New play Helter Shelter to premiere at Scene + Heard Festival

Helter Shelter, a new play written by award-winning Dublin director Sau Dachi, is set to premiere at Smock Alley Theatre on February 20.

The play follows dogs Omer, Daisy, George, Zack, Chi, and Grace as they await adoption from a shelter. Meanwhile, two cats - Wiggles and Biscuit - plot to remove the dogs so that they can rule over the shelter.

Helter Shelter will feature performances from Cathy Orr, Jason Corbett, Grace Keelin, Desmond Daly, David Rowlands, Luke Collins, LA Feeney, Ian Anthony and Gerry Cannon.

The production will showcase as part of the Scene + Heard Festival, an event focused on helping new artworks and audiences find each other. This year’s festival starts on 13 February and will run until March 1.

Dachi’s debut, A Short Horror Film, released in 2022, winning Best Comedy at Santa Monica Shorts Festival.

His most recent work, the 2024 feature film Suit Hung. Tied Tongue. was well received by audiences and critics. The film follows two brothers, who turn to violence against the state due to the difficult social climate and the preventable death of their mother.

You can find ticket information here, or see the full lineup for Scene + Heard here.
Watch Helter Shelter’s trailer below.