Galaxy of stars for Galway Arts Festivals

Date Published: 06-Jun-2008

World-renowned artists, including the Philip Glass ensemble, Joni Mitchell, Blondie, the New Orleans’ Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Druid Theatre, Bill Viola and Omara Portuondo of the Buena Vista Social Club are among the artists taking part in this year’s Galway Arts Festival which runs
from July 14-27.

Over four hundred writers, artists, performers and musicians from Australia, Africa, Europe, North
America and Ireland are taking part in Festival 2008, which also sees the introduction of an exciting new venue, the Festival Big Top, located in the Fisheries Field.

“I want to bring work to Galway that people don’t see throughout the year,” explained the Festival’s
Artistic Director Paul Fahy, announcing details of the programme at the launch in Dublin yesterday.

Northlight Theatre Company from Chicago make their Irish debut in Galway this July with the European premiere of Larry Gelbart and Craig Wright’s hilarious new comedy Better Late, starring John Mahonsy and Mike Nussbaum. Gelbart wrote much of the successful TV series M*A*S*H and cowrote the Oscar hit Tootsie. John Mahoney, of Frasier fame, is no stranger to Galway and is joined
onstage by Larry Gelbart for whom David Mamet wrote many of his plays, including Glengarry Glen
Ross.

The festival also welcomes South Africa’s Farber Foundry (pictured) , making their Irish debut with
Molora, an exploration of apartheid and its legacy through reworking the Greek classic, The Oresteia.
Meanwhile, Tania Pérez-Salas from Mexico create will perform an exciting and sensual…