Irish Festival

This festival is promoted byand

Zeitgeist Irland 24 is an initiative from Culture Ireland and the Embassy of Ireland in Germany to promote Contemporary Irish Arts and Culture in Germany in 2024.

Zeitgeist Irland 24 is a celebration of the richness and diversity of contemporary Irish culture.

From literary greats across the ages, to Irish traditional music, dance and performances that have reverberated across the world, Irish artists have always had a reputation for breaking boundaries.

Weaving the collective story and experiences of the Irish, Zeitgeist Irland 24 brings a new generation of Irish artists to German audiences, continuing to break boundaries and build on their global reputation for cultural excellence.

Tickets are on sale.

Our programme of the festival

THE KELLER THEATRE presents:

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FISHAMBLE THEATRE COMPANY presents:

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DUBLIN TOURING THEATRE presents:

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All shows at Kleine Bühne, Bleichstraße 28, 35390 Gießen

Why we are part of ZEITGEIST IRLAND 24

We became aware of this funding program during the production of The Cloudspotter written by the Irishman Michael J. Harnett, which was presented at the Kleine Bühne a year ago – “for the first time outside Dublin”. At the premiere there were also guests from the Irish Consulate in Frankfurt in the audience who introduced us to the idea of, and suggested we should apply for, ZEITGEIST IRLAND 24.

So we came up with a concept to convince the jurors of Giessen’s application. We contacted the Dublin-based ensemble Fishamble and asked if they’d be interested in a few guest performances. But for the festival we wanted to show a wide variety of the different work theatres are doing in Ireland. We wanted to combine their modern performances with a form of theatre in which storytelling is the focus. It’s about “pieces of life, without exaggerating effects, serious and true to life”. So it was the obvious step to also get The Cloudspotter author Michael J. Harnett to visit, who will bring his new work Bullied with him. And there is also another Irish play that we are currently working on and will be staging with the Keller Theatre’s own ensemble.

With this extensive concept, the Keller was actually selected for the funding programme – and we are proud to be a part of ZEITGEIST IRLAND 24.

The Keller-Theatre on the ZEITGEIST IRLAND 24 homepage -> Click here

The festival in the press

• Irisches Theaterfestival in Gießen (Gießener Anzeiger, 7. Februar 2024)