Some of the amazing highlights at Dublin's queer theatre festival Wilde Stages

With a programme packed full of comedy, drama, dance, physical theatre, musicals and more, there's plenty to choose from at Wilde Stages.

Events . Written by Beatrice Fanucci.

Split screen of theatre shows coming at the Wilde Stages festival. The first image shows a person holding up a pair of scissors, the second one a person wearing heavy white makeup and holding up a mask and the third two women almost kissing with gree lighting.
Image: Supplied

Formerly known as the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, the annual event rebranded this year as Wilde Stages, marking an exciting new chapter. Now in its third decade, the festival has made its triumphant return in 2026, running from May 4 to 17.

Featuring companies from five continents and eight countries, Wilde Stages offers an eclectic and vibrant mix of performances, including comedy, drama, dance, physical theatre, musicals and more. If you don’t know where to begin with this expansive programme, here are some highlights to help you choose what you’re going to see next.

The Bród, the Bold & the Beautiful
May 8 to 9 – The Pearse Centre
A brilliant production by Quintessence Theatre, this is an original comedy drama celebrating Irish LGBTQ+ life spanning three decades. Inspired by true stories, the show examines and celebrates the lives of three queer people, each born into a different generation and navigating new and ongoing issues of prejudice, pride, identity, love and legacy. Grab your tickets here.

 

The Enhanced Venus Experiment
May 11 to 16 – Outhouse
Written by Ciara Hannon, this is a sapphic, genre-bending two-hander that explores control, identity, and what happens when you are no longer alone in your own body. Get your tickets to this show here.

 

 

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The Land of Make Believe
May 8 and 9 – The Teachers Club
Award-winning singer and songwriter Mark Power created this show to explore the journey from trauma to acceptance and how imagination, humour and music saved a young boy’s life. Tickets here.

 

 

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Shallowspace
May 8 and 9 – The Pearse Centre
Shallowspace is a new trans sci-fi body horror play exploring humanity’s legacy in the stars. With projected visuals, a steely retrofuturistic feel, and an original synthwave soundtrack, this truly unique theatre piece is a nostalgic, nerdy, queer sci-fi look into the state of trans rights. Tickets here.

 

 

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The BBC’s First Homosexual
May 11 to 16 – The Teachers Club
Following a critically acclaimed UK tour, The BBC’s First Homosexual is making its Irish debut at Wilde Stages. Blending archive material, internal memos, and public reaction letters with a fictional narrative, this is the stage adaptation of the BBC’s first radio documentary on male homosexuality, recorded in 1954. Find out more info and get tickets here.

 

Dwell in Night
May 11 to 16 – The Pearse Centre
In this play, two very liberated friends with benefits run into complications when one starts dating a much more conventional doctor. To find out how they’re going to navigate the future of their relationship, get tickets here.

 

 

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F*ckboy
May 8 and 9 – The Teachers Club
This award-winning Fringe play is an astounding exploration of gender dysphoria, bodily autonomy and celebrity crushes from a trans perspective. The play was written by Freddie Haberfellner, who is also the founder of No Tits Theatre, an independent theatre company dedicated to supporting and uplifting trans theatre-makers and artists. Find tickets here.

 

II
May 11 to 16 – The Teachers Club
This bold and provocative South African theatre production is set to make its mark on Dublin as part of Wilde Stages. II is a striking queer reimagining of William Shakespeare’s Richard II and Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II, bringing two of theatre’s most complex monarchs into an intimate and emotionally charged encounter. Grab your tickets here.

 

Yesterday is Dead
May 11 to 16 – Outhouse
This is a sapphic one-woman show that examines the universal question: why are lesbians so sad? Exploring themes of grief, hope, and loneliness, the show will leave audiences questioning what really has changed in over a hundred years for lesbians. Get tickets here.

 

These are only a few of the amazing shows you can find at this year’s Wilde Stages queer theatre festival. For the full programme, follow this link.

© 2026 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

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