Instagram story viewer> @bee__sparks> Tagged

Bee Sparks

@bee__sparks

undefined

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

In he(art) we trust! I went into Next Stage 2026 ready to watch, listen, learn and ask questions. I left with a notebook full of thoughts, a head full of new questions, a few strong opinions and a much deeper appreciation for what it means to be an audience member.

To the Muster Squad, @dublinfringefest , @dublintheatrefestival_, the Next Stage 2026 Cohort, the makers behind the work I let and everyone who made space for me to learn, THANK YOU.

🎥: @officialpak_

3

11

I’m slowly coming back to earth after the most wonderful time in Dublin 💙

What a way to finish - receiving the Visionary Award at Dublin Fringe was incredible & unexpected. I got some thank-yous out on the night, but didn’t manage all the words I wanted to, so here’s some of them.

Thank you again to the entire Mourning is a Muscle team, for Carlow & Dublin, & to all who helped develop it. I honestly couldn’t have done this without you.

Thank you @artscouncilireland & all funders & supporters - special shout out to @carlow_arts_festival for championing it from the start.

Thank you all @projectartscentre Across every department, you welcomed us & encouraged us enormously.

Thank you to the entire @dublinfringefest team for your stellar support. Bee & Katherine, thank you for seeing merit in the work. Bee, thank you for the true care you’ve given the work over the years.

I’m delighted to receive an award, but they also feel strange - they’re subjective, as one of the speakers said on Sunday night. What I love about this award is that it feels like an opening up of creative walls rather than a boxing in. It encourages us to experiment. To be recognised for work that doesn’t fit neatly into one form feels meaningful - both to this piece & to the kind of work I want to make.

Thank you to my family & loved ones for supporting me - no easy thing when you’re so linked to the work. You held me every step of the way.

Mourning Is a Muscle began in 2020, when I started writing letters to my Dad as a private ritual. It wasn’t a project or a show. It was something I needed to do.

2026 marks 10 years since Dad died, so it feels particularly poignant that this decade-long journey has landed here, in this moment.

The generosity of audiences, the chats afterwards, the moments people have shared with me - in person & online - have filled my heart in ways I couldn’t have imagined. Something personal has become a communal act that feels way beyond my own mourning - I’m incredibly moved & thankful for that.

I know my Dad would have got a real kick out of it.

Finally, thank you to everyone who line-danced with me.

Until the next one 💙

📸 @patriciocassinoni

145

23

Fringe Dump

Slide 20 is the cutest 🥰🥹

📷: @aiiwong ❤️

98

1

Our programme is live. The city is yours.

Across 16 days and nights this September, Dublin Fringe Festival brings bold new work, brilliant artists, big laughs, big feelings, late nights and unexpected discoveries to stages, streets and spaces across the city.

Find the show that makes you laugh. The one that makes you rage. The one you’ll still be talking about on the way home.

🔗Browse the full programme via the link in our bio.

On Wednesday, we celebrated the launch of Dublin Fringe Festival 2026 with the artists, makers, audiences, friends and supporters who make Dublin Fringe possible.

A huge thank you to our artist guest speakers @dgirlostheatre, @alanjamesburns and @inkandhorizon for helping us launch the programme in full Fringe spirit.

Thank you to @gorilla_design_ltd for the brilliant event design, @whelanslive and @mercantilegroup for hosting us, and @dj_bure_ for keeping the room moving.

And, as always, thank you to our core funders @artscouncilireland and @dublincitycouncil for supporting artists, ambitious ideas and culture across the city.

📸 @simon_lazewski

Make The City Yours.
5–20 September.

213

7

I’ve always wanted to be a Centre fold 💅🏻

A gorgeous night and a privilege to attend the @dublinfringefest launch party last night! 🪩

I was so excited to see I had a centrefold two page spread 😭 I’m so inspired, excited in awe of the ideas swirling around the room lastnight and I hope to bring you the best show possible!!!

#dublinfringefestival2026 #DublinFringe #ExhibitAImposter

336

16

Thank you so much to daddy @cultureireland for having us to pitch the hit play Pea Dinneen: Raising Her Voice as part of Meet The Irish @irishartscenter

I suggested we get a photo of us looking unhappy on the steps at Times Square cos I’m a very funny person but then forgot to look unhappy cos I was just having a really nice time with no irony whatsoever

179

5

Simply lovely 😌 #2025

110

6

going through my camera roll and posting belated photodumps is so fun yippee! here’s july!

3

5

That's a wrap on Dublin Fringe Festival 2025!!! I am overwhelmingly proud of the programme we put together brimming with bold and brilliant work by such wonderful artists! What an honour, what a dreamy team and what a special celebration🌟

📸 @simon_lazewski

140

7

September is a cultural heavy hitter, the month when the doyens of the stage come out of their Summer hibernation to dazzle us with weeks of cutting edge entertainment and thought provoking works of art that inevitably linger long in the memory.

This year’s @dublinfringefest programme is another doozy, wonderfully curated by newbie Festival Director @bee__sparks while the @dublintheatrefestival_ also has a new set of hands at its helm, former Fringe Director @roiseg Both directors have successfully managed to give these well established Festivals fresh perspectives at the first crack so expect many sold out signs pre Festival.

@culturenightdub returns for its twentieth anniversary on September 19th and it’s always a great night around
town as culture vultures and families move en masse around the city streets taking in the sights and sounds. While our editor @brereton1739 loves this event sometimes he wonders if it’s too much in one night and if a monthly edition would serve the city better? Food for thought.

He adds, “Speaking of heavy hitters, the NFL monolith rolls into town at the end of the month for the first ever official NFL league game to be hosted here. It’s more pageantry, not unlike our Fringe, just louder. It’s not a sport I’ve taken to (too many ad breaks and a bit too physical for a delicate flower like me) but the game’s
popularity is snowballing in Ireland and the amount of people joining clubs to learn and participate is also multiplying quickly, which is great to see.”

All that and @realconorstevens on @cometrestaurant with photos by @killianbrod our monthly Bitesize, Barfly and Drinks roundup from @martinamurray114 Archipelago @rha.arts and Kith and Kin @immaireland Enjoy our September issue x

9

0

Pea Dinneen: Raising Her Voice rehearsals are in full swing! Our gorge team of dotes has been breathing life into this trans fantasia and we can’t wait for you to see it.

Swipe for a sneak peak of our fabulous band in action.

Got your ticket yet? Link in bio x

Supported by @artscouncilireland @abbeytheatredublin @projectartscentre @draiocht_blanchardstown @axis_ballymun @paviliontheatre

3

5

Watch the magic unfold ✨

Last Wednesday, Whelan’s became the beating heart of our 2025 Programme Launch - and it wouldn’t have happened without Gorilla Design.

From an empty stage to full Fringe glory, they built the space where we unveiled what’s to come this September. Here’s a look at the transformation in action - blink and you’ll miss it 👀🎬

A MASSIVE thanks to the legends at @gorilla_design_ltd for bringing our Fringe 2025 vision to life - building the launch stage AND designing the killer stages featured in this year’s campaign covers

From concept to construction, you absolute smashed it. We’re in awe 🫶🏼

📸- @dannykendrick1

#DublinFringeFestival2025 #FringeLaunch2025

60

3