We asked Dublin Theatre Festival Artistic Director Róise Goan to pick her 5 must-sees from the 2026 edition of DTF, which runs from 24 September to 11 October.
RADIO BETTE
We have to start with our opening show, Radio Bette. The Goat Exchange are the hottest theatre company in New York right now, named as New York Times Critics Picks twice in the last 9 months. This production brings together amazing stars of TV and Broadway like Michael Cerveris and Roberta Colindrez to revisit the career of Bette Davis and in particular the iconic classic All About Eve. Expect backstage drama, extreme glamour, Hollywood nostalgia with a contemporary New York edge. Even if you don’t know and love All About Eve, If you liked GATZ at Dublin Theatre Festival many moons ago, or if you enjoyed Blue Moon or Sentimental Value at the cinema in the last year, you will love this.
Bette Davis lives on in Radio Bette
HEROES OF TOMORROW
Brokentalkers are a brilliant theatre company, who shine a light on some of the most urgent questions of our time, with empathy and humour. In Heroes Of Tomorrow, they tackle the moral responsibility of artists in the a world where truth itself is contested. If you’ve been following the Ed Sheeran/Macklemore/Pink debacle, or if you’ve read Careless People and are keen to think about big moral conundrums, while also being entertained with a witty and thoughtful script, this one is for you.
Brokentalkers return with Heroes Of Tomorrow
ZINC
Dead Centre, the brilliant Irish theatre company behind Deaf Republic, Good Sex, and many other Dublin Theatre Festival hits, return with this brilliant show about a man whose nationality changed 5 times throughout his life because of shifting borders and the pressure on natural resources. You will definitely learn something new about European history you didn’t know, but as ever with Dead Centre, the narrative will twist and turn in exciting ways and you’ll have a great time while it’s happening. The kind of show that you want a talk about over a pint/dinner immediately!
Dead Centre bring Zinc to DTF 2026
LA PARABOULE DU SEUM (THE PARABLE OF THE SOUR)
Last year we had the great fortune to welcome Rebecca Chaillon to the festival with her excellent show Whitewashing, which wowed audiences. She returns with an even bigger show, exploring the search for hope at a challenging time for the planet, with great humour, audacity and BUTTER. It’s big, it’s messy, it’s often hilarious. It’s utterly original and gives an excellent portrait of life right now from a young, queer, fat, black and working class French perspective. If you’ve a habit of doomscrolling way past your bedtime, and you need a fresh take, this is well worth your time.
Parable of the Sour: ‘great humour, audacity and BUTTER’ (Pic: Marikel Lahana)
LOURDES! THE MUSICAL
Xnthony makes his festival debut with this cracker of a new musical. Looking at a crisis in faith across generations, he pays homage to those in need of faith and looking for a cure, while perfectly capturing the kitsch magic of a pilgrimage to Lourdes. This new musical has major ambitions for world domination and I encourage you to be among the first audiences to see it. A guaranteed good night out that will make you laugh, and maybe make you cry a bit too.
Dublin Theatre Festival runs from 24 September to 11 October 2026 – find out more here