Announcing the LASTA Festival 2025 programme
Limerick audiences are in for an unforgettable October as the nationwide LASTA Festival returns for its fourth year, bringing bold, diverse, and innovative work to stages across Ireland. Running during the month of October, the festival celebrates theatre and performance made for young people and by young people, putting the next generation of artists and arts programmers in the driver’s seat.
LASTA is a unique, youth-led national arts festival with programmes created by young curators chosen through a competitive annual open call. At Belltable and Lime Tree Theatre, this year’s curators are Eoin Gilmartin, a performer and theatre maker from Tipperary, and Matthew O’Rourke, a Limerick-based writer and performer. Together, they have assembled a Limerick programme that’s diverse in style, rich in storytelling, and deeply connected to the spirit of the city.
“This programme represents a year of hard work, skill development and discovery,” says Eoin Gilmartin. “It is an honour to bring together such an incredible selection of outstanding performers, artists, and storytellers. Young and old, local or visiting, there is something for everyone in the Belltable and Lime Tree Theatre this October.”
“Our programme is diverse, literary, and reflective, three qualities of Limerick that I feel make it what it is,” adds Matthew O’Rourke. “We have a great mixture of independent artists and established production companies. With music, poetry, and love stories, this programme is sure to hold audiences close as autumn ripens.”
The Limerick line-up includes:
- Boyfriends – LemonSoap Productions
Wed 15 Oct, 8pm, Belltable
A witty, heartfelt look at the ups, downs and roundabouts of a modern “situationship.”
- In A Bad Way – Isolde Fenton
Sat 18 Oct, 8pm, Belltable
A fast-paced, darkly comedic one-woman show about hypochondria, self-diagnosis, and the human need for answers.
- Stretched On Your Grave: A Tribute to Sinéad O’Connor – Deirdre and David Clare
Thur 23 Oct, 8pm, Belltable
An evening of readings and music celebrating the life and artistry of Sinéad O’Connor, featuring local performers.
- One Man Poe – Threedumb Theatre
Fri 24 Oct, 8pm, Belltable
A gothic, spine-chilling tour-de-force of Edgar Allan Poe’s works, performed by Stephen Smith.
- Boxing Day: A translation – William Keohane
Sat 25 Oct, 8pm, Belltable
The return of Keohane’s acclaimed piece, now in a new translation by Matthew O’Rourke, exploring identity, audience, and human connection.
Seven partner venues across the country (Backstage Theatre, Dunamaise Arts Centre, glór, An Grianán Theatre, Lime Tree Theatre, Siamsa Tíre, Town Hall Theatre) have each selected emerging curators who, under the mentorship of experienced theatre professionals, have spent a year honing their programming skills and collaborating nationally to deliver a festival that reflects the energy, diversity, and ambition of modern Ireland.