Go To Blazes

BY DAVID BOLGER

In collaboration with Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI)

WINNER Irish Times Irish Theatre Award for Best Movement
NOMINATED Irish Times Irish Theatre Award for Best Costume, Best Video Design and Audience-Choice.

“O, Rocks!” In a meaty delicacy that ignites the senses, David Bolger’s evocative response to Ulysses Episode 4 probes dual realities to create a highly original dance performance installation of unsettling, voluptuous beauty. Each audience member is taken on an intimate, deeply personal, multi-sensorial journey designed to linger long after they have left the landmark building of 42 Fairview Strand.

Commissioned by Ulysses2.2 – a collaborative project between ANU, Landmark Productions and MoLI funded through an OPEN CALL award from Arts Council Ireland. Find out more at www.ulysses22.ie

REVIEWS

“It’s a riveting, magical, overwhelming mixed media dance piece… it entrances the soul through sound, sight, and smell… Don’t miss it.” – Sunday Independent

“a beautifully judged 40-minute multisensory experience…” – The Irish Times

“you don’t walk away from the experience so much as float…Go To Blazes honours its inspiration by searching for new possibilities. Creating a work of staggering beauty. Not to be missed.” – The Arts Review

“CoisCéim Dance Theatre have jumped off the edge of mainstream response and performative form, creating an immersive experience that manipulates the physical senses” – Sunday Business Post

“an engaging take on one of the most famous episodes in Joyce’s book… an immersive dance to Denis Clohessy’s searing music that wrenchingly evokes the Blooms’ sundering and reunion, their past and uncertain future.” – The Irish Examiner

” a heady, scented experience… A live and virtual treatment of a classic text that comes right off the page into intoxicating life” – Springback Magazine

ABOUT

“In my response, I wanted to focus on the chapter right in front of me – not what happened before or right after – or what that might lead to in the odyssey of the journey of the day. Chapter 4: Calypso is the first time we meet Leopold Bloom and Molly Bloom – it intrigued me that the chapter opens with a description of what Leopold Bloom likes to eat for breakfast – kidneys. It’s interesting to me as a choreographer – to start with a part of the body. I’ve been researching with Justine Cooper working primarily in dance – drilling down into core elements to build a series of scenes – e.g. about Molly and who she represents, of who Leopold is, or who he describes himself to be, his eating habits – or about the smells.” – David Bolger

In the striking surroundings of CoisCéim’s studio, witness a unique live and 180° virtual reality experience that features three extraordinary dancers, Justine Cooper, Jonathan Mitchell and Rosie Stebbing, an original composition by Denis Clohessy and a world-class creative team of Neil O’Driscoll (projections), Arran Murphy (costume), Matt Burke (lighting), Val Sherlock (hair & makeup), Enya Belak and Igor Crnković (VR capture creators).

CREDITS

CAST features | Justine Cooper, Jonathan Mitchell, Rosie Stebbing
with voiceover by Caitríona Ní Mhurchú

VR Director | Enya Belak
VR Filming and Post-Production | Igor Crnković
VR Sound Recordist | Alexis Nealon

Supported by Rediscover Fashion, a social enterprise at the Rediscovery Centre, Ireland’s National Centre for the Circular Economy.

MEDIA

LISTEN | Lorcan Murray interviews Justine Cooper | www.rte.ie/radio/lyricfm
READ | Deirdre Falvey feature in The Irish Times | A TANG OF URINE AND SPICY PIGS BLOOD

PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES

BLOOMSDAY FESTIVAL 2023
LOCATION | CoisCéim Studio, 42 Fairview Strand, Dublin 3 D03YV62
DATES | 14-18 June 2023 SOLD OUT
TIMES | 6.30pm & 8.30pm
TICKETS | Pay What You Can – Recommended price €23

WORLD PREMIERE
LOCATION | CoisCéim Studio, 42 Fairview Strand, Dublin 3 D03YV62
DATES | 9-20 November 2023
TIMES | 5.30 & 7.00pm
TICKETS | recommended price €22*
*In 2022, following the publication of our new Strategic Plan, we introduced Pay What You Can ticket options. For GO TO BLAZES, these range from €10- €25

GALLERY

Photos by Ste Murray

Photos by Néstor Romero Clemente

IN REHEARSAL

Photos by Néstor Romero Clemente

BEHIND THE SCENES | FILMING FOR VIRTUAL REALITY

Photos by Ste Murray

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

JUSTINE COOPER

Originally from New Zealand, Justine has been based in Ireland as a freelance dance artist, teacher and choreographer since 2008. A regular lecturer at The University of Limerick in contemporary dance and choreography & most recently performing as a dance artist with Laura Murphy, Liz Roche Company, CoisCéim Dance Theatre, Justine Doswell, Mary Wycherly, Oona Doherty, United Fall, Maria Nilsson Waller, Anu Productions & Junk Ensemble. Justine was a company member of Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre from 1998-2000. Her own work ‘Folds of the Crane’ was presented as part of Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival 2015 ( nominated for Spirit of the Fringe & Best Lighting & Design) also presented at Dublin Dance Festival 2016 and What’s Next Festival 2018. ‘The Misfits’ by Corn Exchange (Nominated for Best Movement Direction, Irish Theatre Awards, 2018)

JONATHAN MITCHELL

Jonathan graduated from the Rambert School, London, in 1992. Since then he has been fortunate to work with a host of choreographers and companies, including Adventures in Motion Pictures, Mathew Hawkins, Liz Roche Company and IMDT, performing on four continents and in both hemispheres. Jonathan’s association with CoisCeim began in 2001 with The Rite of Spring, and he has worked with the company many times since, including When Once Is Never Enough, Mermaids, Pageant, Agnes, The Wolf and Peter, These Rooms, Body Language/In The Magic Hour, Francis Footwork, and Orfeo ed Euridice for the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival.

ROSIE STEBBING

Rosie Stebbing is a contemporary dancer from Kildare. She made her CoisCéim debut in Orfeo ed Euridice for Blackwater Valley Opera Festival. Rosie trained at ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in the Netherlands from 2017 to 2021, during which time she worked with choreographers Roser Lopez Espinosa, Jasper van Luijk and Eldad Ben Sasson. In the final year of her studies, she joined Holstebro Dansekompagni (Denmark) as an apprentice for the season 2020/2021. Since graduating, Rosie has danced with Step Up Dance Program, co-ordinated by Dance Limerick, working with Lucyna Zwolinska and David Bolger on the creation and tour of two new works. In spring 2022, she joined the Irish Aerial Creation Centre’s “Soar Up”, a program which allowed her to spend two months training in aerial dance. She is currently working with Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre on their upcoming production. Alongside her work as a performer, Rosie has created her own work in collaboration with dancer and maker Ornella Dufay-Miralles. Their duet “TEST 1” premiered at Dublin Fringe Festival in September 2022.

DAVID BOLGER

David is the Artistic Director and co-founder of CoisCéim Dance Theatre. His work has been seen by millions of people worldwide and has received prestigious awards for its innovation, performance and choreography. David has directed and choreographed over 20 original productions for CoisCéim, including Francis Footwork, the highly lauded The Wolf and Peter, Body Language, and the major international co-production These Rooms (Irish Times Theatre Award, London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT), TATE Liverpool). His work for the company has been presented at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and Peak Performances in the USA, Spring Loaded (The Place) and the Brighton Festival in the UK, Ten Days on the Island (Tasmania), Arts Centre Melbourne and Sydney Opera House (Australia). David has received numerous choreographic commissions for theatre and opera including Druid (Ireland), Spoleto Festival (USA), Guthrie Theatre (USA), RTÉ (Ireland), National Theatre (UK), Abbey Theatre (Ireland) and Opera Ireland. He is a member of Aosdána. www.coisceim.com/about-us/

DENIS CLOHESSY

Denis has worked with numerous dance and theatre companies. He won the Irish Times theatre award for Best Design Sound in 2019 and 2010 and was a nominee in 2015. Work with CoisCéim includes CRISTIAN AND COSMO, OUR FATHERS and FRANCIS FOOTWORK. Denis was an associate artist with the Abbey in 2008 and was a participant on Rough Magic’s ADVANCE programme in 2012. In 2016 Pat Kinevane’s play SILENT (Fishamble) won an Olivier award for which Denis composed the music. His work in film includes music for the feature films OLDER THAN IRELAND (Snack box Films), THE IRISH PUB (Atom Films) and HIS AND HERS (Venom Film).

NEIL O'DRISCOLL

Neil O’Driscoll is a multidisciplinary artist whose work incorporates painting, illustration, film and video design for live performance. His work has appeared on stage at venues around Ireland including the Bell Table in Limerick and Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, most recently in Edna O’Brien’s Joyce’s Women. In addition to freelance work, Neil sustains a practice as a visual artist and independent filmmaker.

MATT BURKE

Matt Burke is a lighting designer for theatre and dance. Recently he has designed for The Abbey Theatre (Bloody Sunday: Scenes from the Saville Inquiry, Peacock Stage), Mufutau Junior Yusuf’s ÒWE (premiered at The Irish Arts Centre NYC), Róisín Whelan Dance