Such a Wilde idea
Although he'd been working in musical theatre for 20 years, Brian Merriman never planned on running a theatre festival. But when his show A Chelsea Affair, about Oscar Wilde and his mother, became a hit in the summer of 2000, Merriman was inspired to start a festival devoted to gay theatre. Now in its second year, the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival is the only one of its kind in Europe, he says. Adopting as its logo Wilde's famous green carnation, it offers a much needed reminder of the importance of gay writers and producers, from Wilde to Micheál MacLiammóir, to Irish theatrical history. "We want to see the green carnation bloom again in the city of Wilde's birth," says its founder. With this year's festival shaping up to be even bigger and more popular than its predecessor, he shouldn't be disappointed. www.dublingaytheatrefestival.com. Anna Carey