THERE seemed much for dramaphiles to get excited about at the launch of details of the 40th Dublin Theatre Festival last night.
It will all kick off on October 5th in a giant theatre tent erected in the RDS by Cirque Plume who will bring their unique mixture of theatre, circus and theatre to Ireland.
Also making an Irish debut is Robert Lepage, the world renowned FrenchCanadian director who will be flying the hightech set and cast of Elsinore, a one man version of Hamlet straight from New York.
Playwright Martin McDonogh, the current wunderkind of the dramatic will be bringing The Leenane Trilogy to the festival, marking the return of the Druid Theatre Company after seven years.
The Trilogy has its world premiere in Galway tomorrow.
Romanian director, Silviu Purcarete will bring his two most famous productions Titus Andronicus and Phaedra to the SFX.
New writing is also strong this year with playwright Thomas Kilroy telling the story of Oscar Wilde's wife in The Secret Fall of Constance Wilde at The Abbey. Passion Machine and Cork Opera House are also offering new work; Massive Damages by first time playwright, Declan Lynch which will be directed by Gerry Stembridge, and Bedrock will be presenting Melon farmer, a new work by Alex Johnston directed by Jimmy Fay.
Other festival highlights are the arrival of brilliant young French director Step bane Braunschweig with his production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure; the ever eccentric raconteur Spalding Gray making his return to Dublin for the first time in 10 years, and Carbonade 14, the Quebec group bringing Dead Souls after a sellout run in New York.
For the third consecutive year, the children's festival will be running in The Ark and the Fringe Festival will be showing a wide selection of emerging theatrical talent, under a new director, Ali Curran.