The Dublin Gay Theatre Festival is a festival commemorating the birth of legendary writer and playwright Oscar Wilde. It was established in honor of the 150th anniversary of his birthday. The third annual edition of this international drama festival will start on May 1 and end on May 14 this year.
The city will become the world center of gay theatre once again. The festival aims to promote and develop all concepts of gay dramaturgy and theatre. In the process of contributing to this art form, the festival will provide academic and theatrical forms for presenting the traditional and modern works of gay playwrights and authors. Works that carry the theme of homosexuality in some form or are in some way relevant to the gay community and lifestyle will be presented. The aim is to promote the contribution to arts made by gays on a local and international scale. Oscar Wilde was an artist whose superb talent will never be forgotten. The festival’s chief objective is to discover and promote such talents.
This festival is the only one of its kind in Europe, devoted purely and exclusively to gay theatre. The program this year consists of theatrical events that will make Dublin the envy of all theatre festival organizers worldwide. There will be groups from Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, South Africa, Canada and Israel. Productions from London, Edinburgh, Cambridge and Manchester, as well as ones from local companies will be performed. The events are expected to establish Dublin as the renowned center for gay theatre. More than 20 novel and cutting edge productions will be launched at ten theatres in the city.
The scheduled program of events expands every year, the number of productions increases, new venues are constantly being discovered and the festival draws an escalating number of guests. The attendance rose by more than 306% in 2005 compared to the previous year.
The Dublin Gay Theatre Festival aims to provide superb theatre at moderate prices, making it accessible to everyone.
Another important event scheduled this year is the Cultural/Educational Seminar on gay theatre, which will take place at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in Dublin on May 7. This seminar is the first of its kind in the city. It will be attended by prominent academic figures from Washington University, UCC, Sussex University and Dublin’s own Trinity College. The seminar will discuss the issue of gay theatre, what it involves, what it reflects and what its essence is. The opening lecture will be delivered by Professor Alan Sinfield, an eminent scholar of Shakespeare’s drama.
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