Sonic Playgrounds is a bold cross-cultural musical experiment bridging Belfast and Gdańsk, where sound knows no boundaries. Spearheaded by visionary composer Brian Irvine of Dumbworld and the fearless innovators of Remont Pomp, this project invites audiences into a vibrant collision of rhythm, improvisation, and storytelling. Expect a joyful cacophony crafted from djembe, balafon, barrels, and …
Join us for the launch of How We Stand… How We Breathe, a powerful series of seven new music “interventions” created by composer Brian Irvine and writer-director John McIlduff (Dumbworld) in collaboration with the Ulster Orchestra and an extraordinary range of groups from across Northern Ireland. Recorded live over three days in Ulster Orchestra’s new home back in March, this …
This week, twelve emerging composers have been immersed in the NI Film Scoring School, exploring the art and craft of writing for film, TV, and games. Guided by leading professionals – including Hannah Peel and David Holmes – they’ve delved into both the aesthetic and technical sides of composing for the screen. On Saturday 6 …
A Dumbworld & Kilkenny Arts Festival co-production. Created by multi-award-winners John McIlduff and Brian Irvine, Where We Bury the Bones is an intimate and challenging work of contemporary music theatre. It begins with the discovery of a single bone, unearthed during the archaeological excavations that preceded the redevelopment of the Abbey Quarter in Kilkenny. From there …
Dumbworld presents NI FILM SCORING SCHOOL In partnership with the Regional Cultural Centre and Ulster University. Specifically designed for early-career musicians and composers looking to develop their music composition and technology skills in writing music for screen (film, games, TV, etc). The week consists of workshops, talks, and tutorials that focus on the professional tools …
On the 13th of December, Meliton Shishkin had a thought, a bold, life-altering thought: I want to feel better. Not just better in the fleeting, shallow sense, but truly better. He wanted to know who he was and to understand his place in this violent, unstable world of ours. The Pipe by Anton Checkov is …
“short, sharp, sardonic commentaries on the climate crisis… anarchic and funny ” – The Times Nominee Ivor Novello Classical Award [2023] Brian Irvine for Best Stage Work The Scorched Earth Trilogy is a trio of satirical films inspired by environmental disaster and the lack of serious climate action. The short works tackle some of our most pressing …
Winner Ivor Novello Classical Award [2024] Brian Irvine for Best Community and Participation Composition (ABRSM) Inspired by the 1931 publication ‘La Anarquia Explicada a Los Niños’, an instructional manual for children published during the Spanish Civil War that explained the ideas and practises of anarchy – composer Brian Irvine and director John McIlduff in …
Imagine Super Mario Brothers meets Mario Lanza, Mickey Mouse, whales, bats, birds and Jeff Bezos all battling it out for the future of our very own planet earth. A New Topography of Love tells the tale of the earth – ravaged by waste and excess and almost too late to save – but the animals …