28 August - 5 September 2026

An Abbey Theatre Ireland, Teatro Stabile del Veneto - Teatro Nazionale Italy, and Croatian National Theatre HNK Rijeka co production

Mirandolina

Written by Marina Carr, after Carlo Goldoni, translated by Monica Capuani

Directed by Caitríona McLaughlin

Booking Information

28 Aug – 5 Sept 2026

On the Abbey Stage

Performed in Italian with English surtitles

Times:
Mon – Sat 7.30pm

Matinee – Sat, 1:30pm

Tickets: €15 – €55 plus booking fee

Running Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes, including interval

The digital version of the show information is available here.

Content Advice: For information on the content and themes in this production, click here.

The Abbey Theatre is proud to have Women’s Aid as our charity collaborator on this production

"Supremely memorable" Irish Independent

“It’s dangerous to play with a young man’s pride.” “And what about a young woman’s pride?”

One of the most powerful and original voices in contemporary Irish theatre, Marina Carr, returns to the Abbey Theatre this summer with her remarkable version of a classic Italian play.

With a cast of leading Italian actors and an Irish creative team, Carr and Caitríona McLaughlin have re-imagined Carlo Goldoni’s La Locandiera to explore identity, gender, and power as it echoes through the generations.

Set in modern-day Dublin, this rich new work examines the life of a young woman working in an Italian restaurant, as she carefully navigates a path between the men who surround and admire her, even as they work to bend her to their will. Armed with courage and intelligence, Mirandolina decides to fight back.

Translated by Monica Capuani, Mirandolina is performed in Italian with English surtitles and is a co-production by the Abbey Theatre, Teatro Stabile del Veneto – Teatro Nazionale Italy, and Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka – HNK Rijeka. The digital version of the show information is available here.

It premiered in Treviso, Italy, in February 2026 and toured to Belluno, Venice, Padua, Verona, Rijeka, and Milan. This production forms part of Cultúr 2026, the cultural programming around Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

A quasi trecento anni dalla sua prima rappresentazione a Venezia, La locandiera di Carlo Goldoni è ancora tra i capolavori più noti e rappresentati del repertorio italiano. Nella commedia emerge chiaro il concetto illuminista di autodeterminazione dell’individuo, particolarmente significativo proprio perché portato avanti da un personaggio femminile, che nel testo di Marina Carr troverà nuove inedite aderenze con il presente.

Mirandolina, il testo della drammaturga irlandese Marina Carr ispirato al capolavoro goldoniano La locandiera, esamina la vita di una giovane donna smarrita e degli ammiratori e predatori che la circondano. In questo clima, le giovani donne non sono mai state così in pericolo o in balia delle bugie che vengono loro propinate su ogni aspetto del loro essere. Questa è una pièce sulla paura, la paura femminile, e sul prezzo che viene estorto a queste ragazze smarrite che osano reagire.

Supported by Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon, Ireland’s Department of Culture, Communications and Sport EU Presidency Culture Programme, Culture Ireland, Embassy of Italy in Ireland, Italian Institute of Culture Dublin, and Mediolanum International Funds LTD.

Mirandolina on stage

Photography by Serena Serrani

Charity Collaborator

You can support Women’s Aid by making a donation here.

Reviews

"The actors are impressive, and Gaja Masciale as Mirandolina is a particularly good Carr heroine"
Irish Independent

★★★
Carr has reframed Goldoni’s comedy as a feminist tragedy”
The Irish Times

"Carr’s reimagining gives Goldoni’s classic a distinctly contemporary edge, while the Italian-Irish collaboration makes the production an especially interesting cultural exchange"
No More Workhorse

"Gaja Masciale plays Mirandolina with a magnetic stage presence / Gaja Masciale veste i panni di Mirandolina con una presenza scenica magnetica"
Radio Dublino

"It speaks to the present day about gender-based violence and women resisting oppression / che parla al presente di violenza di genere e donne che resistono alla sopraffazione
L'Arena

"No one in Dublin in August can afford to miss this / chi sarà all’Abbey Theatre di Dublino ad agosto non può permettersi di perderla "
Radio Dublino

"director Caitríona McLaughlin...directs with convincing authority,obtaining from the Italian actorsa believable portray of machismo / la regista Caitríona MclAughlin...lo ha diretto con convinta autorevolezza, ottenendo dagli attori italiani la resa credibile di un maschilismo"
La Stampa

"A play that affects the head and stomach, and hits the heart / Spettacolo che arriva alla testa e allo stomaco, e colpisce al cuore"
Exibart

Learn More About This Project

Listen back as Marina Carr and Caitríona McLaughlin talk about their sharp new take on Goldoni’s classic on RTÉ Arena. Or, explore director Caitríona McLaughlin’s thoughts on this project as part of the Winter Olympics 2026 here and within the broader cultural context here.

Welcome to the world of Mirandolina

Meet the cast

Back row: Denis Fasolo, Massimo Scola, Margherita Mannino, Alex Cendron
Front row: Riccardo Gamba, Sandra Toffolatti, Gaja Masciale, Andrea Tich, Giancarlo Previati