ART

Conversation
Boyle Arts Festival Exhibition, King House, Boyle, Co Roscommon, until Aug 1, boylearts.com

Under the guidance of the late Fergus Ahern, the annual Boyle Festival exhibition was always a great, sociable gathering of artists as well as a richly diverse show. The town has risen to the challenge of maintaining his high standards. NCAD’s Tony Murphy invited artists with works in the collection, and recent graduates of NCAD, to produce new works.

What is painting…?
Marc Guinan. Draíocht, The Blanchardstown Centre, Dublin, until Oct 3, draiocht.ie

Marc Guinan uses various kinds of paint, from gloss to oils, building up layers on smooth surfaces such as acetate or glass, and then peels off the dried skin of pigment. As with some of Susan Connolly’s work, the skin of painting itself becomes the artwork, without any form of background support. Guinan allows the cloth-like material to assume sculptural form.

THEATRE

Pilgrim
Viking Theatre, ends Aug 8pm, €12, vikingtheatredublin.com

It may be venturing out to the Edinburgh Fringe next month, but Philip Doherty's play for Gonzo Theatre has already notched up quite a journey. Taking 9/11 as its backdrop, Homer's Odyssey as its inspiration, and a supercilious young Irish man as its questing hero, it is an amusing, often enraging and slightly fatiguing experience. Played with uncommon charm by Rex Ryan, Christy imparts a familiar, imagistic monologue of wild action and inner torment, from San Diego party brawls to his reluctant return to the girl he got pregnant. Director Aoife Spillane-Hinks guides Ryan through a barrage of multiple role-play, visuals and sound, ultimately to self-discovery, long delayed.