Theatre in Ireland this year was bookended by two crises, a state of play mirrored by the work

Actor Karl Shiels, who died on Monday aged 47, played shady Robbie Quinn in the soap

A passionate advocate for originality, he knew that theatre could be electrifying

Shiels, best-known for role as Robbie Quinn, was founding member of Theatre Upstairs

A new play imagines the fractious compatibility between Ernest Hemingway and F Scott Fitzgerald, while an old musical makes a comeback for the summer

The Tallaght actor might have to get used to it, as her star quality shines in The Hole in the Ground

Look out for ‘Rapids’, about life with HIV by Shaun Dunne, and the Abbey’s 24-hour plays

Philip Ridley’s Tonight with Donny Stixx and Dark Vanilla Jungle feature media monsters

Joxer Daly gets a solo show and promenade plays in the Botanic Gardens

Vampires, voyages and new beginnings on the Irish stage

Ross Gaynor’s tough monologue is set in the aftermath of a terrorist attack

The challenge of this Halloween entertainment is to splice fairy tales into horror stories in pursuit of sincere scares

Deirdre Kinahan captures the claustrophobia of small town society and family life in a play that transcends its bleak premise

This breakneck two-hander will smack you upside the head