by Saoirse Anton

Settling back at desks today, many of us will be thinking wistfully of the Bank Holiday weekend, reminiscing about three lazy mornings in a row, and reliving memories of fun days out, or relaxed ones at home. If, as you sit reluctantly at your keyboard, you find yourself thinking that you want to recapture the Bank Holiday feeling and plot some fun to look forward, then why not take an hour or two’s holiday at the theatre?

Between now and the next Bank Holiday (happily, just 36 days away) escape the bustle of everyday life for a little while and explore some of the theatre on offer across the country this month.

If you want some family fun, there are plenty of options to choose from this month. For some classic storytelling, puppetry and whimsical adventure, there’s Lúminaria, a tale of a young girl who has to save her town from darkness, which is touring across the country over the next two months. Or if you want a chance to get involved in the story yourself, Takeshi Matsumoto’s Club Origami at The Ark as part of Dublin Dance Festival is sure to delight. Inviting the audience to exercise their imaginations and explore what can be done with a single piece of paper, this is a show that is sure to provide a wealth of happy memories for audience members of all ages. More chances to create family memories can be found at Fidget Feet’s Family Fun Day at the People’s Park in Limerick and at Our Little World , an immersive family-friendly theatre show in Mud Island Community Gardens in Dublin. And to make those all-important first memories with the littlest audience members, head along to Still Here, a wordless physical theatre work for ages 3-6, which will be touring to numerous venues across Ireland in May and June.

Of course, the Bank Holiday may also have left you yearning for a night out with friends, and if that is the case, there are lots of theatrical treats for you to choose from too. If you are in the mood to discover some new writing, It Is Good We Are Dreaming  at the New Theatre promises an absorbing exploration of family, Irish mythology, and playing Just Dance on the Wii, or revisit an old favourite with Elaine Murphy’s adaptation of Maeve Binchy’s much-loved Circle of Friends at the Gaiety Theatre.

Whether it’s carving out some family time, taking a night off with friends, or escaping for an evening on your own, grab a programme instead of a guidebook, sample the local cuisine of interval drinks and ice-cream, adventure through new worlds crafted from scripts and sets, and treat yourself to a mini-holiday at the theatre this month