Arts festival organisers keep fingers crossed for sunshine

Date Published: {J}

By Denise McNamara

The organisers of the Galway Arts Festival will hope that the fabulous sunshine that marked the launch of the programme bodes well for the weather during the city’s premier event in July.

Chief executive John Crumlish said that the 250 shows in 25 venues over 14 days would generate income of up to €20m for the city.

He paid tribute to the sponsors – among them the Arts Council, Fáilte Ireland, Absolut Vodka and new leadership partner NUI Galway – which he said continued their support even in these hard times.

The festival was getting into producing more of its own work and was starting to collaborate with stakeholders to produce projects that would help the Galway Arts Festival develop culture as a flagship for the country.

The highlight of the event is undoubtedly the return of Hollywood star Cillian Murphy to the stage in the first collaboration with playwright Enda Walsh since their hugely successful piece Disco Pigs 15 years ago.

Artistic director Paul Fahy said the festival had been working with the Landmark Theatre Company for two years on the one-man show, called Misterman, which will feature an original score by composer Donnacha Dennehy.

He also singled out the major exhibition by Hughie O’Donoghue, called The Road, in which one work alone is made up of 60 individual panels.

“Arts should be a podium for our dreaming,” he remarked.

Other highlights includes the comic play, Love, Love, Love by UK author Mike Bartlett, the acrobatic extravaganza called Controlled Falling Project by Australian company Thissideup.

The musical bill in the Big Top features Blondie, De La Soul and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and the Irish double bill of Bell X1 with Duke Special.

According to Gugai in the Róisín, which is staging some of the concerts, the London Snorkelling Team from the UK on the comedy bill, will be one of the big hits of the festival.