Supporting New Work

Lie Low by Ciara Elizabeth Smyth.

A new play by Ciara Elizabeth Smyth, award-winning Irish playwright and former Maven of the dlr Mill Theatre.

It opened at Dublin Fringe 2022 and then went on to play The Traverse Theatre at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023 and The Royal Court in 2024.

The script was awarded a highly coveted place in the Dublin Fringe Festival and was presented in the Project Arts Centre in September 2022. It went on to be nominated for an Irish Times Theatre Award in 2023.

Mentored by internationally-acclaimed writer Mark O’Rowe, the production will feature the work of award-winning designers Ciaran Bagnall and Denis Clohessy, alongside the globally-recognised intimacy director Ita O’Brien (Normal People, BBC).

★ ★ ★ ★ ★- “a brilliant new play’’ Whats On Stage

★ ★ ★ ★ – ‘’Taut, fast-paced staging’’ The Stage

★ ★ ★ ★ – ‘a riveting play that left me speechless’ Everything Theatre

★ ★ ★ ★ ‘Painful, vital, astonishing theatre’- The Reviews Hub

★ ★ ★ ★ – ‘thought-provoking’ Theatre Weekly

Prickly by Caoimhe O’Malley

Dublin’s best Debt Collector, Shauna, is struggling to control the challenging thoughts in her head. Usually, speaking to her Cacti is enough to keep her worries at bay. But now her best (and only) friend has had a baby – Shauna’s mind is in overdrive. When she finds an unexpected companion during a routine debt collection, she is forced to tap into her softer side and face the prickly thoughts in her head once and for all.

But in the cut-throat world of Debt Collecting, can she care for this creature and still come out on top?

Prickly is a new comedy from actor and writer Caoimhe O’Malley.

Produced by dlr Mill Theatre, in association with Backstage Theatre and Droichead Arts Centre.  Starring Caoimhe O’Malley with Genevieve Hulme-Beauman and directed by Maisie Lee.

Tír na nÓg by Shauna Carrick

Tír na nÓg is a new bilingual musical by Shauna Carrick with additional music by Aidan Byrne. It flips the well-known story on its head, bringing Niamh Cinn Óir into the spotlight to tell her version of events.

“There are two sides to every story, even those from days of old”.  We all know the classic tale of Oisín in Tír na nÓg, but what about Niamh?

Sisters by Tracy Ryan

A groundbreaking Irish musical set in 1971 against the backdrop of Catholic Ireland and the rise of the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement. The show revolves around the story of a young single mother, Bernadette Boland, shunned by her community, as she embarks on her journey toward self-empowerment. Both entertaining and deeply moving, the musical celebrates the pioneering women of the past and pays homage to those who lit the fire of change in Ireland.

Shauna Carrick Wants a Dog

An original musical comedy about life, love, and wanting a dog. We follow Shauna as she tackles her inner demons and embarks on a quest to take control of her own life, whilst making some very necessary detours for hot chocolate along the way.

Indulge in this wholesome musical experience, brought to you from the creators of Chromatics (dlr Mill Theatre 2018 / The Other Palace, London 2020), Tír na nÓg (dlr Mill Theatre 2022) and Tiny: Thumbelina Retold (Civic Theatre, Tallaght 2023).

Developed at Scene+Heard. Supported by dlr Mill Theatre, Dundrum and the UCD Ad Astra Academy Performing Arts Alumni Initiative.

The Whispering Chair by Tara Lovett

In October 2023, Livin’ Dred Theatre Company will be presenting the world premiere of The Whispering Chair by Cavan-based playwright Tara Lovett. This will be presented in association with Cavan County Museum and the dlr Mill Theatre.

The Whispering Chair tells the story of a modern marriage twisted and torn by the dark family history of the War of Independence: what was done, by whom, and not spoken about. Maud lives with her grandmother Aggie’s values, views, hidden resentments, and it is destroying her marriage. Through the renovation of a throw-away chair, Maud’s husband Con comes to fully understand that his wife is unknowingly living through the dark shadow of her grandmother, and what Aggie felt forced to do during the war. The old woman from the past has shaped the modern woman, and poisoned her. Can either survive?

The Whispering Chair is deeply engaged with our history, the War of Independence and its legacy. It focuses on intergenerational trauma, the role of women in Ireland and marriage.

Taking place in Cavan County Museum, three performances of the show will be presented to groups of students from schools in Cavan. These performances will be offered to each group free of charge.

Lovett’s text is rural, poetic, funny and new. It is performed by two actors, Catriona Williams and Naoise Dunbar, in an intimate, specially created setting with a minimalist, cutting-edge design. Directed by award-winning actor Bryan Burroughs, this sleek and fast-paced production promises to be darkly comic, gripping and will appeal to students and general audiences alike.