by Saoirse Anton

It’s September (how? Where is this year going? I think I lost a couple of months down the back of the press or between the couch cushions.) which means it is back-to-school season. It also means that after the, slightly, quieter summer months it is back-to-theatre season too. And where better to start back than at Dublin Fringe Festival? Tackling any busy festival programme and figuring out what to see can be more daunting than the task of finding lunchboxes, ties and calculators that have been abandoned since June! Luckily for you, I’m here to set your syllabus and get you started with some of my top Fringe recommendations!

Muster

The festival programme this year has a feast of multidisciplinary approaches to the stage, and this one in particular caught my eye. Described as a “live concept album blending spoken-word, rap and storytelling,” this new work from Dagogo Hart promises an insightful and courageous exporation of black masculinity, friendship, inheritance & legacy.

Arborlogues: A Botanical Recital Performed for one Tree

One of the reasons I love theatre festivals, and particularly fringe ones, is the likelihood of finding something odd or unusual that I might not otherwise have had the chance to experience. Arborlogues from Ofo Theatre definitely falls into that category. An experience for one audience member, and one tree, at a time, Arborlogues has been performed around the world for numerous people and numerous trees, inviting the audience member/participant to spend 15 minutes in gentle exchange with the chosen tree, guided by a script that brings them through a collection of stories, prompts and actions. If you’re keen to experience something truly new and different this Dublin Fringe Festival, then this production may be the one for you!

Afronauts

This production from Circus Zambia and Wake the Beast, co-produced by Civic Theatre and Dublin Fringe Festival, looks set to be a lot of fun. Described as “the story of the greatest space mission you have never heard of,” this production recounts the true story of Edward Mukuka Nkoloso, a man with a plan to send Africa’s first astronauts into the cosmos amidst the Space Race of the 1960s. Afronauts promises an entertaining story told through remarkable circus skills & visual spectacle.

Trolley Boy

Sitting writing this column just after returning from doing the weekly shop, a chore I do not enjoy, I found myself drawn to this production from Diarmuid Armstrong Mayock. A work of surreal dance theatre, Trolley Boy tells the story of Bob, a man lost in an endless shop. Another to add to the list of unusual but exciting and intriguing works that you find in festival programmes!

SOAK: The Perfect Man

Another multidisciplinary dive into the complexities of masculinity and grief, I suspect SOAK and Muster may be good companion pieces in the Dublin Fringe Festival programme, each taking a different approach to a similar theme. Described as “part concert, part confession, part reckoning,” this contemporary music-theatre experience from Samuel Yakura and +353 promises a challenging and absorbing look at vulnerability, masculinity and healing.

Kafka’s Doll

Theatre Lovett are always a reliable go-to for excellent family-friendly theatre, and I would expect Kafka’s Doll to continue that trend. Offering a glimpse into the imagination of a literary giant, Kafka’s Doll sets out to tell the story of Franz Kafka’s encounter with a tearful child that restored a “fragile but vital faith in the human spirit,” as he writes letters from the child’s lost doll, telling stories of the doll’s grand adventures. Sure to be a captivating, playful, play, Theatre Lovett’s Kafka’s Doll looks delightful to children and adults alike.

Pretty Vacant

The Performance Corporation are another reliable company for delivering high-quality original theatre. Fresh of their run of Tír an Traonigh in Belmullet, they are bringing a very different piece to the Tailor’s Hall as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival programme. A “high-octane musical satire” exploring topics of gentrification and the property crisis, Pretty Vacant tells the surreal and entertaining story of Carmilla, a former Eurovision star turned property mogul, and her attempt to “rebrand” the Liberties.

Across the Fence

Capturing the story of a relationship between a traveller man and a settled girl, Across The Fence promises a beautifully human story about prejudice, trust and connection. Across the Fence is also part of Dublin Fringe Festival's Home Ground community takeover performances initiative, a brilliant section of the programme that facilitates artists to co-create safe, celebratory audience spaces for the communities their work represents.

This is only a tiny taste of the smorgasbord that makes up the Dublin Fringe Festival programme this year, but I hope it helps you start deciding where you want to delve in. My number one rule for any festival programme is to keep an open mind – you never know what you might discover!