Fidget Feet, in partnership with Clare Arts Office, are bringing In the Open to Ennis, County Clare, with a series of outdoor events over the coming months.
The first event will be Fidget Feet’s brand new outdoor show, A Handful of Dreams, currently touring nationwide. It will be accompanied by a complimentary performance of traditional Irish Music and Dance, featuring local musicians and set dancers. All of this will happen in a free ticketed event in glór car park in Ennis on August 20th – 22nd.
An Irish explosion of music, dance, and aerial with an electric ensemble of five aerial dancers and two live musicians.
A Handful of Dreams is an awe-inspiring and heart-warming outdoor show that combines aerial and circus arts with live Irish traditional music and dance. Infusing a specially designed outdoor rig with an ancient magic, this beautiful celebration will connect to the hearts of each audience member while restoring the joy of being alive.
This magical journey will bring you to a new world where we can dance in the sky! A Handful of Dreams is inspired by the poem The Stolen Child by William Butler Yeats (1865–1939) and also by The Celtic Twilight book that ventured into the eerie and puckish world of fairies, ghosts, and spirits. “This handful of dreams,” as the author referred to it, first appeared in 1893.
The innovative musical score will be grounded in traditional Irish music and folklore but will embrace a world of contemporary composition and sound design. By bringing the unique mix of chants, world beats, and psychedelic electronics for which Jym Daly is renowned, into the same space as the beguiling, fantastical, and gloriously joyful compositions that characterise Thomas Johnston’s work, audiences will be simultaneously comforted and exhilarated as the sonic experience unfolds.
Booking information
- Free of charge but ticketed
- Suitable for all ages
- Duration: 60 mins approx
- Performances at 4 & 7pm
- Location: glór Car Park
- Outdoor Performance: Please dress appropriately
- No parking available on site
- Limited capacity
In the Open | Faoin Spéir is an Arts Council funded programme developed in response to the COVID-19 crisis for 2021 which will see a variety of outdoor arts events taking place in public spaces around Ireland. As we expectantly emerge from the pandemic in the second half of 2021 and into 2022, In the Open | Faoin Spéir will help to bring a renewed spirit of optimism and confidence in a fulsome return to the arts.
A Handful of Dreams is Produced by Fidget Feet and Funded by the Arts Council. Co-commissioned by Siamsa Tíre through their Associate Artists Scheme, Spraoi, Riverbank Arts Centre, Town Hall Theatre and Carlow Arts Festival.
In the Open is funded by the Arts Council and Clare Arts Office and supported by glór.
- Director: Chantal McCormick with the cast
- Music: Jym Darling from Fidget Feet and Thomas Johnston from Ceol Connected
- Vocals: Kathleen Turner
- Costumes: Sinead Lawlor
- Creative Cast: Aisling Ní Cheallaigh, Jenny Tufts, Jennifer de Brún, Oran Leong, Sara Granda, Jym Daly, Thomas Johnston, Kathryn Cooley, and introducing Yolandi Daly
- Dramaturg: Andrew Loretto
- Clairvoyant: Sharon Loerzer
- Rigging Consultant: Bryan Donaldson from High Performance Rigging
- Sound and Winch Operator: Jacob Woulfe
- Technical Manager: Gearoid O’Hallmhurain
- Photography: Jym Daly and Ste Murray
