Interview: Róise Goan of DUBLIN THEATRE FESTIVAL 2026: A WORLD OF STAGECRAFT ARRIVES IN DUBLIN at Various Venues Across Dublin

As Dublin Theatre Festival returns, it brings an invitation to step beyond the familiar: to encounter bold new artistic voices, revisit canonical works, and experience world-class theatre from Ireland and around the globe.

As the only dedicated international theatre festival on the island of Ireland, the festival’s 2026 programme brings together major productions from across Europe and North America alongside world premieres from leading Irish theatremakers.

"There is no particular show that is for everyone," Artistic Director Róise Goan explains. "There is definitely something for everybody within our programme."

Curating for a Changing City

For Goan, curating the festival requires balancing artistic innovation with social and political relevance. Themes often emerge organically across borders: artists working in Athens, New York, Warsaw, and Dublin frequently converge on similar questions at the same time, creating unexpected dialogues across the three-week run.

Dublin’s demographic landscape has transformed in recent years. The capital is now a major European technology hub, home to a massive international workforce that can sometimes feel disconnected from the city's indigenous cultural ecosystem.

Closing that gap is an active priority for Goan and her team. "There is a lot for them in here," Goan notes, pointing to work that directly interrogates technology, power, migration, and corporate influence.

Programming Highlights

Among this year's featured productions, Brokentalkers and Andy Smith present Heroes of Tomorrow, an epic exploration of art, activism, and the growing cultural clout of global tech giants. For those seeking to decode local culture, Lourdes! The Musical by Xnthony provides a satirical look into Ireland's unique cultural character.

International audiences navigating life between two cultures will find strong resonance in Mario Banushi's MAMI, an exploration of migrant identity, family heritage, and cultural memory told through a completely wordless performance.

The international lineup also includes:

• The Goat Exchange and Ruth Negga presenting RADIO BETTE, an interrogation of celebrity and identity inspired by a 1951 Bette Davis radio broadcast.

• Carolina Bianchi bringing The Brotherhood (Trilogia Cadela Força - Capítulo II) from Brazil to confront patriarchal structures and male power dynamics.

• French artist Rébecca Chaillon presenting La Parabole du Seum (Parable of the Sour), exploring life in the Paris suburbs.

Radical Accessibility at the Core

Ensuring that theatre remains financially and physically accessible is fundamental to the festival's mission. The 10FOR10 initiative, supported by Smurfit Westrock, provides thousands of €10 tickets to patrons under 30, unwaged individuals, and freelance arts workers. Prime seats across all venues are made available to 10FOR10 bookers first.

Accessibility also extends to sensory and physical inclusion. A flagship project in this strand is Dignity, created by performance artist Amanda Coogan in collaboration with Lianne Quigley, Alvean Jones, and Dublin Theatre of the Deaf. Performed in Irish Sign Language, the production revisits the legacy of Teresa Deevy, a prolific deaf Irish playwright whose work was staged at the Abbey Theatre in the 1930s.

"The best thing about going to the theatre is the conversations you have afterwards," Goan reflects. In an era dominated by algorithmic feeds and digital isolation, live theatre asks audiences to gather in a shared room and sit together with uncertainty, satire, grief, or joy.

Get Broadway News on WhatsApp

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