A new production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, directed by Joe Dowling, heads up a mix of more than 20 international and Irish works in the 46th Dublin Theatre Festival this autumn.
Dowling brings with him the Guthrie Theatre of Minneapolis on its first European outing - a major coup for the festival according to festival director Mr Fergus Linehan.
"We've been trying to get Joe Dowling over from the Guthrie for years. To see this American group perform an American classic will be quite sublime. I think it will be a really extraordinary production."
The strong international presence is carried on by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company which made its Dublin debut with Glengarry Glen Ross in 2002. This year it returns with another contemporary classic, Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, at the Olympia Theatre.
Probably better known as the film Frankie & Johnny, the play stars Laurie Metcalf, best known for her role as Roseanne's sister in the eponymous long-running American sit-com.
One of the slightly quirkier productions in the international line-up, is the production of Twelfth Night from the Chekhov International Theatre Festival. The all-male cast will preform in Russian with English surtitles. Shakespeare-lovers can also see Othello, directed by Irish-born Declan Donnellan, at the Tivoli Theatre.
The programme includes what Mr Linehan said was the strongest line-up of Irish work in years. Seven iconic Abbey Theatre plays, including Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme and I Do Not Like Thee, Dr Fell, will form part of a celebration of 100 years of the national theatre. Garry Hynes directs a Synge Duo with The Well of the Saints and the Tinker's Wedding, starring Mick Lally and Marie Mullen. Musicals also make an appearance with Improbable Frequency from Rough Magic Theatre Company, celebrating its 25th anniversary.
"No matter how strong a programme is a festival can never be deemed a success without a great new play," Mr Linehan said. This year the festival is showing Conor McPherson's latest work, Shining City, recently shown at the Royal Court in London. James X by Gerard Mannix Flynn is the performance part of a project which charts the experiences of individuals who were placed in State institutions. Safe House, Safe Place also includes a free exhibition which will be open to the public.
The festival runs from September 27th to October 9th in theatres across Dublin city.
