Nick Payne’s ‘Constellations’ Joins Cork Midsummer Festival Lineup

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Julie Maguire and Aidan Moriarty star in Al Dalton's production at Cork Arts Theatre

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Cork Arts Theatre will present Constellations by acclaimed playwright Nick Payne, directed by Cork-based theatre maker Al Dalton. Running from 16th to 20th June as part of Cork Midsummer Festival, this moving and imaginative production is the second instalment in Cork Arts Theatre's ambitious Re:Directing season - a series of three contemporary plays funded by The Arts Council and designed to platform Cork theatre directors.

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A stirring love story with infinite possibilities, a quantum physicist and a beekeeper meet at a barbeque and begin a relationship that unfolds across multiple possible realities. They hit it off - or perhaps they don't. They go home together - or maybe they don't. In the multiverse, with every possible future ahead of them, a love of honey could make all the difference.

For director Al Dalton, the play has held a special place in his imagination since first encountering it in 2022. "I suggested Constellations by Nick Payne to Fin Flynn as a play that could work for the Cork Arts Theatre because the canvas of the play is open and beautiful. It's a play that truly affected me when I watched it as part of the National Theatre Live at Home recordings back in 2022. The fact that it could transcend the screen and make an impression on me sitting at home on my couch was powerful, not all plays can do that when recorded. It made me think of what the 'live experience' of this play would have been like and there it lived in my head until now.”

Dalton says the emotional core of the play lies in its deeply recognisable characters and the universal questions they confront. “The play's two characters, Marianne & Roland, both resonated with me on many levels. Their needs, wants and flaws feel real and exact. The central question of 'what if' that is the spine of the play, exists in all our lives I feel. Especially in our relationships and friendships. If we had the time again would we make different decisions, say a different thing, be a better person?”

Al Dalton is a freelance director, theatre maker and writer, and co-artistic director of ALSA Productions, a company creating work for both young and adult audiences. He recently participated in the Irish Theatre Institute's year-long Six In The Attic artist development programme in 2025, following earlier participation in Fishamble's Directing Mentorship Programme facilitated by Jim Culleton. His recent directing credits include Misterman by Enda Walsh (2025) and The Cure by Cónal Creedon (2023/24). ALSA Productions have previously held residencies with Corcadorca's Theatre Development Centre and MTU Cork School of Music, and were mentored by Gare St. Lazare Ireland during the company's residency at The Everyman.

The production stars Julie Maguire (The Quare Fellow, Anna Karenina – Abbey Theatre) and Aidan Moriarty (King Lear – Gate Theatre, Translations – Abbey Theatre).

A short, tender, and at times, heartbreaking 80-minute drama about love, free will, and the choices that define us, Constellations runs at Cork Arts Theatre from 16th to 20th June.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/ireland/article/CONSTELLATIONS-Will-Come-to-Cork-Midsummer-Festival-20260508)._