Frank McGuinness' THE HANGING GARDENS, GODOT, DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS & More Set for Dublin Theatre Festival 2013

Dublin Theatre Festival 2013 invites audiences to "Come Out to Play", to engage with and be entertained by an 18-day celebration of theatre from Ireland and around the world. 2013 is the year of The Gathering Ireland 2013 - a celebration of the diaspora from Ireland, and Dublin Theatre Festival is in particular celebrating the world reach of Irish Theatre and theatre makers.

Festival line up includes:

- The Hanging Gardens; Frank McGuinness's first new play at the Abbey Theatre in 14 years

- A major new 60th anniversary production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot from Gare St Lazare Players Ireland in a co-production with Dublin Theatre Festival

- A new production of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera at the Gate Theatre, directed by Wayne Jordan

- A new production of Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms from The Corn Exchange

- A new production of R.B. Sheridan's classic comedy The Critic from Rough Magic

International work from Canada, France, India, Japan, Portugal, Poland, Australia, the UK and

- A one-day symposium, Voyage and Return, including a free public talk on the theme of Irish theatre and the diaspora from acclaimed actress and theatre-maker Fiona Shaw

- The Family Season at The Ark will feature productions from Denmark and the UK in addition to the Irish première of Theatre Lovett's A Feast of Bones

- Festival+ will offer audiences a first look at works-in-progress and a series of eclectic and stimulating tours, panel discussions and talks with artists and practitioners, many of which will be free

Announcing the programme for the 2013 festival, Artistic Director and Chief Executive Willie White said: This year's festival furthers our ambition to bring to Dublin's stages the world's most engaging, exciting and ground-breaking theatre. Theatre has always been an important part of the social and cultural life of Dublin and it continues to play a role in the growth and renewal of our city. Though we are a small country we have an extraordinary capacity for creating art and a great appetite for experiencing it. Theatre is a civic occasion where artists and audiences connect with each other through stories. It creates conversation, and over the 18 days of the festival we want to get people talking, be it from the stage, in the streets, or in the bar after a performance.

Booking opens 30 July 10am. To order, visit www.dublintheatrefestival.com, the festival box office: 44 East Essex Street, Temple Bar, D. 2 Mon-Fri10am-6pm. Sat10am-5pm(Sept21-Oct12 only) Sun 12pm - 3pm (Sept 29 - Oct 13 only), or call Phone: +353 1 677 8899. Lines open during Box Office hours above.

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