Guardian’s theatre critic Michael Billington had high praise for Galway International Festival in a piece he wrote for the publication, commenting that the Festival, “under the direction of Paul Fahy, is a powerhouse of ideas and innovation.”
Guardian’s Michael Billington on GIAF theatre
Billington commended the Festival’s work in theatre co-productions, stating, “It has shown the merits of merging different art forms”, which he called the key to Enda Walsh’s hit ‘Arlington’. ‘Arlington’ is a co-production between Landmark Productions and Galway International Arts Festival, written and directed by Walsh. It’s touring to New York City next year.
Invitation to a Journey
Billington also praised ‘Invitation to a Journey Inspired by Eileen Gray’, a groundbreaking co-production between CoisCéim Dance Company, Crash Ensemble, Fishamble: The New Play Company, and GIAF, exploring the life of 20th century modernist Eileen Gray through theatre, dance and music. “By working together, they offered imaginative insights into the work of the pioneering Irish furniture designer and architect Eileen Gray,” he wrote. “Through the fusion of Gavin Kostick’s script, David Bolger’s dance and Deirdre Gribbin’s music, the show explores Gray’s influence and famously private personality.”
He credits Druid Theatre’s re-imagining of Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’ with shedding new light on the play, a piece of work that resulted in “reawakening enthusiasm for a much-reprised Beckett classic.”
Billington’s praise comes just after Galway celebrated a momentous accolade, after being crowned European Capital of Culture 2020 last week.
All The World’s a Stage...
Billington participated in the Festival, chairing the First Thought Talks event ‘All The World’s A Stage - Can Theatre Define a Nation?’, where he explored theatre’s role in defining a nation, based on his latest book, ‘The 101 Greatest Plays’ - which did not feature ‘Waiting for Godot’. Billington says he deliberately left it out of his book because he felt over the years it had lost its capacity to shock and surprise. “But seeing Garry Hynes’s new production for Druid Theatre, I felt once again its tragicomic grandeur.”
Read Billington’s full article here. Want to find out more about Festival happenings? Check out our blog.
