THEATRE: PAT KINEVANE
Over the past two decades, writer and performer Pat Kinevane has built one of the most extraordinary bodies of work in modern Irish theatre, creating an ongoing series of works sharing the stories of people on the fringes of society; now Fishamble: The New Play Company mark 20 years of partnership with Pat with an extensive Irish tour of all five of his solo plays: Forgotten, Silent, Underneath, Before and King. On Feb 20th, he’ll perform King in the Mermaid Arts Centre Bray, with performances of different works still to come at Droichead Arts Centre, the Civic Tallaght, the Swift Cultural Centre in Trim, the Backstage Theatre in Longford and The Dock in Leitrim – find out more here, and hear the great man talking to Oliver Callan below (Various venues, touring until April 24th)
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FILM: EPIC
While researching his acclaimed Elvis Presley biopic, filmmaker Baz Luhrmann discovered 68 boxes of unseen film negatives and 8mm footage in Warner Bros.’ vaults. Baz and team spent two years restoring the footage; the result is a truly EPIC (the title stands for Elvis Presley In Concert) documentary blending Elvis performances with the man himself telling his remarkable life story, via an unheard audio interview. As both celebration of a musical icon, and re-introduction for a newer generation, the title says it all. This film plays exclusively in IMAX for one week at Dublin’s Parnell Cinemas before landing in cinemas nationwide (Parnell Cinemas, Dublin from Feb 20th, then nationwide from Feb 27)
BOOK: AN ASYLUM FOR MY AFFECTIONS
Subtitled Sketches of Maeve Brennan, this new collection of essays centered around the work of the celebrated author sees 10 contemporary Irish writers consider the various meanings of the word ‘asylum’ – an institution, a site of incarceration, a refuge and a shelter – by way of offering new and broader perspectives on Brennan’s life and the continuing impact of her wrtiting. Edited by Molly Hennigan, with contributors including ÉilÃs Nà Dhuibhne, Roddy Doyle and Jessica Traynor, the essays explore cityscapes and girlhood, mythology and folklore, loneliness and transience, and the emotional impact of history and diaspora, offering new and broader perspectives on Brennan’s life and work (New Island)
Maeve Brennan is the subject of a new collection of essays
ART: SHIRANI BOLLE
In this has nothing to do with me, her new show at Cork’s Sirius Arts Centre, self-taught, multi-heritage artist Shirani Bolle investigates the role and status of women in both domestic and media contexts, while subverting (and challenging) patriarchal conceptions of femininity. Utilizing a practice that spans textiles, performance and sculpture, Bolle engages with representations of the female body, focusing particularly on marginalised groups, including racialised and neurodivergent individuals such as herself, exploring notions of monstrosity to challenge idealised views of womanhood and advance a disruptive feminist perspective (Sirius Arts Centre, Cork, until 4th Apr)
Shirani Bolle, The Show (still), 2025 (Pic courtesy of the artist)
PODCAST: PETRIFIED
Celebrated U.S. actors David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil) and Dylan Baker (Happiness) join the cast of the award-winning Irish horror anthology audio drama for its latest season; created by writer/director Peter Dunne and (producer) Liam Geraghty, Petrified is an anthology fiction series from the darker side of Ireland, telling the chilling tales of ordinary people encountering the supernatural, and their terrifying fates – it’s also a complete hoot, and a fine showcase for a choice ensemble of the country’s finest creatives, in front of and behind the mic (New episodes weekly)
Hear The Culture 5 every Friday on AedÃn in the Afternoon on RTÉ lyric fm, from 1 pm – listen back here