Scene + Heard hits Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre tomorrow and we’re here to let you in on what’s going on at this year’s festival. Scene + Heard is one of the most exciting events in the theatre calendar for young artists. It gives them a chance to show what they’ve been working on, and get some feedback from their audiences.
In its first year, Scene & Heard showcased over 80 new works to the public and allowed artists to access feedback through secret ballots, talk back sessions and on social media platforms.
Most performances are part of a double bill with individual showcases lasting around 30 minutes. Expect to see work ranging from a loose first draft to Fringe worthy, with a whole load in the middle.
Some of the festival’s most successful works go on to Galway Fringe, Tiger Dublin Fringe, Cork Midsummer, Electric Picnic and Edinburgh Fringe. So if you’re interested in spotting them before they hit the big time, be sure to book your tickets here.
Here are some WWD Picks:
Love à la Mode After Macklin
“In this comedy of manners, double-entendres and double-crossings, an Englishman, an Irishman, a Scotsman and a dandy, compete for the hand of a rich bachelorette – but is she all she appears? Love à la Mode After Macklin, is a farce in two acts: there will be some lies, sword-fights, slapstick and assorted song-and-dance routines. The farce is a time capsule to Smock Alley’s 18th-century past, by KNAVES, a band of players bent on bamboozling your present.”
FRI 17 + SAT 18 FEB @ 7.45PM / SAT18 + SUN 19 FEB @ 3PM
How to be a Superhero
“Susie dreams of being a Super Hero. Her magical cape possesses powers that even she can’t understand. Susie’s city needs a hero. But is she up to the challenge?”
SAT 18 @ 4PM + SUN 19 FEB @ 2PM + 4PM
Shelf
“Sometimes the greatest stories to unfold are the ones happening to you. In a vast book depository works a lonely librarian whose written world is slowly disappearing. As the digital world builds up outside, threatening to close the library for good, can she find her own story in amongst the shelves?”
TUE 28 FEB + WED 1 MAR @ 9.15PM
The festival allows audience members to submit their comments after the performance through secret ballots, SMS, videos and on twitter or by simply vote YAY or NAY at a polling station.