STORM 1.0 – Dublin Dance Festival – Review

STORM 1.0 – Junk Ensemble – World Premiere, Ireland – Samuel Beckett Theatre
Dates: Wed 06—Fri 08 May 2026

STORM 1.0 – Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo as part of Sligo Cairde Sligo Arts Festival on 9th July –  https://www.cairdefestival.com/2026/storm-10

At the start of the production, as the audience is taking their seats, the two cast members – Imogen Alvares and Amir Sabra – are already on stage.  They move in darkness, carrying out tasks.  They hunt for abandoned objects, lost under sheets of plastic and move through an assembled scaffolding platform.  As the play begins in earnest and the lights go up, we see the couple in their strange and fragile world.

There is a hint at a narrative.  Is this a post-apocalyptic world or life after a climate catastrophe? We never quite learn the details. We seem them struggling, hunting for objects from the old world of plenty. The set is dominated by sheets of white plastic, hanging on the three walls and thrown on the floor. At its centre stands a scaffold structure, built from aluminium tubes, platforms, and crossbeams.

The couple eventually encounter another figure, concealed beneath layers of plastic: a marching-band musician in a striking red costume, clutching a tuba (Les Neish). He feels separate from the others, unwilling to join their fight or not quite welcome to share their meagre resources.

The storms promised by the title do eventually arrive. Large fans send carefully chosen props airborne, leaves skitter across the stage, and the plastic sheets flutter and ripple in the wind.

The soundtrack by Dennis Clohessy is a highlight,  at times feeling larger than the actions taking place on stage.  The tuba playing blends seamlessly with the recorded sound.

The movement of the dancers feels intimate and deeply connected. They leap into each other’s arms, alternately lifting and carrying one another. There are moments of step dancing and even a sequence performed beneath falling rain, where the performers slip and slide across a small section of the stage.

Some sections of the production feel slow; we see the dancers assembling a section of scaffolding or hanging objects from wires from the ceiling.  Surprisingly, these sections were included, even with the short stage time.

The production leaves the audience with more questions than answers about the world it presents, though that ambiguity is often part of the appeal of a wordless piece. The specifics remain elusive.

With the amount of work that goes into producing a piece like this, it seems a strange choice to have it run for three nights. As it sold out before the production started, it could easily have been extended. For those interested in the work, there is another chance to see it in Sligo in July.

Junk Ensemble is one of the most prominent names in Irish dance theatre, and the company’s distinctive style and vision are unmistakable here. At times, though, you wish the production would become more frenetic and untamed, as the title seems to promise. Instead, the movement remains close and introspective. We observe the two performers at intimate quarters, drawn into their private world as they struggle to survive against the wind and rain.

Credits – 

Concept and Creation Jessica Kennedy, Megan Kennedy
Choreography Jessica Kennedy, Megan Kennedy in collaboration with the dancers
Performers Imogen Alvares, Les Neish, Amir Sabra
Scenography Morgana Machado Marques
Lighting Stephen Dodd
Music Denis Clohessy
Costume Sarah Bacon
Dramaturgy Rex Daugherty
Producer Ciara Lynch
Production Managers Simon Bird, Olivia Drennan
Stage Manager Miriam Duffy
Assistant Stage Manager Bianca Baguio
Scenography Assistant Ariadna Konaškova
Chief LX Eoin Winning
Sound Engineer Jack Cawley
Sound Design Assistant Jack Porter
Communications Manager Sally McCarthy
Photography Fionn McCann
Videography Eóin Heaney
Trailer Music Feral Torch