Two talented Longford performers take centre stage at Dublin Fringe Festival

Two Longford performers were listed as those involved in the Dublin Fringe Festival. Darren Yorke and FeliSPEAKS, played in ‘He Dies in the End’ and ‘Octopus Children’ respectively. The latter has finished their “successful run at the festival” as quoted by the festival’s spokesperson.

Both performances are one of the 80 participating in the festival. ‘He Dies in the End’ was recently in Backstage Theatre, Longford, for what was a preview of what is to be expected at the Dublin Fringe Festival.

Read more: Are you Longford’s next Country Music star to be on Glór Tíre?

“Dublin Fringe is a wonderful opportunity to platform new work. We've had a blast working on our new play,” said playwright, Liam McCarthy. “It's a challenging and quirky story, with an unusual structure - and it's been brilliant to be able to play and experiment with this. It's been a joy to watch Darren's engaging, funny and heartbreaking performance, and seeing this performance grow over the previews. I'm excited for the run of the festival! It was also wonderful to have the support of Mona and all at Backstage Theatre in the lead up to our Dublin appearances.”

FeliSPEAKS debuted at the Dublin Fringe Festival. With the official press release saying “My Nigeria happened in Longford town,” ‘Octopus Children’ was a “rich, visual narrative exploring the expansive, multifaceted experience of being Black and Irish.”

With a backdrop involved in 'He Dies in the End' which was not there for the Backstage Theatre performance, the August preview imitated the studio space that is to be expected for the Dublin Fringe Festival.
Both performers have demonstrated the great achievements of Longford talent with their showcases at the Dublin Fringe Festival.

FeliSPEAKS came to chat about her time in Dublin Fringe Festival:

”Octopus Children is my love letter to the emotional lives of Black, Irish, Queer, Migrant communities, a work about memory, imagination, and survival — and I’m so excited to finally share it with the world. It holds the format of a Choreopoem, telling a story with music, dance, poetry and dialogue on a theatre stage.

“Being there in general and being able to share my art/my gift/my story with a community of storytellers and art lovers. A pleasure indeed.”

Read more: INTERVIEW | Longford filmmaker discusses bringing the industry to the county

“The Octopus felt like the spirit of this work because it’s an alien of the ocean — soft, brilliant, and mysterious. I think of the deep ocean as a spiritual place, a place of memory and origin, and the octopus carries that energy. In a way, it mirrors how Black, Irish, Queer & Migrant communities live on earth: full of feeling, intelligence, and adaptability, but often treated like aliens in a world we’ve always belonged to.”

The Dublin Fringe Festival has been taking place since early September, highlighting various types of performance. It concluded on September 21, with 80 original and fascinating pieces being performed in front of packed audiences.