17 August 2026
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie

The 2026 autumn season at The Everyman features a packed programme of entertainment, including major theatre productions of Judy – End of the Rainbow and Disco Pigs, and the best of Irish and international comedy.

Opening the autumn season, Judy – End of the Rainbow is an award-winning play by Peter Quilter featuring some of Judy Garland’s timeless hits including Over the Rainbow, The Man That Got Away and When You’re Smiling. This powerful and moving portrayal of Judy Garland’s life behind the spotlight gives a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of her legendary Talk of the Town concerts in London. West End star Anna-Jane Casey plays Judy and is joined by Will O’Connell, Darragh Shannon, and William Morgan. The original production of Judy – End of the Rainbow was a West End and Broadway smash-hit, nominated for three Tony Awards and four Olivier Awards.

Set to be the theatre event of the season, The Everyman will present a 30th anniversary production of Disco Pigs by Enda Walsh, as part of its EVERYMAN MADE programme of in-house productions. One of the greatest Irish plays ever written, Disco Pigs launched the careers of writer Enda Walsh and actors Cillian Murphy and Eileen Walsh when it premiered in Cork in 1996. For the first time in its history, the play will be directed by its writer, Tony Award winner Enda Walsh. The cast will be announced shortly.

The Everyman’s theatre programme for the autumn will also include: Black Is The Color Of My Voice, a play inspired by the life of Nina Simone, featuring live performances of many of her most iconic songs; Myra’s Story, a moving tale of a woman sleeping rough on the streets of Dublin, fresh off a West End run and four smash-hit runs at Edinburgh Fringe Festival; To Hell in a Handbag, a subversively funny take on Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, which returns for a 10th anniversary tour, having sold out previous runs in Ireland and the UK; and Pygmalion 26, an Irish-language translation of George Bernard Shaw’s classic political comedy set in modern-day Belfast, presented with English language surtitles.

The home of live entertainment in Cork since 1897, The Everyman’s autumn season will also feature the best of Irish and international comedy and variety including: Kyla Cobbler, Jarlath Regan, Mr Pussy, Neil Delamere, David Nihill, Andrew Ryan, Emma Doran, Keith Barry, Madison Cawley, and Fin Taylor.

The Everyman will also play host to a number of festivals in the coming months including Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, Cork International Film Festival and Priosma Queer Film Festival.

Des Kennedy, Artistic Director and Co-CEO of The Everyman: “Our autumn season on MacCurtain Street follows record-breaking spring and summer seasons, which included Mick Flannery’s sold-out run of The House Must Win, our EVERYMAN MADE five-star production of Pool (No Water) by Mark Ravenhill, and a concert performance of the new opera Cú Chulainn by Éadaoin O’Donoghue and John O’Brien. We’re really grateful to our audiences for their tremendous support over the past few months and we look forward to entertaining them again throughout the rest of the year as we head towards our Christmas pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk.”

Tickets for all shows are on sale now. A number of performances are already sold out, so early booking is advised.

THEATRE

Thu 27 Aug – Sat 5 Sep

Tickets from €25

Written by Peter Quilter

Directed by Conor Hanratty

Presented by Breda Cashe Productions and Pat Moylan Productions

Discover the real and raw Judy Garland in this award-winning play, featuring timeless hits including When You’re Smiling, The Man That Got Away, Just in Time, All by Myself, Over the Rainbow and many more.

MUSIC

Sun 6 Sep

Tickets from €37
Sold out, waiting list available

A celebration of the legendary music of the King of Pop, a brand-new, must-see, electrifying tribute concert to Michael Jackson.

COMEDY

Mon 7 Sep

Tickets from €31.99

Sold out, waiting list available

Join Kyla Cobbler for an in-conversation about her hilarious and honest new memoir, Happy, Thank You. More, Please.

COMEDY

Sat 12 Sep

Tickets from €33

Sold out, waiting list available

Ireland’s favourite comedian and Mammy translator, Jarlath Regan, returns to the stage with a brand-new show for 2026.

VARIETY

Sat 19 Sep

Tickets from €28.50

Get ready for a night of outrageous comedy, dazzling drag and unforgettable entertainment as one of Ireland’s most iconic drag performer, Mr Pussy, takes to the stage with a fabulous line-up of special guests: Kristin Kapelli, Magenta Fox, Tina D Parton and Kenny Todgers.

THEATRE

Thu 24 Sep

Tickets from €23

Written by William Shakespeare

Presented by Red ‘n Blue Theatre Company in association with Grinds 360

This compelling new production of Othello, presented by award-winning Red ‘n Blue Theatre Company, offers a traditional telling of the play, faithful to Shakespeare’s original story and setting. Presented as a full theatrical production, this staging offers Leaving Certificate students, as well as general audiences, a vivid encounter with one of Shakespeare’s most powerful tragedies.

COMEDY

Fri 25 Sep

Tickets from €31

Sold out, waiting list available

Join the star of The Blame Game, Live at the Apollo, QI and Celebrity Chase as he ponders the eternal question: if it ain’t broke should he fix it?

TALKS

Sat 26 Sep

Tickets from €20

In his new show, award-winning filmmaker Ken O’Sullivan brings us on his 25-year journey exploring the North Atlantic Ocean and the seas around Ireland, with stories, video pieces and personal insights into his experiences – from being surrounded by a pod of killer whales, to swimming with thousands of dolphins and fin and blue whales, the largest animals ever to have lived.

THEATRE

Sun 27 Sep

Tickets from €26

Written and Performed by Jonathan White and Helen Norton

Directed by Conor Hanratty

Presented by Once Off Productions

This subversively funny take on Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy returns for a 10th anniversary tour, having sold out previous runs in Ireland and the UK. While others are preoccupied with cucumber sandwiches and railway cloakrooms, two minor characters from The Importance of Being Earnest are up to their necks in something else. A country rector and a governess, models of Victorian propriety in public. But in private? This is the play behind the play: a tale of blackmail, false identity … and money.

COMEDY

Sat 3 Oct

Tickets from €29

Due to popular demand, David Nihill returns to The Everyman with his much-acclaimed show Taking Tangents. David got drunk on travel and never quite hit sobriety. He has lived and worked in twelve countries and visited over eighty. His shows draw on his wide travels, cultural observations, attempts at language study, (occasional) international drinking session(s) and being a mildly confused immigrant. His show Taking Tangents does exactly that.

MUSIC

Sun 4 Oct

Tickets from €28

The Everyman Sunday Songbook goes country! Keep It Country – 100 Years of the Grand Ole Opry looks back on a century of country hits, from the trailblazing twang of Hank Williams and the rhinestone sparkle of Dolly Parton to the home-spun wisdom of Jim Reeves and the heart-wrenching anthems of Garth Brooks.

COMEDY

Sun 4 Oct

Tickets from €27

Sold out, waiting list available

Everyone’s favourite Cork in the North returns in good faith and in an honest capacity with what promises to be his biggest and most hilarious show to date. Join him for his new show with tales of pet ownership, constant inability to read a room, and his unrelenting frustration and annoyance with the world around him. Everything is fine, until it’s not!

MUSIC

Thu 8 Oct

Tickets from €30

After decades of friendship, Irish eighties rock icons Leslie Dowdall and Flo McSweeney are finally sharing the stage together for the very first time with their brand-new show, Natural Women. Backed by an all-star band and stunning visual projections, this uplifting and soulful performance pays homage to two of music’s greatest female voices – Linda Ronstadt and Carole King.

COMEDY

Fri 9 Oct

Tickets from €29

Sold out, waiting list available

Smash-hit Irish comedian, best-selling author, podcast host and viral online star Emma Doran hits the road once again, taking her brand-new standup show Emmaculate across the UK and Ireland in 2026.

MUSIC

Sat 10 Oct

Tickets from €33

80s Icons Show returns to The Everyman to celebrate the best decade ever. Relive the magic of the 1980s and hear hits by icons such as Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Go West, Paul Young, Phil Collins, Nik Kershaw and many more. 80s Icons Show is a must-see for any true 80s fan. So, sit back for a show that defines a decade! The ultimate 80s night out.

FAMILY

Sun 11 Oct

Tickets from €18 (Family of Four €62)

It’s Joe the Magician from Dizzy Deliveries on RTÉjr! And he’s bringing his spectacular children’s comedy magic and illusion show back to The Everyman, for an afternoon of mind-boggling fun. Joe’s show fuses laugh-out-loud comedy magic with absolutely jaw-dropping spectacular illusions live on stage. It’s a rollercoaster theatrical ride that reinvents children’s entertainment. A flying table, magical friendly ghosts and live snowstorm are just a hint of what you can expect.

THEATRE

Tue 13 – Wed 14 Oct

Tickets from €30

Written by Brian Foster

Presented by Trafalgar Theatre Productions

From London’s West End and the four-time smash-hit at the Edinburgh Fringe, Myra’s Story is the tour-de-force performance that you’ll never forget. This incredible story depicts a day in the life of middle-aged, homeless, alcoholic, Myra (played by the acclaimed actor Fíonna Hewitt-Twamley), sleeping rough on the streets of Dublin. Hailed as an “outstanding play” (Broadway Baby) and having captivated over 250,000 theatregoers across Ireland, the UK and North America, this remarkable story will make you laugh, cry and above all, ensure you’ll never forget Myra.

THEATRE

Thu 15 Oct

Tickets from €30

Written, Directed and Performed by Apphia Campbell

Inspired by the life of Nina Simone, and featuring many of her most iconic songs performed live, Apphia Campbell’s acclaimed play follows a successful singer and civil rights activist as she seeks redemption after the untimely death of her father. She reflects on the journey that took her from a young piano prodigy destined for a life in the service of the church to a renowned jazz vocalist at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement. The show has toured the UK and Australia to standing ovations and played sell-out seasons in Shanghai, New York, Edinburgh and the West End of London.

VARIETY

Fri 16 – Sat 17 Oct

Tickets from €40.20

Keith Barry: Unhinged celebrates 25 years of mind-blowing magic, hypnosis and brain hacking. Get ready because Keith Barry is about to get inside your head like never before with his most unpredictable, jaw-dropping and hilarious live show yet.

COMEDY

Sun 18 Oct

Tickets from €35.25

Sit down with a glass of bubbly and enjoy Maddie live on stage. Madison Cawley’s back with a bigger and better show. Come if you’re brave enough, and dress to impress.

THEATRE

Mon 19 Oct

Tickets from €21

Presented by Aisling Ghéar

Pygmalion 26 is an Irish-language translation of George Bernard Shaw’s classic political comedy. This production takes Shaw’s work and brings it to Belfast, 2026. Pygmalion deals with social class and its identification through accent. Aisling Ghéar are taking that theme and running it through Shaw’s prism of class to address the question of who can call themselves a native Irish speaker. They will be creating this with the humour that Shaw brought to Pygmalion, and the vibrant wit and linguistic culture of the urban Gaeltacht of West Belfast. Presented with English language surtitles.

COMEDY

Thu 21 Oct

Tickets from €29

English standup comedian Fin Taylor brings his new show The Pre-emptive Comeback Special to Cork as part of his biggest tour to date. Men want to be him; women want their boyfriends to stop showing them his videos. The King of the Internet Jungle is back where he belongs, doing standup in front of a live audience. After the whirlwind success of his chart-topping podcast Fin vs History and interview series Fin vs the Internet, it’s his biggest tour yet.

THEATRE

Sat 31 Oct – Sat 14 Nov

Tickets from €19

An EVERYMAN MADE production

Written and Directed by Enda Walsh

Pig and Runt are two Cork teenagers who share the same birthday, speak the same secret language, and whose joint inner world is about to be torn asunder by impending adulthood. One of the greatest Irish plays ever written, Disco Pigs launched the careers of writer Enda Walsh and actors Cillian Murphy and Eileen Walsh when it premiered in Cork in 1996. For the first time in its history, Disco Pigs will be directed by its writer, Tony Award winner Enda Walsh. 30 years since its premiere, The Everyman will present a major new production of Disco Pigs in 2026, as part of its EVERYMAN MADE programme of in-house productions. The Everyman is proud to celebrate this uniquely Cork play in the home of Cork theatre.

MUSIC

Sun 1 Nov

Tickets from €37.50

A true icon of the folk world, Ralph McTell brings more than five decades of timeless songwriting to Ireland for his final national tour – Somewhere Down the Road, a landmark moment in an extraordinary career. McTell’s tour coincides with the release of a special new album, The Timedrift of the Road, featuring his songs with Irish connections reinterpreted by his favourite Irish artists, alongside powerful new material. The Ivor Novello Award–winning songwriter behind the global anthem Streets of London, McTell’s music continues to resonate across generations, their storytelling and emotional depth as compelling as ever.

MUSIC

Wed 4 Nov

Tickets from €36

The world’s favourite Liverpool-born tribute to The Beatles are back with an all-new show for 2026. The Mersey Beatles have been rocking sold-out shows around the globe since 1999 with their truly authentic and widely acclaimed celebration of John, Paul, George and Ringo. The band – who clocked up more than 600 appearances in a 10-year residency at Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club – brilliantly exudes the inner and outer spirit of the real thing. Throughout two unforgettable hours, they take the audience on a fabulous ride through the ‘mop top’ hits of Beatlemania to the melodic wonder and energy of the Fab Four’s later work. New for 2026 – The Mersey Beatles celebrate the 60th anniversary of the iconic and ground-breaking album Revolver and the hits of 1966. It’s a show no Beatles fan will want to miss!

The Everyman is one of Ireland’s leading presenting and producing theatres, and the home of theatre in Cork. The 650-seat playhouse is a jewel of late Victorian architecture and a listed building, celebrating its 130th anniversary in 2027. The Everyman is generously supported by the Arts Council and Cork City Council. The Everyman is a registered charity (No. 20150952).