It all began with the child.

Over the past seven years, in an extraordinary, sustained burst of creative energy, the composer Donnacha Dennehy and writer/ director Enda Walsh have created an explosive trilogy of operas rooted in contemporary suburban life.

The three multi–award–winning operas have been acclaimed in Ireland, at the Edinburgh International Festival, at the Barbican and Royal Opera House in London, and in New York, Amsterdam and Luxembourg.

The second part of the trilogy, the visually spectacular The Second Violinist, premiered at the Festival in 2017 to great acclaim and now the final part The First Child plays just five performances at GIAF 2022.

The production features a world–class creative team, a cast of 5 singers, an actor, a dancer, a chorus of children and Crash Ensemble, described by the New York Times as ‘the Irish new– music band that plays with the energy and spirit of a rock group’.

Sung in English with English surtitles. Age 16+

Solstice Arts Centre, Navan - 14 September 2022

Cork Opera House, Cork - 17 September 2022

Lime Tree Theatre, Limerick - 22 September 2022

Siamsa Tire, Tralee - 25 September 2022

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