This project establishes an international research network on the Dublin Gate Theatre (1928—). This avant-garde playhouse offers a case study that will significantly advance existing knowledge about the role of theatres as institutions engaging with the complexities of cultural exchange and the construction of (inter)national identities in changing, globalising societies. Bringing together international theatre experts and paving the way for interdisciplinary collaboration, the network aims to research the Gate’s role as a sanctuary of hybrid and emancipatory identity formation, in comparison with other avant garde theatres in Europe. Through expert meetings, publications and a conference it will explore three crucial aspects. Firstly, how the Gate’s dramaturgy questioned the homogenisation of Irish identities, especially in an emerging postcolonial nation. Secondly, how the Gate has invested in cosmopolitan configurations of identity by importing foreign experimental plays and techniques and by exporting productions of its Irish plays to theatres across the world. Finally, the network examines the contributions that the Gate has made to the visibility and acceptance of marginalized identities. The ubiquitous presence of women writers, editors and directors at the Gate, and its importance in creating a tolerant Dublin gay scene, testify to its engagement with contested issues of gender and sexuality. The network will launch a bibliographical digital archive and an exhibition highlighting the Gate’s function as an intercultural conduit in and beyond Europe, thereby developing and disseminating knowledge on cultural production and identity formation that can be transposed to other European contexts in a Horizon 2020 proposal.