Theatre Nights: Free backstage tours and plenty of drama

Well, aren’t they having a successful start to June at the Opera House. That delightful puppet-making workshop, this coming Saturday morning, is already fully sold out, as is Irish National Opera’s Norma. Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf on Sunday night, a new adventure in stand-up comedy, doesn’t have a seat left either. Still a few for In The Night Garden on Tuesday next, though, a real delight for youngest theatregoers, with Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka and all their friends. Three performances to choose from there, at 10am, noon, and 3pm, but be quick. And next Thursday, June 11, Billie-Jean’s RDC & School of Performing Arts presents a dazzling production of Follow The Yellow Brick Road at 6.30pm. Special family tickets available for that one, and we imagine it will be a sell-out. All bookings for the Opera House on 021 427 0022 or www.corkoperahouse.ie.

Special backstage tours of our wonderful late Victorian theatre, The Everyman, this coming Saturday, as part of Cruinniú na nÓg 2026. Explore behind the scenes, hear all the strange stories, learn its history. Free, but booking essential. Something very different coming up from Friday of next week, in an unusual venue - the empty swimming pool beneath the Metropole Hotel, right by Everyman. Pool (No Water) by Mark Ravenhill, directed by Des Kennedy, with choreography by Luke Murphy, is being staged as part of the Cork Midsummer Festival, and blurs the boundaries between installation, physical theatre, and live art. A definite must-see for all theatrical aficionados, it will preview from Friday, June 12 and open officially on June 17 (that night already sold out), continuing to June 27. 16 upwards for this one, given its themes of injury, drugs, etc. 021 450 1673 or www.everymancork.com.

The Dowry, by Derry Cotter, at the Cork Arts Theatre, opened last night and runs to Saturday, directed by John McCaffrey.

A rural Irish village of the 1950s might resemble an idyllic existence, but under the surface tensions simmer. Riveting to watch.

From Monday-Wednesday next week, June 8-10, Blue Hat Productions present God of Carnage, the Tony Award winning play by Yasmina Reza, a witty and observant comedy about what happens when two apparently well-behaved upper middle class couples get embroiled over their children’s playground fight. Great fun. 8pm for both these shows. Booking on 021 450 5624.

We mentioned the Cork Midsummer Festival above, in connection with Pool (No Water). You hardly need reminding that this amazing event runs this year from June 12 to 21, with such a range of performances and happenings that it baffles the imagination to work out how to see them all. From Maupassant readings to circus, dance to drama, music to literature, it’s all there, with some wonderful public participation opportunities too, like the Midsummer Parade and the Solstice Céilí at Elizabeth Fort, which brings the entire festival to a close. Log on to corkmidsummer.com right now and feast your eyes on the choices that will turn our city into a carnival for ten days. Just a sample: Ten Thousand Hours, an award-winning circus spectacle at the City Hall on June 19-21 in which eight acrobats defy gravity while a live drummer keeps the beat; 0800 Cupid, a genre-defying countercultural opus from ThisIsPopBaby at Everyman, June 18-19; Dances for the City (in Time of Angst) a new piece of music for chamber orchestra by John O’Brien, at the School of Music June 20. Where but Cork could you get this variety?

Fans of K-Pop Forever, have you got your tickets yet for the big event at INEC in Killarney? This all-action tribute concert is on tomorrow and Saturday, but tickets are flying out the door. Breathtaking choreography, all those great songs, and you can experience them live and in person! Lots more going on at INEC this month - find out the ones you can’t possibly miss on gleneaglearena.ie.