Róise Goan, artistic director of Dublin Theatre Festival, sits down with Orla Mahon to discuss the role of theatre today.
Theatre perpetually occupies the space between that which is inherited, that which is granted the sacred titles of history, of classic - and that which stretches ahead of us, extending our awareness to other ways of being and knowing, ways of being that have been excluded from classical narratives. Dublin Theatre Festival encapsulates this battle, and proves that the two do not have to stand in contradiction. Running from September 25th to October 12th, its programme centres the voices of those who have too often been silenced.
Ahead of the festival’s commencement, Róise Goan, Artistic Director and CEO of Dublin Theatre Festival, spoke to OTwo about the process of developing the programme, the value of theatre today, and what audiences should be looking forward to this year at Dublin Theatre Festival. Róise has served as the Artistic Coordinator at Viernulvier, Ghent, and Artistic Director at Artsadmin, London. She was previously the director of Dublin Fringe Festival. This is her first year as Artistic Director of Dublin Theatre Festival, following Willie White stepping down last year. “Having had the experience of running a festival in Dublin previously, and then having worked internationally, it’s an extraordinary privilege to be able to bring some of the work I've been able to see all around the world to audiences in Dublin," says Róise.
“What's most exciting for me is, having seen all of the international shows already, the chance to see these shows again, and to see the Irish premieres that we're presenting during the festival - it's such a gift.”
This year, Dublin Theatre Festival’s programme is centring the voices of those who have historically been unheard within theatre - placing emphasis on the stories and experiences of people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, and deaf people. “In our opening weekend, we have this extraordinary production of Hamlet that's coming from Peru, from Teatro La Plaza in Lima, which is a production of Hamlet like nothing you've ever seen before. It's performed by a group of young people who have Down Syndrome - the premise of the production is that for this group of performers, their experience of Hamlet is from being ushers in a theatre, watching this show and going, “what has this got to do with my life?” And then the production places them into the action of Hamlet,” says Róise. “You don't need to have any experience of Hamlet to come and see this production, to really experience . . . what it's fundamentally about, which is about a young person who's trying to determine his own place in the world.”
Accompanying Hamlet on opening weekend is Rébecca Chaillon’s Whitewashing, a show performed and authored by Chaillon and Aurore Déon, based upon the experience of the white gaze in the authors’ lives. “I think that show is also really extraordinary in terms of how it gives the audience an understanding of what it is to live [Rébecca’s] life,” Róise says. The Making of Pinocchio, also showing on opening weekend, uses the story of Pinocchio as a metaphor for gender transition. “With each of these three incredible international shows, they allow us to imagine a very particular kind of life experience, and maybe one that isn't familiar to us.”
The programme also includes performances from Irish artists, such as Shane O’Reilly’s work, Her Father’s Voice. “What's really exciting about this show is that it presents an experience, while the other, the shows I've just talked about kind of give you a glimpse into a life that's perhaps very different, for most of the audience,” says Róise. “Her Father’s Voice presents us with something which, on the surface, feels very familiar at the beginning, but as we move through the performance, it reveals the kind of brutality, or violence, of caring actions within families - the things people do to ostensibly take care of each other, and the repercussions of those choices across generations. The show itself is performed in part in ISL, because some of the cast of the show are deaf people, and part of the show is in opera, performed with a live orchestra, with opera singers. It’s a story of domestic life in Dublin [told] in a way that is both shocking in its familiarity and mind-expanding in its scale and vision.”
“What's extraordinary is just seeing the work of artists who are centering experiences of people whose voices or ideas or experiences have not been historically represented, and using these classic stories like Hamlet, like Pinocchio,” says Róise, “What I can do is is give an audience an invitation to come and experience that and witness that - there’s a heightened experience when you see a story that you know already in a way that you couldn't possibly imagine, and that for me is one of the great privileges of the theatre . . . it's a very powerful experience, and all the more powerful because it's a shared experience - that's what the theatre can offer us.”
In order to make the festival accessible for those who may not otherwise be able to afford to attend, Dublin Theatre Festival hosts the 10 for 10 programme - where 10% of tickets for all shows are available for €10 for under 30s, those that are unwaged, and freelance arts workers. “I know, for students reading the paper, that they will be so conscious of the barriers to living a fun and joyous life in Dublin at the moment. But the small things we can do to make a rich cultural life more accessible, we all need to be doing that.” Registration for the 10 for 10 programme remains open until September 17th at 2PM.
“The thing about Dublin Theatre Festival is, you're only going to get a chance to see these shows once,” says Róise. “So take the chance, come into town or get on the bus to some of our partner venues around the city and, and see the show, because those experiences can't be repeated - they're ephemeral.”