Award-winning NI drama takes to the international stage in Brussels on 18 February
12th February, 2026
Written by Gina Donnelly and produced by SkelpieLimmer Productions in association with west-Belfast’s Brassneck Theatre Company, ‘Anthem for Dissatisfaction’ is the latest production to travel to the Belgian capital as part of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Brussels Platform. This is a joint initiative supported by the Northern Ireland Executive Office in Brussels and by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, with funding from the National Lottery.
The show, which stars Emily Lamey and Simon Sweeney as Irish Twins, was winner of the Solas Nua New Voices Award at the Dublin Fringe Festival 2024 and the Summerhall Lustrum Award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2025. Brassneck Theatre’s Tony Devlin co-directed the show with Gina Donnelly, which is described as a ‘working-class celebration of the power of live music, teenage angst, sibling rivalry and love’.
Tony Devlin, Artistic Director, Brassneck Theatre Company, commented:
“We were delighted to commission dynamic writer Gina Donnelly to create a new play for Brassneck Theatre, having admired her unique and powerful voice in previous work. The success of this production at home is testament to the work Gina and Brassneck have put into developing the piece, to ensure that the play taps into an experience not often expressed or articulated on stage. This working-class scream from two siblings swimming against the tide their entire lives, not for success but purely for survival, is a beautiful ode to everyone who has struggled against a system that is engineered against them.
“It’s fantastic we can now bring the production to mainland Europe in February, with continued support and funding from the Arts Council – being able to perform in front of international audiences is a rare opportunity, but doing this in Brussels allows us to showcase the depth of writing and performance skills we have available in NI.”
Siobhán Molloy, Arts Development Officer, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said:
“It’s a pleasure to once again be working with the NI Executive Office in Brussels to showcase talent from NI in the Flagey Theatre. This is a valuable opportunity for this collaboration to gain international recognition, reach new audiences and showcase the rich artistic talent from NI.”
Launched in 2011, the Arts Council’s Brussels Platform has previously hosted writers, musicians, theatre practitioners and dancers, providing opportunities for NI based artists to showcase their work to international audiences, including MEPs and EU representatives in Brussels. This showcase follows previous Brussels Platform performances in 2025 by Crybaby Production’s ‘Float’ and Jane McKeever’s ‘Janey Mac is Hot (Blame the Hormones)’.
For more information about the performance on 18 February in Flagey, Brussels, visit Anthem For Dissatisfaction | Flagey