In yet another first for this group, experimental ensemble Kirkos will stage Dublin’s next opera production, with the Irish premiere of THE BUFFER ZONE by composer Yannis Kyriakides. As tensions over geographical space and identity around the world increase, this work explores ideas of separation, alienation, and divided communities.

Inspired by the Buffer Zone that separates the north and south of Kyriakides’ native Cyprus, this audiovisual work offers a meditation on borders everywhere. Using hanging video screens, the audience will be split in two, with a musician on each side (pianist Billy O’Brien and cellist Yseult Cooper Stockdale) playing imaginary duets with a ghost instrument across the divide. The central character is a UN soldier (played by singer/actor Tom Roseingrave), the one figure who can freely pass between, and the work explores the contrast between the zone’s emptiness and the soldier’s inner perspective. The multisensory experience of the space is deepened with the use of field recordings, highlighting the irony that this abandoned zone has reverted to being a richly diverse natural habitat.

First staged in the Netherlands in 2004, this production has been devised by Kirkos, and forms the culmination of its residency in the DCC Incubation Space on James Joyce Street. Performing there, the piece will run for three nights, from Friday 6 December to Sunday 8 December.

Unit 3 / 5 James Joyce St, Dublin 1 / Kirkos DCC Incubation Space : Fri 6th-Sun 8th December
Doors 6.45pm Performance 7pm
Tickets: €5 [Pinch] €10 [Regular] €20 [Pay It Forward] – Eventbrite