Artist Support - Dafe Pessu Orugbo - Pupilla

17 April 2025

19-20 March 2025
& 10-11, 16-17 April 2025
Rehearsal Space Ahead of New Production
Pupilla

Dafe Orugbo was back in the rehearsal room during March & April with a full team in preparation for his new show 'Pupilla', which was presented as a Work-in-Progress performance on 17 April to a small invited audience.

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Leave the real world behind and enter the world of Pupilla, the largest city on a planet inhabited by puppets! Dafe Orugbo’s newest creation, Pupilla, where puppet show meets visual installation, creating a gripping piece about finding humanity in a world without humans.

The show is written and produced by Dafe Pessu Orugbo, Designed by Fergus Wachala-Kelly and performed by Emily Lagace.

The development of the work has been supported by Draíocht Blanchardstown and ILFD, International Literature Festival Dublin.

"It's been great to work on such a fantastical project at Draíocht which feels like an appropriate place to try and create magic. If I had to describe the show my hope is that it's like a fairytale book come to life." - Dafe Orugbo

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Dafe Orugbo Biography

Dafe Orugbo is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist making a significant impact in Irish theatre. Selected as a lead artist for the 2022 Dublin Fringe, he created Filmore! an acclaimed work that earned him the prestigious George Fitzmaurice Award. In 2024, he continued to expand his theatrical practice by writing and starring in Monaco, a short play developed as part of Draíocht’s NEST. Dafe is a former Six in the Attic artist with the Irish Theatre Institute (2023/2024), a programme supporting emerging theatre talent in Ireland.

Additionally, Dafe has gained international recognition as part of the hip-hop duo Tebi Rex, with whom he has toured Ireland, the UK, and Europe. He is particularly interested in art that centres on the audience's experience.

His music has been featured on projects such as the award-winning Normal People, Kin and national ads for the likes of Dubliner Whiskey and Eir. He writes on topics ranging from modern-day Ireland to Greek mythology and is an experienced public speaker, live performer, writer, spoken word artist and theatre maker. He holds an MA in Critical & Creative Media that saw him create a groundbreaking documentary on Irish subcultures and has since become a leading cultural commentator and a respected mentor to young people.

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Draíocht is recognised as a creative hub and laboratory space and invests significantly in the development of artist's practice by the provision of benefit in kind support such as space, technical support, admin/marketing support and specialist expertise. We offer a wide range of opportunities to artists i.e. commissions, residencies, artist studios/rehearsal space, co-productions, co-commissions, seed funding, mentoring.

Our Artist Support Series, launched during Covid-19, has helped 79 artists in 2020, 50 artists in 2021, 74 artists in 2022, 53 artists in 2023, and 31 artists in 2024 with the provision of free rehearsal and creative space. Space to rehearse, write, create, film, dance, think & plan... whatever is needed!

With thanks to our funders Fingal County Council & The Arts Council.

#SpaceForTheArts #SpaceForMagic #SpaceForYou

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