOT is a queer circus-themed extravaganza encompassing music, visuals, performance and interactivity with collaborations from local creatives and friends of HONEYPOT. Expect HONEYPOT residents, special guest DJs, face painting, and hypnotic dance floor energy. Get your freak on. PEA DINNEEN: RAISING HER VOICE Raising Her Voice is a new show that mixes cabaret and theatre to tell the personal narrative about Pea’s own transgender liberation in the face of an uncaring system. Pea, a trans woman and recently married to their partner, brings her trans fantasia show devised in collaboration with theatre maverick Ronan Phelan and musical great Paul Prior. Pea asks ‘How do you raise a voice? And how do you get a whole country to hear it?’ She believes 1990s pop bangers adapted to fit this personal narrative are the key. This is as much a play about three decades in the history of a nation, as it is a vast ongoing vanity project from a disenfranchised millennial hag.