Theatre | Latest Theatrical News & Reviews

Vincent O'Neill in his play Joycity, circa 1994. (Pic: Jennifer Soo/Fairfax Media via Getty Images).

Death announced of celebrated theatre actor Vincent O'Neill

The death of the celebrated theatre actor Vincent O'Neill in Buffalo New York on Tuesday night was confirmed by his niece, Fair City's Aisling O'Neill .

In Memoriam • 18 Jun

Wreckquiem - Pat Shortt is music-mad in Mike Finn's new play

RTÉ Arena spoke to multi-award-winning actor, comedian, show runner, comedian, musician and national treasure Pat Shortt.

RTÉ Arena • 17 Jun

Eileen Walsh onstage in The Second Woman (Pics: Jed Niezgoda)

I am Woman: Eileen Walsh's 24-hour theatrical tour-de-force

Between 4pm on Saturday 14 June and 4pm on Sunday 15 June, Walsh spent 24 hours playing The Second Woman at Cork Opera House as part of Cork Midsummer Festival 2025. I watched her for sixteen of them.

Theatre • 17 Jun

The playwright involved said the message of the play is one of understanding

New play aims to tell the untold stories of IP applicants

A play based on the real life experiences of people living in an International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) centre in Newbridge, Co Kildare, has begun a nationwide tour.

Ireland • 13 Jun

Jimmy McAleavey: 'Maybe in the end, perversely, it's about having the last word.'

Calling Donegal from outer space: Jimmy McAleavey on his new play

In Jimmy McAleavey's new play Static, a veteran astronaut in space and a lonely amateur radio operator in Donegal find each other by chance in the most unusual way.

Theatre • 12 Jun

Dancing at Lughnasa played to sold out houses at The Gate Theatre in 2024

The tension at the heart of Brian Friel's enduring appeal

As the Gate Theatre's acclaimed revival of Brian Friel's play Dancing At Lughnasa returns to Dublin's 3Olympia this July, Thomas Conway explores the enduring appeal of the Donegal playwright's work.

Theatre • 10 Jun

The Maestro and The Mosquita by Carmel Winters, a winner at last year's Dublin Fringe

Support, don't star: rethinking the Arts Council's role

Theatremaker Dan Colley asks: Has the Arts Council of Ireland taken on too much 'main character energy'?

Opinion and Analysis • 07 Jun

Watch: RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival Gala Awards 2025

All roads lead to Athlone as nine finalist drama groups from all over Ireland battle it out in the finals of the RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival...

Theatre • 17 May

Watch Now: RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival Awards 2025

Ballyduff Drama Group from County Waterford has been crowned winner of the 2025 RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival for their production of The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Tóibín, adapted for stage by David Horan.

Theatre • 22 May

Entering The Cave: "It's just epically funny from the get-go"

A man crawls out of a cave in south county Sligo on all fours, looking like 'he's after a night of the horrors'. A second man appears, managing 'to stand up on his two feet'...

Theatre • 15 May

Luail steps up - Ireland's national dance theatre takes flight

Liz Roche, Artistic Director of Luail, Ireland's all-island dance company, talks about the beginnings of the company, as it prepares to make its highly anticipated debut this May with Chora, a triple bill of new dance works.

Dance • 05 May

Aoife Sweeney O'Connor in Síomha and the Otherworld (Pic: Pato Cassinoni)

Síomha's trip to the Otherworld - using folklore to explore grief

Theatremaker Em Ó Ceallaigh introduces their new play Síomha and the Otherworld, a new Immersive work for young audiences, touring venues this June.

Theatre • 15 May

Eileen Walsh stars in The Second Woman at Cork Midsummer

Cork Midsummer Festival returns with a cultural lark by the Lee

Festival Director Lorraine Maye previews the 2025 Cork Midsummer Festival programme, bringing an eclectic array of cultural activity to the banks of the river Lee this June.

Festivals • 01 May

Mezzo-soprano Gemma Ní Bhriain (Pic: Miriam Kaczor)

Something for the Weekend: Gemma Ní Bhriain cultural picks

Dublin-born mezzo-soprano Gemma Ní Bhriain is busy performing both at home and across Europe...

Something For The Weekend • 30 Apr

Paul Mescal and Nicola Coughlan set to tread the boards in Dublin and London

Paul Mescal and Nicola Coughlan to take to the stage

Paul Mescal and Nicola Coughlan are due to return to the stage in separate productions in Dublin and London.

Theatre • 03 May

Irish composer Michael Gallen (Pic: Daire Hall)

Irish composer Michael Gallen wins world's top new opera prize

Irish composer Michael Gallen has been awarded the 2025 FEDORA Opera Prize, the world's largest award for new opera, for his upcoming work The Curing Line.

Opera • 28 Apr

Representatives of the nine 2025 RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival (AIDF) finalists with the Perpetual Trophy

RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival final to livestream on RTÉ Culture

Amateur drama takes centre stage at the 2025 RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival (AIDF), promising a feast of drama, an action-packed fringe festival and a livestreamed event.

Theatre • 13 May

How an Irish tale of homelessness became a theatrical hit

Have you ever walked past a homeless person begging in the street and turned your head away pretending not to see them?

Theatre • 16 Apr

Sunday Miscellany on a chance encounter with Samuel Beckett

Never meet your heroes? Not in this instance, when it's Beckett on a Parisian street

Sunday Miscellany • 15 Apr

Something for the Weekend: David Rawle's cultural picks

Leitrim-born actor David Rawle first came to prominence as the titular character in Chris O'Dowd's much-loved TV series Moone Boy

Something For The Weekend • 09 Apr

Donal Ryan's From A Low And Quiet Sea, from page to stage

Donal Ryan is a master of the layered narrative, and his award winning novel From a Low and Quiet Sea is a case in point.

RTÉ Arena • 14 Apr

Denis Conway: 'It's vital to bring my experience with the play to the table,
but equally important to let go of any preconceived notions.'

Actor Denis Conway on Making History and the Friel factor

The Everyman Theatre in Cork is staging a major revival of Making History, Brian Friel's celebrated play about resistance, revolution and the remaking of heroes.

Theatre • 15 Apr

David Hayman and Charlene Boyd in Death Of A Salesman (Pics: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan)

Why Death of a Salesman remains relevant for our times

As his acclaimed production of Death of a Salesman comes to Dublin's Gaiety Theatre, director Andy Arnold explores the timeless appeal of Arthur Miller's classic play.

Theatre • 07 Apr

The full Druid company before departing for their first tour to the Aran Islands with J M Synge's The Playboy of the Western World (Photo: Bill Doyle)

Hitting the road - Druid theatre marks 50th anniversary

Druid is marking its 50th anniversary this year and the Galway-based theatre company has announced it will be staging a double bill of Synge's Riders to the Sea and Shakespeare's Macbeth to celebrate.

Culture • 03 Apr

Conleth Hill stars as King Lear at The Gate Theatre (Pic: Ros Kavanagh)

The promised land? King Lear and the shape of tragedy

Dr. Miranda Fay Thomas explores the history behind William Shakespeare's masterpiece King Lear, currently playing at Dublin's Gate Theatre.

Theatre • 31 Mar