IDGTF 2023 – Preview
May 1st-14th 2023

With the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival kicking off on Monday, we thought it was high time we had a look at what’s on offer this year! The festival is now in its 20th year, which is fairly remarkable for an independent festival. As usual, there are some travelling international shows along with the best of Irish Gay Theatre shows on display. Here are some of the productions that caught our eye. You can expect high camp to intense outpourings of emotion and everything in between!

Wasteman – 1 – 6 May 2023 – DV8

“The hilarious story of a bin man who swaps steel-toed boots for stilettos to chase his dream of becoming a drag queen. Will inflexible hamstrings, an anti-woke boyfriend and the cost-of-living crisis stop him on his quest to be crowned Miss Stoke?”

The Importance of Being Earnest as Performed by Three F*cking Queens and a Duck – 1 – 6 May, 2023

“The 3-time Edinburgh Fringe season sell-out finally hits Dublin in all its disrespectful glory for the 20th IDGTF as Australia’s award-winning Out Cast Theatre presents Steven Dawson’s hilarious ‘The Importance of Being Earnest as Performed by Three F*cking Queens and a Duck’.

An outrageous tour-de-farce as three talent-deprived thespians attempt the impossible in staging Mr Wilde’s classic in a frantic 50-minute lovey fest. Good taste and political correctness fly out the window as they take on the uber-theatricals in an all-out assault on those more talented.”

Standing in the Shadows of Giants – May 8- May 13, 2023 – Outhouse Theatre

“a powerful true story where a woman looks back on her youth as a struggling actress in early ‘00s London.  This is a  comic retelling of minimum wage jobs and auditions for laxative adverts. Unprepared for the sudden success of her younger brother Carl Barât (traditionally the weed-smoking black sheep of the family), she’s forced to face her own failures. Dodging exes, a lecherous producer and a rehab admission, she finally arrives at the realisation she’s gay.”

The Heterosexuals  – May 8- May 13, 2023 – Outhouse Theatre

“Toronto’s  Johnnie Walker presents the international debut of his newest solo show: a deep-dive into the shocking world of Heterosexuality. THEY WALK AMONG US! But where did they come from? And what do they think they’re wearing?”

Everything is Grand and I’m Completely OK – 8 – 13 May 2023 – The Ireland Institute

Read our review here.

“Malachy has just turned 25, and he has a few things to say about that. Dealing with the death of his younger brother, he is struggling to come to terms with all that he is, and everything that he’s not.

Working as a customer support advisor in a call centre at a bin disposal company and experiencing many different escapades with his best friend Pauline, Malachy is eager to take some time to reflect and move on with his life. He quickly comes to realise, however, that it’s not as easy as it seems on paper.”