Aerial acrobatics to meet opera at Galway Theatre Festival

Aerial acrobatics meeting opera, a "multi-media mash-up" and an improvisation night in a medieval castle are among productions booked for this year's Galway Theatre Festival which opens later this month.

The programme, publicised in Galway on Tuesday, offers “Twitter-driven” theatre, a one-on-one show in a cabinet, story-telling and pop-up plays in a living-room.

Themes range from the lives of hospice workers, to the spiritual connection between a turfcutter and bog, to harrowing accounts of children in Catholic institutions.

Two shows will be presented by #wakingthefeministswest, which is staging a year-long programme of work by Irish women writers and is led by students from NUI Galway’s drama and theatre department.

Guerilla Aerial, which sold out at last year's event, will stage a site-specific show called Alice M "loosely based" on the life of 19th-century activist and playwright Alice Milligan. Fregoli Theatre presents a play about three generations of Irish women in An Taibhdhearc, and there will also be productions by Brokentalkers and WillfreddTheatre, while Little John Nee and Laura Sheeran will present a lyrical story to music.

The 32 shows over nine days include daytime children's drama by Magikloko Theatre Company and a production by Macnas Young Ensemble, entitled Pick Your Poison.

Galway Theatre Festival runs from April 29th-May 7th.

The Cúirt International Festival of Literature continues in Galway this week with readings, music, plaque unveilings and performances, including a Mná 2016 theme.

US poets Robert Pinsky and Natasha Trethewey read on Wednesday night.