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theatre · Saturday 5 September 2026 · 8:00pm 
Welcome to Traumatraum
At Mermaid Arts Centre · Main Street, Bray, Co. Wicklow
At Mermaid Arts Centre · Main Street, Bray, Co. Wicklow
Welcome to Traumatraum comes to Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray on Saturday, 5 September 2026 at 8pm, a new multidisciplinary work exploring how physical trauma reshapes a life. Three interconnected stories run through the piece: a dancer whose injured body will not do what she needs, a young footballer whose mobility problems threaten his chance of playing for Ireland, and a performer managing spinal deterioration. Text, personal testimony and movement combine in a 75-minute show for audiences aged 12 and over.
The show is a collaboration between contemporary dance practitioner Karen Gleeson, playwright Philip St John, actor and director Michael McCabe of Lumiere Theatre Company, and director Matthew Ralli, artistic director of the Speckintime company that developed the piece. Rather than telling one linear story, Traumatraum weaves the three characters’ experiences into what the makers describe as an immersive dive into the psychological effects of physical injury, and how a body that stops working the way it used to can jolt a life onto a completely different path. Expect a mix of spoken text, movement and dance rather than a conventional script-driven play, staged in Mermaid’s black box theatre space. Wheelchair-accessible and other accessible seating is available but has to be reserved by phone through the box office rather than the online booking system.
Mermaid Arts Centre is on Main Street in Bray town centre, a short walk from Bray Daly DART station and close to Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann stops. Town centre car parks are a few minutes’ walk away for anyone driving in.
A Saturday night show leaves time for the seafront beforehand; the Esplanade and Bray Head are a short walk from Main Street if the September evening stays dry, and the town’s restaurants make an easy pre-show dinner. There is more to see in Bray and across Co. Wicklow.
Heading to Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray? Wicklow has plenty more to see. Read the Bray area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.
In town for Mermaid Arts Centre? These Wicklow tours book out in summer.