Sun to shine on Midsummer Fest
World premieres, immersive shows and art installations and are set to dominate the Cork Midsummer Festival when it returns next month.
The festival will bring 11 days of theatre, literature, dance and visual art to Leeside with 25 world, European and Irish premieres.
Launching its 2019 programme this week, it will see over 45 events taking place in 30 venues across the city when it returns from 13-23 June.
Highlights include the Irish premiere of ‘La Cocina Pública’ (‘The Public Kitchen’), bringing a kitchen in a shipping container to Cork’s South Paris to connect both residents and visitors to the area through food and performance.
The festival will also include the world premiere of Ray Scannell’s apocalyptic black comedy ‘The Bluffer’s Guide to Suburbia’, a new musical ‘Evening Train’ based on the acclaimed album by Mick Flannery, and an outdoor dance piece ‘Almost Blue’ by Oona Doherty, thanks to Irish Modern Dance Theatre.
International highlights include ‘As Far As My Fingertips Take Me’, an encounter through a gallery wall between an audience member and a refugee; ‘User Not Found’, an immersive show in a café with a smartphone and a pair of headphones; a large transparent pig at Emmet Place; and ‘Mosh Split’, a high-energy circus show from Finnish circus group Sisus Sirkus, which will take place at Elizabeth Fort.
As well as a packed programme of theatre and music, this year’s festival will also feature mystery bus tours and nights after dark at Crawford Art Gallery and family events including a market-themed wooden play universe for kids. Cork Midsummer Festival Director Lorraine Maye said: “Providing a platform to showcase the work of brilliant Irish and international artists is at the very core of Midsummer. We embrace those at different stages of their careers, offering a launch-pad for emerging artists and showcasing exciting new work by those who are more established.
“There is huge heart in this year’s festival with themes of love, hope, the joy in simple acts of togetherness, and our need for connection explored throughout.”
Cork Midsummer Festival tickets are on sale now from corkmidsummer.com.