This year Ten Great New Irish LGBT+ Themed Plays fill our stages from May 1st-14th 2023. 

Teachers Club Main Hall rocks with ‘gender fluid’ comedy – see both shows for 25 Euros (discount automatically applied during online booking. May 1st-6th with matinees on Monday and Saturday only. Show times are 2.30pm/7.30 pm and 4.00pm/9.00pm. Teachers Club Main Hall 36 Parnell Square D01T6V6. Full bar service upstairs.

'Looking Cis’ (60 Minutes)
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Ella’s just been voted off 'Ireland’s NBist NB' for being old, looking cis, and saying things she probably shouldn’t. This is her exit interview. On the brink of infamy, she'll have to bare her soul to the nation if she wants to find her way back.  A provocative satire about gender, sex, nostalgia, cancel culture and reality TV.

‘Homobesity’ (65 Minutes)

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Outhouse Theatre, 105 Capel Street, D01R290.

'Homobesity' by London based, Irish writer Connor O'Donoghue presents the sometimes hilarious and sometimes sad story of Connor, who has spent forty years living in a world in conflict with his fat gay body. In this one-person show, Connor’s series of raw, humorous, episodes in his life, show how his body and the world's reaction to it shaped him as a person. 

‘How to Leave Your Husband - the Mini Musical’ (60 Minutes)

by Amanda Brunker

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DV8 (Deviate) 131 James Street D08HH96 May 1-6th Matinees on Monday and Saturday only.  4.00pm/7.30pm and 2.30pm/9.00pm. Full bar service.

This is a highly camp rollercoaster of emotions, peppered with some singalong moments and a healthy dose of drama. The show contains strong language and sexually explicit content throughout. TV's Conor Clear will make you laugh, you might cry, but you may dance a little too. 

The War Wounded

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May 1st-6th with matinees on Monday and Saturday only.  Show times are 4.00pm/7.30pm. Theatre@36, Teachers Club, 36 Parnell Square: D01T6V6. Full Bar Service Upstairs.

A routine film junket goes awry when an actress, just nominated for an Oscar, encounters a bitter, previously “cancelled” Pulitzer prize winning war journalist, now 'reduced' to showbiz writing. What ensues is a sharp, darkly comic exploration of some of the most hot button issues currently animating the internet, and what happens when discourse on gender, on sex, on fame and privilege gets dragged into the harsh light of the real world. 'The War Wounded' was awarded an IDGTF Bursary in 2022.

Getting Over Hugh (60 Minutes)

by Sean Denyer
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May 1st-6th. Matinees on Monday and Saturday only. Ireland Institute 27 Pearse Street: D02KO37 at 4.00pm/9.00 pm

When Alan ends up sitting next to Rory at a matinee of 'Beaches', it’s almost a case of hate-at-first-site. But after somehow agreeing to meet him for a drink, his opinion of Rory slowly starts to change. There’s only one problem. Alan is still married to Hugh. At least in his head, he is.  Will he be able to move on? Or will a dark secret, continue to haunt him forever?

Wasteman (60 Minutes)

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DV8 (Deviate) 131 James Street D08HH96 show dates on May 1st-6th with matinees on Monday and Saturday only. Show times are 4.00pm/7.30pm and 2.30pm/9.00pm. Full bar service. 

‘Wasteman’ is the hilarious story of a bin man who swaps steel-toed boots for stilettos to chase his dream of becoming a drag queen. Will inflexible hamstrings, an anti-woke boyfriend and the cost-of-living crisis stop him on his quest to be crowned Miss Stoke? Following sell-out runs at the Camden Fringe and VAULTs, Two West End 'Offie' nominations, ‘Wasteman’ is a raucous comedy with tons of heart about making something fabulous in the most un-fabulous of settings.

My Dead Husband's Hereford Bull

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All My Friends' pub 61-63 Meath Street in The Liberties D08P4V2 on Sunday May 7th at 3.00pm. 

The IDGTF Bursary award-winning play 'My Dead Husband's Hereford Bull' will get a free play reading in 'All My Friends' pub 61-63 Meath Street in The Liberties on Sunday May 7th at 3.00pm. 

Written by IDGTF double Bursary winner Anne Walsh Donnelly, this hilarious comedy is set on a farm in the West where all is not in order. The arrival of a female farmhand and being convinced her dead husband's hereford bull knows exactly what she is up to, makes for 70 minutes of fun and drama, read by the award winning Kinnerton Players:  Maria Blaney (Party Boy/Eirebrushed) , Lia Monahan (Eirebrushed/Quilt) and Therese Donoghue.

Grindr, Saghdar agus Cher (60 Minutes)

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May 8-13th with matinee on Saturday only.  Theatre@36, Teachers Club, 36 Parnell Square: D01T6V6. Full Bar Service Upstairs. Show times are 4.00pm/7.30pm.

A play in Irish with English translation. Three interwoven monologues. Three LGBTQ+ characters. Three different perspectives on one fateful night at the queer bar.

Tógann fear tuaithe a chéad chéim riamh thar an tairseach isteach i mbeár aerach. Freastalaíonn leispiach ar chóisir na gcearc le scata ban díreach (‘díreach’ mar dhea). Tugann fear bearradh gruaige dó féin nach bhfeicfidh ach fear amháin eile...

A country man breathes deep and takes his first step across the threshold of the city’s gay bar. A lesbian grimaces her way through a Build-a-Willy event at her straight friend’s hen party. A scene queen gives himself a haircut that only one other man will see...

I Didn't See That Coming (60 Minutes)

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Teachers Club Main Hall 36 Parnell Square,  D01T6V6  9.00pm. Monday 11th to Wednesday 13th at 9.00pm. Matinee Saturday only at 4.00pm. Four Performances ONLY. Full Bar Service Upstairs.

Derry, 1990s. Ann is a young teacher at the start of her career. Life should be exciting, however, Ann is a young woman who has grown up in a very Catholic area surrounded by the 'Troubles'.  She holds a secret about her true authentic self until she can no longer hide it.  Ann finds herself torn between her family’s lack of acceptance and living the life was born to. 

At Birth (60 Minutes)

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May 8th -13th. Show times 2.30pm/7.30 pm. Matinees on Saturday only.  Ireland Institute 27 Pearse Street: D02KO37.

This dark comedy asks what could possibly go wrong when one drunken night Anna, very gay, and Isaac, very very gay, have sex to heal from a breakup?

What follows is a journey covering themes of queer families, abortion rights in the US South, and the pursuit of building community, no matter how untypical. How far will you go for your chosen family?

Everything is Grand and I'm Completely Okay (60 Minutes)

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May 8th -13th show times 4.00pm/9.00pm. Matinees on Saturday only. Ireland Institute, 27 Pearse Street: D02KO37.

Malachy has just turned 25, and he has a few things to say about that. Dealing with the death of his younger brother, he is struggling to come to terms with all that he is, and everything that he's not. Working as a customer support advisor in a call centre at a bin disposal company and experiencing many different escapades with his best friend Pauline, Malachy is eager to take some time to reflect and move on with his life. He quickly comes to realise, however, that it’s not as easy as it seems on paper.

Men’s Shorts: Homo(Sapien) / Seán Talbot’s Scintillating Self-Discovery Smut Show (15/40 Minutes)

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Mens Shorts (Double bill). Two short plays for one ticket. 

Things will be outrageously camp in DV8 our newest venue at the edge of The Liberties. Week Two DV8 (Deviate) 131 James Street D08HH96 May 8th-13th Matinee on Saturday only.  Show times are 4.00pm/7.30pm. Full bar service. 

(Homo)Sapien is a coming-of-age story of the struggles of growing up gay in Catholic Ireland. Joey’s romantic ideals are challenged when he discovers Grindr, and its array of characters, from faceless friends, to kinky racists. He becomes obsessed with the idea of losing his virginity. This is the story of what it means to be a gay Gen-Z in 2023. Performing with Seán Talbot's Scintillating Self-Discovery Smut Show.  

Are you feeling stuck? Getting bored? Seán is here to scratch your itch. One man. One dildo. All pleasure. Together you and I can explore all the possibilities. But who’s in control? This is a physical performance where flesh meets silicone, glitter, and reality.

Don’t forget our Gala Concert and Awards Night in The Teacher’s Club Main Hall on Sunday May 14th doors 7.30pm with special guests.

You can BOOK NOW to get your tickets for our Gala.

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