Articles and Reviews
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THE IRISH TIMES review of The Bystander, Dublin Theatre Festival 2018

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THE REVIEWS HUB review of The Bystander, Dublin Theatre Festival 2018

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THE ARTS REVIEW review of The Bystander, Dublin Theatre Festival 2018

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IRISH TIMES review of Man At The Door (Number 54), Cork Midsummer Festival 2018

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IRISH TIMES review of Dolores, Dublin Dance Festival 2018

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IRISH INDEPENDENT review of Dolores, Dublin Dance Festival 2018

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EXEUNT MAGAZINE review of Dolores, Dublin Dance Festival 2018

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THE ARTS REVIEW review of Dolores, Dublin Dance Festival 2018

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THE BIG LIST NI review of Soldier Still, Dublin Fringe Festival 2017

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THE IRISH TIMES review of Soldier Still, Dublin Fringe Festival 2017

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THE ARTS REVIEW review of Soldier Still, Dublin Fringe Festival 2017

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EXEUNT MAGAZINE review of Soldier Still, Dublin Fringe Festival 2017

THE REVIEWS HUB review of Soldier Still, Dublin Fringe Festival 2017

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THE SCOTSMAN review of It Folds, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016

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THE STAGE review of It Folds, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016

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THE HERALD review of It Folds, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016

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EXAMINER.COM review of Walking Pale, 2016

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THE IRISH TIMES review of Dusk Ahead, 2015

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THE IRISH TIMES review of It Folds, 2015

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THE STATE OF THE ARTS review of It Folds, 2015

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BROADWAY WORLD review of It Folds, 2015

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LE COOL review of It Folds, 2015

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THE NEW YORK TIMES review of Dusk Ahead, 2015

TANZ MAGAZIN review of The Falling Song, 2014

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EXEUNT MAZAZINE review of The Falling Song, 2014

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THE PUBLIC REVIEWS review of The Falling Song, 2014

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THE STAGE review of The Falling Song, 2014

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THE IRISH TIMES review of Dusk Ahead, 2013

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THE SUNDAY TIMES review of Dusk Ahead, 2013

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EXAMINER.COM review of Dusk Ahead, 2013

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IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE review of Dusk Ahead, 2013

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IRISH INDEPENDENT review of Dusk Ahead, 2013

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THE IRISH TIMES feature on junk ensemble and Dusk Ahead, 2013

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IRISH EXAMINER review of Dusk Ahead, 2013

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THE IRISH TIMES review of The Falling Song, 2012

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IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE review of The Falling Song, 2012

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RACHEL DONNELLY review of The Falling Song, 2012

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TOTALLY DUBLIN review of Bird with boy, 2012

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THE SUNDAY TIMES review of Bird with boy, 2011

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IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE review of Bird with boy, 2011

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THE IRISH TIMES review of Bird with boy, 2011

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THE VIEW on RTE TELEVISION review of Five Ways to Drown, 2010

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THE IRISH TIMES review of Five Ways to Drown, 2010

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IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE review of Five Ways to Drown, 2010

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THE IRISH INDEPENDENT review of Five Ways to Drown, 2010

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IRISH HERALD review of Five Ways to Drown, 2010

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DANCE EUROPE review of Drinking Dust, 2009

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THE IRISH TIMES review of Drinking Dust, 2008

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THE METRO review of Drinking Dust, 2008

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IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE review of Drinking Dust, 2008

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THE IRISH TIMES review of The Rain Party, 2007

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THE IRISH INDEPENDENT review of The Rain Party, 2007

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THE METRO review of The Rain Party, 2007

THE REVIEWS HUB ★★★★

Soldier Still – Project Arts Centre, Dublin

10 September 2017

Clara Mallon

The military is a “murder machine” and Officer Tom Clonan’s primary role was to choreograph serious acts of violence. But “We are born to love, not kill”.

This is the main sentiment underlying Junk Ensembles invigorating new production which comes to the Project Arts Centre as part of this year’s Dublin Fringe Festival.

Combining elements of dance, movement, musical score and narrative testimony, Soldier Still offers a dynamic and rich contemporary contemplation of the trauma of militant violence.

The piece makes use of red smoke cartridges and splashes of neon paint in its aestheticization of violence. Denis Clohessy’s atmospheric composition alongside Sabine Dargent’s sparse white set design effectively set the tone for a unique exploration of power dynamics.

Former officer Clonan is the soldier of the pieces title. He embodies ideas of power, control and hierarchy throughout. His dancer counterparts (Geir Hytten, Lucia Kickham, Julia Koenig and Fernando Balsera Pita) follow his lead and obey his commands. At moments, Clonan’s powerful status and high ranking are dramatically physicalized as his fellow performers literally hold him at the top of a human pyramid. Yet creators Jessica and Megan Kennedy effectively prove that the pain of violence impacts more than those directly involved in wartime.

Performer Kickham may have left the army life behind, but her past relentlessly haunts her. She cannot escape the role of soldier which dangerously transcends the boundaries of the barracks, effecting the performance of her private life. Kickham’s character embodies ideas of repetition, regimentation, conditioning and violence associated with military regimes.

But the company are carful to show the multifaceted nature of violence. In parts the piece cleverly manages to physicalize the more subtle acts of verbal, emotional and mental violence and how these acts can impact on individual’s lives.

Through the use of the physical body in performance the piece exposes the dangerous consequences that controlled militant violence can have on the human psyche.

THE REVIEWS HUB review of Soldier Still, Dublin Fringe Festival 2017