Dublin Oldschool, National Theatre

After causing a stir at this summer's Edinburgh Fringe, Dublin Oldschool comes to the Dorfman stage -- with a rattle of rapping, raving and chemical highs to show that the National Theatre's far more than stuffy Shakespeare.

Written and performed by Emmet Kirwan and co-starring Ian Lloyd Anderson, this energetic two-hander follows a pair of brothers who are reunited and reconnected for one lost weekend of trips and tunes. The story is told through a riot of rap and rhyme.

DJ Jason sweeps the audience along with him on a delirious drug binge through to Dublin streets from one hedonistic rave to another. But then an encounter with his older brother throws Jason's life into relief and the frenetic spiral of his life slides into a coming of age story.

Disenfranchised youth is earning a prominent place in the National Theatre programming -- with recent productions of Iphigenia in Splott and Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour both giving voice overlooked young women a voice - to contrasting but equalling compelling effect. We look forward to seeing how Dublin Oldschool weaves rap into stage traditions and sheds light on the issues
facing young men.

Public booking for Dublin Oldschool at the National Theatre opens at 8:30am on Friday 21 October.