Emmet Kirwan and Ruth McGill to star in new musical satire Pretty Vacant

Pretty Vacant, a musical satire about Eurovision and gentrification, has been announced by The Performance Corporation to be presented as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival 2026.

The musical will be shown at Tailors’ Hall in the Liberties, which serves as the setting of the show’s plot.

Written by Tom Swift, with original music by Daragh Dukes and directed by Jo Mangan, the musical seeks to address “developer-led destruction and the people in power willing to play along" through a comedic lens. It is set to a soundtrack of “unapologetic Euro-pop bangers.”

Pretty Vacant features Emmet Kirwan (Dublin Oldschool and Heartbreak), Ruth McGill (Dancing at Lughnasa – Gate Theatre and Furniture – Druid Theatre Company), Alan Howley (The Nose – The Performance Corporation and Fair City) and others.

Described as being created “in and for the Liberties,” it was developed in collaboration with The Liberties Community Project and The Liberties Festival.

“Pretty Vacant feels like exactly the kind of bold, playful and site-specific work that Fringe has always championed, and we can’t wait to share it,” said Mangan, speaking about the production.

“The idea for Pretty Vacant started with a sense of disbelief at how so many of our towns and cities have been left hollowed out by dereliction and vacancy,” added Swift. “I hope we are representing the extraordinary stories people have shared with us while reflecting the Liberties’ legendary humor and musicality.”

The Performance Corporation has other notable entertainment ventures such as their SPACE Programme, Ireland’s longest-running international multi-disciplinary artists’ residency, and its other upcoming, site-specific show Tír an Traonaigh (Land of the Corncrakes) set in North Mayo.

Tickets for the musical are available here.