Dublin Theatre Festival is excited to be partnering with Poetry Ireland on DUBH, a commission which has also received funding through the Arts Council’s Commissions Award.

Dublin Theatre Festival is excited to be partnering with Poetry Ireland on DUBH, a commission which has received funding through the Arts Council’s Commissions Award.

DUBH will be led by Felicia Olusanya, who goes by the stage name Felispeaks, in collaboration with artists from music and film to create a visual poetry album inspired by conversations with people from migrant and minority backgrounds in Ireland.

With a desire to speak with a multitude of voices and across disciplines, fusing poetry, performance, music and film, Felispeaks will collaborate with music producer Fehdah, singer songwriter Tolu Makay and filmmaker Zithelo Bobby Mthombeni to conceive a live show.

Niamh O’Donnell, Director of Poetry Ireland said, “Poetry Ireland and Dublin Theatre Festival are committed to engaging communities, building networks and expanding our artists programmes in the ethos of democracy, inclusivity, diversity and solidarity. This commission is a joint initiative with a core ambition to extend our wide-ranging programme to as broad an audience as possible in an ethos and culture which values all people.”

As a waypoint in the journey towards producing the finished work, a sharing of material from work in progress in planned for Dublin Theatre Festival 2021. It’s anticipated that the premiere of DUBH will take place during the 2022 edition of the festival.

The commission from Dublin Theatre Festival and Poetry Ireland has been made possible by funding from the Arts Council’s Commissions Award. The purpose of the award is to support professional artists at any stage of their career to develop their art practice. It provides artists with the time and resources to think, research, reflect and critically engage with their art.

Pic credit: Garrett White