‘A hug runs all the way through this’: How to Catch a Star, based on the Oliver Jeffers book, returns to the Ark
This puppet show, which has been a huge hit for Branar, draws similar reactions from children all over the world
The Ark
‘Over a million kids have come here’: 30 years of The Ark children’s cultural centre
Creative director Aideen Howard says facility remains unique on the international stage
Leaves, at Dublin Theatre Festival, reflects on care, growth, death and intelligence of nature
Dublin Theatre Festival 2025 review: production is more like a meditation on tender ecosystem of connection than an adaptation
Murmur: The young audience gasp and laugh, mesmerised by this playful, inventive performance
Dublin Theatre Festival 2024: Camiel Corneille weaves together sound and movement as he builds physical characters and imaginary worlds
An Ant Called Amy: A magical, thought-provoking lesson in learning to slow down
Dublin Theatre Festival 2024: Julie Sharkey’s delightful performance treads carefully on the topic of sibling loss
Fionn Foley on adapting Roddy Doyle’s The Giggler Treatment: ‘I did what no person would ever advise you to do’
The writer took a gamble when he went ahead with neither a commission nor interest from a theatre. Now it’s the Ark’s Christmas production
Fall and Float review: A charming, playful, skilful show for young audiences, full of discovery, play and balloons
Dublin Theatre Festival 2023: The children at the Ark are audibly delighted and amused, gasping and giggling throughout Mónica Muñoz’s production
How to put on a show for kids: Encourage the imagination, avoid audience participation and never dumb down
Gemma Tipton offers a beginner’s guide to taking up a new cultural pursuit
Fintan O’Toole: RTÉ bureaucrats fantasised they could turn themselves into Broadway impresarios
The broadcaster piddled away €2.2m on the Toy Show vanity project, while showing an increasingly obvious disdain for its cultural remit
Polar Bear and Penguin review: A warm tale of melting ice
Theatre: Audience treated to a celebration of difference and the power of friendship
The show must go on: the Ark is pressing onward despite Covid-19
On its 25th anniversary, cultural centre for children has more than 14,000 virtual engagements
Is this a golden age for children’s theatre? Oh, yes, it is
Work made for children used to be rare, but there's now a rich bounty of shows
The Ark: Theatrical treats, and where to find them
The Dublin centre has been providing arts for children for more than 20 years
Children’s theatre reviews: A revamped fairy tale and a stone-cold classic
Hansel and Gretel as adults and a boy who befriends a stone are among the highlights of the children’s strand at this year’s Dublin Theatre Festival
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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