Unlike music festivals, theatre festivals generally don’t involve standing in the rain, fighting through the mud in your wellies or Portaloos. Last Sunday when a lot of people were cursing the weather-gods at Forbidden Fruit in Kilmainham, I spent the day indoors at the Town Hall Theatre in Galway, enjoying Druid’s cycle of Tom Murphy plays. They are finishing up in Galway today but they will be back as part of the Galway Arts Festival in July.

In the meantime, Cork Midsummer Festival is less than two weeks away and has a very exciting programme.

There’s another chance to see Fabulous Beast’s Rian on June 21 – 23. I’ve been a fan of Fabulous Beast since I first saw them at the Barbican in 2007. I saw this show in the Gaiety as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival last October. Where their previous shows The Bull and James Son of James were more story and character-based, Rian is all about music and movement. I saw it during my four days in Dublin with the MAs and it just left me feeling gloriously happy.

I missed Berlin Love Tour when it was in the Absolut Fringe a couple of years ago. It sold out before I managed to get a ticket; don’t let the same happen to you! The size of the audience is limited so it will sell out fast and it sounds like it’s a wonderful show. It does involve being outside so it may require rain gear! It is a tour of Berlin that takes place in Cork.

If you like shows in unusual locations, the Ciudades Paralelas strand of the festival are offering shows in shopping centres, a library, the court house, a train station, various hotel rooms, the roof of City Hall and outside an apartment block. All of these performances are non-traditional theatre pieces and a lot of them involve experiencing the performance through headphones.

Once again Solstice have a packed programme of events in many different disciplines, including a six brand new works that are currently being developed. They also have a long way to go on their Fund:it campaign and only 4 days left to do it. There are wonderful, unique rewards if you are afford to donate €50+.

Solstice also have opportunities for artists with the PARLEY initiative and you can volunteer for the Midsummer Festival here.