Dublin Fringe Festival

Piste

The 2005 FRINGE: trim, tidy and fighting fit.

With darkly inventive and deliciously diverting scope, the FRINGE continues its tradition of introducing Irish audiences to quality innovative work not seen here before from both Irish and international artists.

Alongside works from acclaimed Irish companies such as Bedrock , CoisCéim , Daghdha , Rough Magic and Semper Fi , audiences can dip into 5 at-your-fingertips-sections in this year's Fringe feast.

WHAT'S NEW IN 2005?

* New director Wolfgang Hoffmann. A German dancer and director, Wolfgang is acclaimed for the Aurora Nova programme at the Edinburgh Fringe

* New date . Having cut all date-ties with the Dublin Theatre Festival, the FRINGE is starting earlier this year, running for three weeks of unadulterated art and antics from September 12 – October 2

* New programme that goes beyond just theatre. A fresh, streamlined line-up, neatly packaged into five easy-access sections: Theatre, Dance, Music, Live Art and Visual Arts

* Young Fringe – a programme of theatre, dance and music specifically geared towards a younger audience

* Workshops with the best of Irish and International artists giving classes in everything from Tassel Twirling to Break Dance, Tai Chi to Hip-Hop, with some Tap and Tango thrown in for good measure – making this a truly artist-centred festival

* Participating artists from Australia, Austria, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, England, France, Faroe Islands, Germany, India, Ireland, USA, Israel, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and last but not least Tuva Mongolia.

* New venues – from the tallest building in Dublin to one of the smallest cafés, along with a converted cinema and one of the city's most famous streets. There are also secret venues and new sites converted into venues.

* A new regal and fabulous Spiegeltent – the luscious Le Salon Perdu - floating on water for the second year in a row, jam-packed with everything from punk-pirate rock to tantalising cabaret.

* Themes this year's programme include ‘Changing Ireland', love and relationships, the influence of technology on our daily lives, war and the Holocaust and shows that communicate through more than one of the senses.


THEATRE

Following the sell-out success of Ladies & Gents in 2003 Semper Fi is back with Adrenalin - an all-guns-blazing, kick-ass homage to the 1970's set in a secret city location.

A Clean Sweep , part of the inauguaral YOUNG FRINGE, comes to the Festival courtesy of Scotland's Plutot la Vie. This brilliant blend of theatrical clowning and visual storytelling is guaranteed to bring on the glorious chuckles of children and adults alike.

Set in a remote hospital clinic, Norwegian Jo Strømgren Kompani's inspirational production of The Hospital is filled with pit iless observations and surreal situations .

Exile from Teater Slava (Sweden) is Greek tragedy told visually with an incredibly beautiful and dramatic soundscape, encompassing the wild and the poetic, the grim and the tender.

One of Dublin Fringe Festival's founding members Bedrock 's Jimmy Fay presents Urban Ghosts : a double bill of witty, haunting and off-beat theatre.

DANCE

Renegade Theatre's Rumble is an adrenalin hip-hop kick destined for Broadway. With the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet at its heart, Rumble is a slick and stylish show of intense energy, a physical, funny and awe-inspiring fusion of street culture and theatre.

Winners of the 2004 Fringe Sexiest Show, CoisCéim Dance Theatre is back with Knots, an extreme text-meets-dance show that mixes brutal and high-octane choreography to explore the fine line between love and madness.

MUSIC

In Europe for the first time, NYC ensemble Jollyship the Whiz-bang fuses bawdy puppetry with nautically themed rock music.

Taut tango and fresh jazz are New Tango Orquestra's trademarks; a groundbreaking ensemble bringing together an eclectic mix of well known bluegrass, jazz, classical and folk musicians.

Bass supremo Jah Wobble & HIS ENGLISH ROOTS BAND presented by Crawdaddy, explodes into town, featuring Ronnie Drew and special guests.

Post Holocaust Pop from Germany weaves gigantic stringscapes and rhythmic harmonies together with a repertoire of sounds and effects. This cult band from Berlin will barrage audiences with rudeness and gallantry.

LIVE ART

Heike Schmidt's Bed & Breakfast starts when other performances end; when the evening turns into the night. Tucked up in bed you will be sung into a peaceful sleep, with lullabies from across the world by performers acting as watchful guardians of your dreams.

Ballymun – the monolithic marker of 1960's concrete social idealism is currently undergoing the largest regeneration in Europe. Performed in this crumbling landscape, Tumbledowntown by PERFORMANCE LAB @ ROUNDABOUT THEATRE is a new work written by teenagers living in the area about the area and the lives lived there.

VISUAL ARTS

Moore Street Project: Firestation Arts Studios. Moore Street is endearingly obnoxious and unapologetically true to itself, and as such attracts all walks of life. With proposed developments poised to annihilate Moore Street as we know it, this is one of the last times you will be able to experience this integral and historic area.

Young Fringe and IMMA present a snapshot of the best young artists emerging onto the contemporary visual arts scene. Work will include film, installation, print, sculpture, kinetic drawing, painting and photography.


The Dublin Fringe Festival runs from September 12 th to October 2 nd , 2005. Tickets for all performances go on sale Tuesday August 9 th at 11am. Tickets can be booked online at www.fringefest.com