KAFKA'S DOLL to Make World Premiere at Abbey Theatre for Dublin Fringe 2026

Theatre Lovett return to the stage with an exciting brand new work this September, with a new family show that opens up the world of Franz Kafka to young people and their older counterparts. Kafka's Doll written by lifelong fan of Kafka, Frances Kay, has created her theatrical story about the literary genius who wrote letters to a young girl after losing her doll. This new play offers a rare glimpse into the imagination of one of literature's most influential figures - and makes its world premiere at The Abbey Theatre on the Peacock stage, running as part of Dublin Fringe Festival 2026, this September. Performances will run 4-12 September 2026.

Franz Kafka wrote not merely to tell stories, but to reveal the silent anxieties that exist beneath ordinary life. His experience of humanity was far from joyful. But one day, while consoling a tearful little girl in a Berlin park, he rediscovered a fragile but vital faith in the human spirit. What followed was an extraordinary act of imagination, told through a series of letters. Brought to life by Theatre Lovett and a versatile ensemble cast, Kafka's Doll invites audiences of all ages on a captivating journey, offering Kafka's final gift of hope in an uncertain world.

Kafka's fables contain an inscrutable, baffling mixture of the normal and the fantastic for the most. But these letters show a compassion in his later years as they detail the doll's own exciting odyssey, to help console the girl for its loss - and unknowingly the young girl entered the world of Kafka's stories from the man himself - and Frances Kay's new play does the same thing for audiences of today.

With live music created by composer Nico Brown whose work has been heard here and internationally since 1990. Brown's music will be recorded by The Far Flung Trio whose live and recorded work is characterised by a dizzying array of styles and include well-known classics - with a stellar cast featuring rising acting star Charlotte Cleary (a recent graduate of the Lir Academy and member of cast of The Whiteheaded Boy at the Abbey Theatre this summer); Louis Lovett, who is Ireland's critically acclaimed actor for Young Audiences. Over the past 20 years Louis has worked with children of all ages through theatre and music. Lovett is also known for his film roles in The Three Urns (2025), Showbands (2005) and hit TV series Killinaskully (2003); and finally, circus star performer Cormac Mohally, (Britains Got Talent star and award-winning comedy-acrobat star with Lords of Strut), who has turned his expertise to more serious theatre in this production while still bringing his years of brilliant circus skills to this new production by Theatre Lovett.

Get Broadway News on WhatsApp

Receive the latest updates, breaking news, and exclusive coverage from Broadway directly in WhatsApp.

Need more Ireland Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...