by Saoirse Anton

I’m going to join the somewhat clichéd chorus of mournful wails…why does it have to be so dark by 5pm?!

It’s not an easy time of year when you’re waking up in the dark and leaving work in the dark. The Christmas break still feels pretty distant, and we have a few weeks yet before we start putting twinkly lights on the tree to brighten up the winter.

But there is one place where it doesn’t matter if it is light or dark outside, a place that you surface squinting from into summer sunlight, a place that feels well suited to emerging from into brisk winter breezes, pulling a cosy scarf around you and setting off to enjoy a hot toddy…yes I am, of course, talking about the theatre.

There’s no better time of year to settle down into your seats as the house lights dim and the curtain rises. We’re not far off Panto season, posters for Christmas carol concerts are starting to appear, and it is the season for fireside tales and stories from the stage.

Read on for my recommendations of some plays to brighten the long November nights!

Callings

Paula McFetridge’s Callings follows the stories of five queer people who found sanctuary and community through Cara-Friend, a befriending service set up to support LGBTQ+ people in the north of Ireland in the 1970s, a time when homosexuality was still illegal across the island. We’ve come a long way since then, and yet there is still enormous prejudice against LGBTQ+ people and we are seeing increasing anti-queer sentiment and actions from groups, individuals and politicians around the world. This play looks to the past, at a story that feels prescient for our present and future.

Callings is on tour around Ireland throughout November. Full list of tour dates available on Kabosh’s website.

Dolores

First performed in 2018 at Dublin Dance Festival, Dolores is an immersive show that reimagines Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita through a feminist lens, restoring voice to a once-silenced girl. A visually striking piece of dance theatre, Dolores promises to both challenge and move its audience.

Dolores runs at The Chocolate Factory, Dublin from 7-15th November, and at the Town Hall Theatre Galway on the 19th and 20th November. More details available at: Dolores — Junk Ensemble

The Dole Wide World

Two people at the crossroads of their existence step into a dole office on Parnell Street and attempt to save each other's lives. The Dole Wide World describes itself as a play that explores motherhood, meaning, violence and the state's handling of individuals on the edges of society. Written by Rex Ryan and produced by Glass Mask Theatre, The Dole Wide World looks set to be an incisive and interesting production.

The Dole Wide World runs at The Bestseller Café until 23rd November.

No Magic Pill

Described as a “heartfelt, hilarious and irreverent story of an activist and a celebration of love, friendship and the enduring pursuit of freedom,” No Magic Pill is inspired by the real-life story of the late Martin Naughton, a leader of the disability rights movement in Ireland. No Magic Pill won the Audience Choice Award at the 2022 Irish Times Theatre Awards, and is sure to impress audiences again on its current tour around Ireland.

No Magic Pill is touring from the 7-23rd November. Full list of dates and venues available at: No Magic Pill

Outrage

Another play that is returning to the road, Outrage challenges historical narratives and re-centres the women that were instrumental in historical change. Following the story of two sisters who are involved in the Irish war of independence and civil war, Outrage is written from the true testimony of women who were left out of the history books.

Outrage is touring throughout November. Full list of dates and venues available on Fishamble’s website.

Safe House

Safe House is a new play from Enda Walsh and Anna Mullarkey, currently running at the Peacock Theatre. Set in a handball alley, Safe House delves into the fractured mind of Grace, a young woman living alone in the countryside, played by Kate Gilmore. Employing film, music, recorded voice and Gilmore’s live performance, Safe House assembles an excellent production team to bring Grace’s world to life.

Safe House runs at The Peacock Theatre until the 16th November

Nye

If the cold, dark November evenings are just too cold and dark to venture out into, or if you find yourself stuck at home sniffling with one of the doses that invariably make their way around at this time of year, don’t worry. You can still enjoy some fantastic theatre from the comfort of your own home. A co-production between the National Theatre and Wales Millenium Centre, Nye tells the story of Aneurin Bevan, the founder of the National Health Service in Britain. A good enough play that I watched it not once, but twice - first when it premiered at Wales Millenium Centre earlier this year, and again at home last night - I definitely recommend this rousing, heartbreaking and insightful piece of theatre.

Nye is currently available to stream for free on YouTube until the 11th November, before returning to the stage at the Wales Millennium Centre and National Theatre in London in July and August 2025.

With the news of Donald Trump’s re-election this week we have seen women, queer people, disabled people, people of colour, poor communities, and so many others under threat in the United States of America and elsewhere. The nights might feel long and dark at the moment, but there’s always light to be found. Let the theatre lights brighten your evening, and let them shine a light on the stories of those that need to be cared for and stood up for now more than ever.