Show In A Bag

Show in a Bag was an artist development initiative of Dublin Fringe Festival, Fishamble: The New Play Company and Irish Theatre Institute 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 Dubin Fringe Festival.

31 Show in a Bag productions have created work for 41 artists, and achieved over 1,250 performances, reaching a conservatively estimated audience of over 46,000. The Show in a Bag project has been working successfully towards gender equality for participating performers.

Building on ten years of successful partnership, Fishamble: The New Play Company, Irish Theatre Institute (ITI) and Dublin Fringe Festival want to respond to the needs of the sector and introduce a new opportunity for artists. In 2019 the pilot of DUETS, a new artist development scheme, was launched.

Applications for the DUETS 2020 programme are now OPEN.

DUETS

Show In A Bag participants and partners at the Irish Times Theatre Awards 2017 - photo by Andres Poveda Photography

Having wanted to create my own work for many years, the structure of Show in a Bag finally gave me the courage and practical support to turn my ideas into reality. The experience of Fishamble, the expertise of Irish Theatre Institute, and the energy of Dublin Fringe were invaluable in bringing Fight Night to the stage, and played a huge part in the success it has gone on to enjoy. From the awards at the Fringe, to the extended run at Bewley’s, to the upcoming national tour, I simply couldn’t have made it happen without Show in a Bag.
Aonghus Óg McAnally, Fight Night, Show in a Bag 2010