Arts Council welcomes expansion of festival’s ‘Spoken Word’ area

The ‘Spoken Word’ area at this year’s Electric Picnic festival has been expanded this year to include everything from theatre to political discourse to how to put out your first novel.

Speaking today, Mary Cloake, director of the Arts Council said: “We’re very excited about being part of the Electric Picnic. For us, this is a superb opportunity to showcase great writers in a new context, to an audience of 32,000 festival goers.”

Broadcaster David McWilliams returns to host the festival’s debate centre, Leviathan, and will be reflecting on the political and cultural legacy 40 years on from 1968 - the high-watermark of 1960s counterculture. The debate will feature Mark Kurlansky, author of '1968: The Year That Rocked the World', Derry civil rights activist Eamon McCann and others.

Eight of Ireland's most important writers, including Man Booker Prize winners Roddy Doyle and Anne Enright will also contribute over the weekend.

Michael James Ford with Trevor Knight will reprise their performances of Oscar Wilde's classics The Happy Prince and The Remarkable Rocket.

RTÉ's Ryan Tubridy will host a brand new Festival Revue Show to cast an eye over the day's newspapers and the events of the weekend with a panel of artists and performers from across the Electric Picnic's stages and music from his good friends Clint Velour and the Camembert Quartet.

Salon du Chat also returns with an innovative "speed-debating" concept.

New this year to the Picnic is The Word stage. Hosted by Marty Mulligan, this years line up includes some of the world's top slam poets, including Shane Koyczan (Canada), winner of the US Slam Poetry Championship and Disraeli (UK).

The La Scala Theatre Stage, a scale model of Milan's world-renowned La Scala Opera House will host a programme of one-act theatre. The Vendetta Theatre Company will present a selection of plays including 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' and 'Disco Pigs' presented by Rail and Fregoli Theatre Companies. Headlining the La Scala stage on Sunday will be a performance by Henry Rollins.

Other new stages include the Poetry and Storytelling Stage and Caint: Gaeilge Beo (Irish Language Stage).

Many Gaeilgeoirí are coming to the Picnic Aibhléiseach this year with their own tent. Des Bishop will headline the Comedian hour, Tomás O Súileabhán will help festival-goers meet a gorgeous cailín or buachail at the Luas-Chliúsaíocht / speed dating hour.