The Dublin Theatre Festival returns from September 25 to October 12, with some fabulous LGBTQ+ shows included in the programme. Across 29 productions, expect an eclectic mix from classical repertoire to boundary-pushing work and everything in between.
The 2025 edition marks Róise Goan’s first as Festival Artistic Director. Speaking ahead of the event, she shared, “I am thrilled to present my first programme at Dublin Theatre Festival this year. As an island nation on the edge of Europe, that punches above our weight with our global contribution to culture, Dublin Theatre Festival is a really important moment in the calendar for Irish audiences to see the outside world on our stages, and we have some really fantastic international shows in the programme this year that are not to be missed.
“With a world in turmoil, the shared experience of witnessing stories from artists from all corners, as well as excellent home-grown theatre, has never felt more important.”
The 2025 Dublin Theatre Festival programme can be browsed in full here, but below are some of the fantastic LGBTQ+ highlights.
The Making of Pinocchio
September 25-27
This award-winning play from artists and lovers Rosana Cade and Ivor MacAskill is a true tale of love and transition, told through the story of Pinocchio. The deeply moving and inventive work blurs the boundaries between the personal and the mythical, as it has been made in tandem with Ivor’s own gender transition since 2018. Book tickets here, or enter GCN’s competition for a chance to win a pair.
Whitewashing
September 25-27
From France, Whitewashing is a dynamic duo of contrasting forces; one frail and immobilised, the other free, powerful and filled with mischief. With this performance, Rébecca Chaillon and Aurore Déon work with stereotypes and fantasies, allowing them to unfold on stage and prompting the audience to confront them. Tickets are on sale here, or enter GCN’s competition to win a pair here.
Cool Suburban Mam
October 3
From local star Pea Dinneen, Cool Suburban Mam follows Birdget: a mother, sex worker and trans woman – how modern! Her life seems to be on the right track until she meets the other parents at her daughter’s South Dublin private school. Soon, Bridget is forced to question what it means to be a woman, a mother, and posh in modern Ireland. Book a free ticket here.
Dublin Jack
October 7
In a scandalous new opera, Conor Mitchell and The Belfast Ensemble delve into the seedy underbelly of Victorian London through the story of Jack Saul, one of Ireland’s most infamous erotic exports. This intimate concert experience, which is both stripped-back and energetic, unpacks the messy powerplays of agency, class and colonialism tied up in queer Anglo-Irish identity. Tickets are available here.
These are just a selection of the many wonderful performances happening as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival. Find out more information here.
© 2025 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
This post is sponsored by Dublin Theatre Festival
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