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Show in a Bag

Show in a Bag was an artist development initiative of Irish Theatre Institute, Dublin Fringe Festival and Fishamble: The New Play Company  to resource theatre makers and actors. The first Show in a Bag initiative was established in 2010 to facilitate the creation of five new small-scale, tourable shows which would highlight the talents and skills of performers making work for the Dublin Fringe Festival.

Participants were selected following an open call, and with the support of playwright/dramaturg Gavin Kostick they created a play to the artists’ specifications. Show in a Bag provided actors with the opportunity to have their very own small-scale, tourable show. Selected actors, or pairs of actors, produced and performed their own productions at Bewley’s Café Theatre as part of Dublin Fringe Festival. These productions that began in Bewley’s Café Theatre have gone to on travel the world, delighting audiences from West Cork to Western Australia and even lighting up the screen.

Previous Show in a Bag Productions (2010-2018)

  • Appropriate – Sarah Jane Scott

    Brendan Galileo For Europe – Fionn Foley
    (Winner of Best Performer and Bewley’s Little Gem Awards at Dublin Fringe Festival 2018)

    Ireland’s Call – John Connors

    Split Ends – Lauren Larkin

    • Sure Thing – Eric O’Brien & Jed Murray 
    • Rebel Rebel – Robbie O’Connor & Aisling O’Mara 
      (Nominated for Bewley’s Little Gem Award, Tiger Dublin Fringe 2015)
    • The Auld Fella – Michael Glenn Murphy
    • The Matador – Shane O’Reilly 
      (Nominated for Bewley’s Little Gem Award, Tiger Dublin Fringe 2015)
    • Dublin Oldschool – Emmet Kirwan & Ian Lloyd Anderson 
      (Winner of the Stewart Parker Trust Major Bursary Award 2014; winner of Best Performers Award, Nominated for Bewley’s Little Gem Award, Nominated for First Fortnight Award in Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival 2014)
    • The Centre of the Universe – John Doran 
    • Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell – Adapted and Performed by Phelim Drew
      (Nominated for Best Performer Award, Nominated for Bewley’s Little Gem Award, Tiger Dublin Fringe 2014)
    • Charolais – Noni Stapleton 
      (Winner of the Stewart Parker Trust Major Bursary Award 2015; Winner of Bewley’s Little Gem Award at Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival 2014; Nominated for The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize)
    • Beowulf: The Blockbuster! – Bryan Burroughs 
      (Nominated for Bewley’s Little Gem Award in Dublin Fringe Festival 2013)
    • Counter Culture – Katie O’Kelly 
    • SWING – Janet Moran and Steve Blount 
      (Winner of Bewley’s Little Gem Award & nominated for Best Female Performer & Best Male Performer at Dublin Fringe Festival 2013)
    • Small Plastic Wars – Pat McGrath 
      (Nominated for Bewley’s Little Gem Award and First Fortnight Award at Dublin Fringe Festival 2013)
    • Black Wednesday – Dee Burke 
    • Payback! – Marion O’Dwyer & Maria McDermottroe 
    • U-R-Hamlet – Conor Madden  
    • Sequin Dreams – Michele Moran 
    • Bandit – Brian O’Riordan 
    • The Wheelchair on my Face – Sonya Kelly
      (Edinburgh Fringe First Award 2012, Critic’s pick in The New York Times 2013)
    • Pocket Music – Donncha O’Dea & Camille Ross
      (Winner of Bewley’s Café Theatre Little Gem Award at ABSOLUT Fringe 2011)
    • It’s your turn to Change Daddy – Anthony Morris
    • Last Year – Maeve McGrath
    • That’s about the Size of It – Niamh Shaw
    • An Irish Psaltar– Eimear O’Grady
    • Connected – Karl Quinn & Will Irvine
      Nominated for Bewley’s Café Theatre Little Gem Award at ABSOLUT Fringe 2010)
    • Fight Night – Aonghus Óg McAnally
      (Winner Best Male Performer & Bewley’s Café Theatre Little Gem Award at ABSOLUT Fringe 2010)
    • Love + Fury: The Passion of Jonathan Swift – David Heap
    • The Sit – John Cronin & Caitríona Ní Mhurchú
      (Nominated for Bewley’s Café Theatre Little Gem Award & Best Male Performer at ABSOLUT Fringe 2010)

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