Scene + Heard returns for the 10th edition of their much loved and much lauded arts festival, The Festival of New Work. They are calling it Edition X: Where New Work Gets Noisy and there’s no arguments here that, with a programme of over 100 works across dance, theatre, comedy, music, cabaret, visual art, spoken word, circus, acrobatics and more to be presented in Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre, the noise is real.
Over the past 10 years, Scene + Heard has showcased work from over 6,000 artists, presented more than 1,000 shows, and welcomed over 80,000+ audiences, a huge achievement for an independent arts festival.
The Festival has something for everybody, whether you know what you’re looking for or not. If you’re looking to laugh, tongue-in-cheek comedy performances such as Linda Martin is NOT a Vampire, a 45 minute long play about two small town friends trying desperately to prove that Eurovision star Linda Martin is not a vampire, and Lost The Plot: an Improvised Musical which is exactly what it sounds like, a stage musical where every line, song and melody is totally improvised, are must sees.
There is much to see for those looking for something more somber and introspective. Sure Look, Sure Listen, tackles the relationship between father and son and the complex nature of strained familial relationships.
My Love is a Hound takes us to small town Ireland in 1949, where a man and his subservient lover struggle to hide their relationship from a young local girl, lest they risk deadly exposure. These are two of many moving and thought-provoking pieces being shown at this year’s festival.
Another offbeat production includes Fag & Dyke Get Cancelled, an envelope-pushing play about a gay trans man and a non-binary lesbian with a blurry relationship who seem to oscillate between loving and hating each other, and consequently get “cancelled”.
The play’s co-writer, Montgomery Quinlan, said about the piece: “Fag & Dyke Get Cancelled started with this idea of the queer community turning on itself, as we have seen happening in real time with arguments over who should or should not be included in the LGBTQIA+ acronym. The show is very much a call to unity, for us. It’s time to stop fighting each other and start fighting FOR each other”.
For their theatre/drag performance The Politics of Disgust, the show’s writer and performer Constance Henry AKA. Sasha Shame states regarding the vision behind the piece: ”The world is a very ugly place right now, and we want to understand what it is that drives the hate destroying democracy.”
There are many unique and alternative pieces being highlighted at this year’s festival for those not too interested in traditional theatre. There are plenty of spoken word and stand up comedy pieces such as Paddystinian, a sharp stand up comedy show that explores the question “why does Ireland care so much about Palestine?” through humour and history.
Body Count combines dance and verbatim testimony to explore the phrase “body count” and its origins dating back to the Vietnam war to its contemporary use relating to dating and sexual partners.
BUTCH, a video essay, examines the history of butch culture within the lesbian community, highlighting the work of well known butch activists such as Leslie Feinberg.
For those totally averse to all performance art, the Banquet Hall hosts Decent Skins x Twisted, a striking visual art exhibition exploring identity, subculture and community. This will be especially enticing for those who wish to interact with the art they see.
Participation is encouraged through feedback mechanisms such as in-person ballots, digital forms and post-show conversations.
Those behind the festival believe that Art is supposed to reach its audience and that the audience is instrumental to the development of Art.
Words: Erin Murray
Scene + Heard – The Festival Of New Work, Smock Alley Theatre, Feb 12-28
Tickets: smockalley.com
