Cork Midsummer Festival rolls out eclectic programme for June event
Rose-Anne Kidney, right, will oversee events at Cork Midsummer Festival 2024.
From Schubert in Shandon to an artist who leaves no trace of his work, and a ghostly tale in a suburban swimming pool to table tennis at the Crawford Gallery, it is truly a case of something for everyone at this year’s Cork Midsummer Festival.
With Lorraine Maye, the long-term director of the festival on maternity leave, Rose Anne Kidney is at the helm this year as acting director of Cork’s annual cultural extravaganza, which will be launched this evening. One of the hallmarks of the festival is their imaginative use of a range of interesting spaces and venues across the city, and this year is no different, says Kidney.
The five strands of the festival — Now and New, On the Streets, Music, Be Part and Future Proof — will showcase a range of artistic and cultural talent. “We are putting on world-class performances and bold new work, circus spectacle, outdoor participation events, live music performances, and community-led art from Cork and beyond,” says Kidney.
The artistic ambition of the festival is indicated by the participation of Tino Sehgal, the acclaimed artist renowned for his ‘constructed situations’ between visitors and participants. He famously discourages documentation of his work, which intentionally leaves no physical presence.
His work Thisyouiiyou, described as expanding on the themes of life and birth in El Greco’s The Adoration of the Shepherds, will be presented at the Millennium Hall. “We are thrilled to have Sehgal at the festival, he is an incredible artist,” says Kidney. “Because his work is not documented, you can really only see it by being there in that live moment, which is lovely in this day and age where everything is put up on a phone or online. It is truly a one-off, a fleeting moment.”
A strong theatrical programme includes Deirdre Kinahan’s Tempesta, a play inspired by real-life events in 1930s Ireland and Spain. Taking place in the suitably atmospheric environs of The Pav, a former cinema, it will be accompanied by a score performed live by Steve Wickham of The Waterboys.
The hugely popular venue Marina Market will once again host several dance performances, including Night Dances from acclaimed choreographer Emma Martin, with live music from Daniel Fox of Gilla Band.
In a fitting celebration for Midsummer’s Night itself, on June 21, people are invited to don their dancing shoes for Solstice Céilí at Elizabeth Fort, where a band of traditional musicians and dancers will explore social dancing in Ireland down through the ages, encompassing reels and rave.
A contender for best title of the festival is surely Wiff Waff is Playing at my Gaff, an interactive exhibition at the Crawford Art Gallery featuring ping-pong with a twist — ‘wiff waff’ is apparently an old name for table tennis.
Kilter, Matter and Ghosts, a solo performance from Natasha Bourke at Gus Healy Swimming Pool in Ballinlough, is another intriguing prospect, described as "a tale of survival in a chlorinated, urban womb".
Kidney stresses the range of free events at the festival, including street performances and installations, visual art trails and the welcome return of Theatre for One, truly intimate performances from Landmark Productions. A classic takes to the hilly and historic streets of Shandon with a pure Cork-style reimagining of Schubert’s Winterreise; and on the theme of taking a different angle on firm favourites, Kidney urges people to go outside their comfort zone and explore what’s on offer.
“We always have elements that are unusual, and we encourage people to go see stuff they might not usually be in to, because we know that when they go to see it, they will enjoy it.”
- Cork Midsummer Festival runs June 12-23. For tickets and information, see corkmidsummer.com
