Despite taking place in the Unitarian Church on the second Saturday of December for almost 25 years, when the Unitarians switched over to a new booking system...they double booked the date for a commercial gig and left the Annual LGBT Carol Service stranded.

A Celebration of Christmas Time, St Teresa’s Parish Church, Donore Avenue, Dublin 8. Buses 150, 122, 68/a at 8pm on Saturday, December 9th, – Free admission.

Thanks to St Teresa’s Parish on Donore Avenue, who have already hosted two Pride Services, they immediately welcomed us on to make a little bit of history. This is the fi rst time the Carol Service will be held in a Catholic Church and We are all very welcome!

So, if you fancy a great Christmas sing-song amongst friends and chosen family – then pop along to St Teresa’s where there is a warm welcome awaiting from our new volunteers, the parish pastoral team and the original organisers of the lovely Christmas event for over two decades?

The Festival has stepped in to continue the legacy of welcome and inclusion at this important time of year. Special Guests: The Renowned Dublin Gay Men’s Chorus will have the rafters humming to well-known Christmas Carols. MC Eimhear O’Dalaigh will lead a series of Christmas stories, reflections, readings and activities to ensure we can all remember those who make Christmases past and present, in the fellowship of our current diverse community. Our Guest speaker is broadcaster and celebrant Conor Clear.

There will be mulled wine, mince pies, and another great welcome for everyone! The collection will be in aid of Parkinson’s Disease which is a cause close to Founder, Brian Glennon’s heart. You can donate by card at the door or use cash during the celebration. It’s a great cause. There may even be a gift or two for you under our Christmas tree!

All are very welcome, no tickets, free admission and don’t forget to ‘sing out loud, sing out strong!’ It will be great to see you – bring many friends.

Vouchers for tickets to festival plays next May are now available online at www. gaytheatre.ie.

We have a range of books on LGBT+ Theatre publications including:

• ‘Wilde Stages in Dublin – a Decade of Gay Theatre’ - the stories of our first decade.
• ‘18 & Coming of Age – The Director’s Cut’ – stories from the next decade and featuring scripts of new Irish LGBT+ plays.
• ‘The Plays Inside’ – 22 new Irish LGBT+ themed plays.
• ‘Eirebrushed/Wretched Little Brat’ – two new Irish plays in one book, about the LGBT heroes of 1916 and the Lovers of Oscar Wilde
• ‘10 HISstories – voices through decriminalisation’ - ten short plays about living in Ireland before, during and after decriminalisation.

Order now to ensure delivery before Christmas from www.gaytheatre.ie.

Thanks to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media, their uplifting investment in key strategic areas proved us with decent funding, and the potential for our unique theatrical event was enormously enhanced. As many festivals are still struggling to return to pre- Covid levels, our box o ce increased by a staggering 72%, meaning more audiences reached and more resources for our brilliant Irish and International artists. The work has already begun.

The 21st festival will take place from May 6th to 19th 2024. We are now open for submissions from Irish and international theatre companies to stage their productions for a week in Dublin next year. Our submission process is free and easy to do. Check out Festival Submissions - International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. How do we support LGBT+ inclusive theatre – all your questions are answered in the Criteria document in the above link. Please read it before applying.

The Festival loves to present the works of new writers too. Works that have a LGBT+ character, theme or relevance such as feminism, masculinity and identity are our core pillars since we were founded in 2004. Already we have some exciting international applications for next year including from Taiwan and Australia! What about the Irish? With the future of the much regarded ‘Scene and Heard’ Festival and our own, secured to 2024, it is time for the Irish companies to make their plans for next year. We can help. If you are thinking about doing works relevant to our Festival’s mission, please submit a proposal to us on info@gaytheatre.ie anytime from now until December 1st 2023. Programming decisions will be made by January 31st 2024!

We are committed to enabling Irish writers and companies to stage their works with us and this year, thanks to the strong box o ce returns enabled by the Department of Arts funding, we are allocating a further THREE THOUSAND EUROS in Bursaries for Irish companies to join in our 21st celebrations.

Bursaries will be assessed by an independent, international panel of theatre professionals. All submissions must be in English or Irish no later than November 30th 2023 and marked “Bursary”.

All Bursary winners must be able to stage a full production of the winning play during our 21st Festival in May.

All Bursary applications must fill out a Festival submission form (see above) as confirmation of an ability and willingness to participate in the 21st Festival if selected. Unsuccessful applicants may still be o ered a place in the Festival 2024 programme.

No Bursary will exceed ONE Thousand Euros. Up to six bursaries may be awarded. Plays of any length up to 75 minutes maximum will be considered. Open to Irish or resident playwrights and production companies only. In all matters the decision of the Artistic Director is final.

It’s the end of the year and sometimes money in Budgets is unspent. Think of us for general funding in 2024 and/or the Festival would welcome anyone or company to sponsor a specific bursary or to create a new one. Please contact us at info@gaytheatre.ie to discuss. All funds go directly to supporting Irish artists creating and presenting LGBT+ works for the stage.

As has been clearly stated, both long-standing Festival Directors, Brian Merriman and Gareth Hurley are anxious to pass on the torch! We have been joined by new enthusiastic professionals willing to donate their time to enabling Dublin remain the international capital of LGBT+ inclusive theatre. We still need help on organisation, finance, PR, and fundraising.

If you would like to join us at Executive level, please email us at info@gaytheatre.ie.

As Part of the volunteer experience of the Gay Theatre Festival, we like to upskill our volunteers as a thank you for their generosity.

This Autumn, our technical Directors who get each play onto our stages RC Bates and Derek O’Neill are running a sound and light training course – free for interested volunteers. Contact tech@gaytheatre.ie to book a space.

To celebrate year 21, the Festival would love to organise an exhibition of ‘gay’ theatre past and present to celebrate our LGBTQ+ artists. Are you interested in helping create this free event. All expertise and venues welcome!

The Dublin GAY Men’s Chorus will stage their own annual Christmas Concert in Sandyford Parish Church, Ranelagh, on Sunday December 10th at 7.30pm. It will be a feast of song and celebration. Don’t Miss it! Link for tickets is https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/751843021717?a.

The International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival is supported by the Dept. of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

© 2023 International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival