Dancing at Lughnasa
Click here if you liked this article 8 
https://newtheatre.org.au/dancing-at-lughnasa/
Date Reviewed: 25/04/2026
“I want to dance, Kate. It’s the Festival of Lughnasa. I’m only thirty-five. I want to dance.”
Set during the summer of 1936, at harvest time in County Donegal, Dancing at Lughnasa follows the Mundy sisters as they live on the outskirts of the fictional village of Ballybeg, battling poverty and the quiet pressures of a changing world. The story centres on one final summer spent together by the five unmarried sisters—Maggie, Agnes, Kate, Chrissie and Rose—alongside their brother, Father Jack, a Catholic priest who has returned from Africa profoundly changed, and Michael, Chrissie’s illegitimate son.
During the Festival of Lughnasa—a Gaelic celebration marking the beginning of the harvest season (pronounced “loo-na-sa”)—pagan and Christian beliefs intersect and collide. Against this backdrop, family tensions, shifting values and financial hardship come to the fore, as the sisters fight, love, dance and struggle to hold their lives together.
Written by renowned Irish dramatist Brian Friel, this Olivier Award-winning and Tony-nominated play is semi-autobiographical, presented as a memory piece with shifting perspectives and moments of reflection. It explores themes of resilience and uncertainty in a world on the cusp of irreversible change.
Hats off to the production currently playing at the New Theatre in Newtown. Under the direction of Isabelle Mikovtsch, in her New Theatre debut, the interpretation feels both faithful to the original text and thoughtfully structured.
The cast delivers a strong ensemble performance, with each actor offering a convincing and well-defined portrayal. There is a natural cohesion on stage, allowing the emotional dynamics of the family to unfold with clarity and authenticity.
Despite its length (two hours and ten minutes, including a short interval), the play draws the audience in, at times blurring the line between what is unfolding on stage and what lingers in the mind beyond it.
This is a play well worth seeing. The acting is first-rate, the staging suits the space, and the overall impact is both moving and memorable.
The production features Megan Bennetts, Audrey Blyde, Sebastian Gray, Marisa Hissey, Patrick Holman, Iris Simpson, James Sugrue and Tenielle Thompson.
Assistant Director: Talia Benatar
Choreography: Avalon Ormiston
Set Design: Max Shaw
Lighting Design: Paris Bell
Costume Design: Lily Moody
Sound Design: Maddy Briggs
Dramaturg and Singing Coach: Naomi Belet
Stage Managers: Lawrence Kim and Ron Abuhalaiqa
Dancing at Lughnasa is currently playing at the New Theatre, Newtown, from 21 April to 16 May 2026.
Reviewed by Vincent Brincat