On the Town: There was plenty of raving about drama at a reception in the spectacular Spiegeltent - hub of Dublin's theatre festivals - at Georges Dock this week.
Guests who gathered to celebrate the past 70 years of cultural activity by the British Council spoke with excitement about the Dublin Theatre Festival, which kicked off this week, and the ESB Dublin Fringe Festival, which began last week. The elegant reception was hosted by Tony Reilly, the British Council's director in Ireland.
Afterwards the British Council team, headed up by director general David Green, set off to enjoy the opening performance of Othello at the Tivoli Theatre, in a production by Britain's Cheek By Jowl theatre company.
An earlier fringe opening well worth noting, said Tony Ó Dálaigh, former director of the theatre festival, was Master Harold . . . and the Boys, by Athol Fugard, currently showing at the Helix in Dublin City University and transferring later next week to Draíocht in Blanchardstown.
Fergus Linehan, outgoing director of the Dublin Theatre Festival, who leaves for Australia in November to start his new job as director of the Sydney Arts Festival, said the box office in Dublin "went off the Richter scale today". Canadian Don Shipley, who will take over from Linehan as festival director, said the production of Arthur Miller's, Death of a Salesman, directed by Joe Dowling, was "sensational".
Others at the British Council event were the British ambassador, Stewart Eldon, and his wife Christine. Richard Wakely, commissioner of the Irish Festival of Arts and Culture in China, was looking forward to tonight's performance by the Peking Opera House of Beijing at the National Concert Hall. Dr Matthias Müller-Wieferig, of the Goethe-Institut, sang the praises of Rough Magic's production of Improbable Frequency at the O'Reilly Theatre.
The fringe festival's executive producer, Bea Kelleher, and outgoing director Vallejo Gantner were also at the reception, taking a quick breather between shows, which are gathering momentum, they said.
Then Doireann Gillan, press officer of Project Theatre, dashed in with more updates, reminding us that eight plays are opening at Project in Temple Bar this week and a further six next week. Whew.