Below are details of Outings this year

The Cherry Orchard

IFI, Jun 30

Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, directed by NT Associate Director Howard Davies, whose recent productions of Russian plays (including Philistines, Burnt by the Sun and The White Guard) have earned huge critical acclaim, stars Zoë Wanamaker as Madame Ranevskaya.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Gate Theatre, May 11

A wealthy Southern family gathers to celebrate Big Daddys 65th Birthday. He is dying of cancer, which the family decide to hide from him and Big Mama as they try to boost their own cut of the estate. Wife to the alcoholic Brick, the beautiful but desperate Maggie 'the Cat' came from humble beginnings and will go to any lengths to secure what is hers.

No Romance

Peacock Theatre, March 8
No Romance is a tender and funny tale about our secret selves. Rich with the absurdities, hypocrisies and vulnerabilities that course through our lives, it playfully observes the search for connection in a fractured world.

Frankenstein

IFI, March 17
Childlike in his innocence but grotesque in form, Frankenstein’s bewildered creature is cast out into a hostile universe by his horror-struck maker (Jonny Lee Miller). Meeting with cruelty wherever he goes, the friendless Creature (Benedict Cumberbatch), increasingly desperate and vengeful, determines to track down his creator and strike a terrifying deal.

God of Carnage

Gate Theatre, February 23 2011

Two sets of parents meet to resolve a conflict between their two children. What is supposed to be a civilised meeting turns into a barrage of name calling, tantrums and tears. In this hysterical comedy when the gloves come off, dirty laundry is aired and the grownups find themselves in their own playground.

NT LIVE

NT live, This exciting initiative, presented by in association with the Irish Film Institute, broadcasts live performances of National Theatre plays onto cinema screens around the world.

FELA!

IFI, Jan 13th 2011

The first outing for Friends of the Dublin Theatre Festival took place in January. The selected and sold-out performance was very well attended by a large coterie of Friends who joined IFI patrons for the NT Live broadcast of ‘Fela!’ a show originally performed in New York. The production was a lively, entertaining and often moving account of the life and times of the late and celebrated Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. The wonderful onstage band, vibrant costumes, energetic dance routines and fusion of a myriad of music styles made for a fascinating and rousing introduction –for me- to this music star. Excellent camera work made individual performances and the overall production so alive, uplifting and impossible not to engage with in a positive manner. This tribute to a most interesting man was strengthened by strong performances by the lead actors and had the added bonus of an interval interview with the show director Bill T. Jones, all in all a worthwhile experience.
Dearbhail Shannon