As the song says, “ladies and gents, this is the moment you’ve waited for!”

Details for The Rhythm of the Bann festival in Coleraine have been launched.  The two-day programme of musical extravaganza will take place this April on the 26th and 27th in various venues throughout Coleraine town.

The perfect weekend to round off the Easter holidays, will see a number of specifically themed, choral, musical and theatre style performances and shows for all the family. All brought to you under the artful direction of our very own greatest showman, Peter Corry on behalf of the Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council.

The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Councillor Brenda Chivers said: “Rhythm of the Bann is set to fill Coleraine with song, dance and theatre for what is set to be an unforgettable weekend of unique entertainment. Whether you are a performer or a music fan, the programme will showcase the very best in the sector paving the way for the exciting return of a choral celebration to Coleraine next year. The town has a rich history in this field and we are looking forward to building on this and developing what is set to be a very exciting annual event.”

Peter Corry of Peter Corry Production added, “Rhythm of the Bann 2019 will offer international performance and workshops that will not only be engaging but educational and of a very high standard, with high quality international coaches and performers involved in the festival.”

On Friday evening St Malachy’s Church will be home to three wonderful choirs.  Adoro, Cantemus and Dalriada Chamber Choir.  Adoro has performed at many prestigious events in Northern Ireland including services of thanksgiving for HM The Queen for the Diamond Jubilee and 90th Birthday.  Local Choir Cantemus sing a mixture of ancient & modern repertoire, from Bach to Stopford; Wesley to Parry – and the Dalriada Chamber Choir voices blend beautifully to deliver chilling harmonies, rousing emotions and tapping toes. Local violinist Jasmine Morris, a member of the Ulster Youth Orchestra and former winner of the Robert Lewin Scholarship, will also add to this musical evening.

On Saturday evening, The Showman Is Coming! THE Northern Ireland born but internationally renowned Peter Corry will lead a cast of dynamic dancers, singers and talented performers.  The Showman Is Coming combines the passion of Moulin Rouge, the spectacle of Barnum and the energy of The Greatest Showman, all under one roof at the Lodge Hotel. 

Peter Corry Productions strongly recommends this event is also the perfect opportunity for young people of all ages to get involved with the offer of world class workshops aimed at enhancing their artistic side. These events are of world class standard and not to be missed on Fri 26^th and Sat 27^thApril. This is also a great way to prepare to take part in next years’ Festival.

“Thank You For The Music” is a workshop in the Town Hall, led by Ashley Fulton who is originally from Magherafelt and one of the top vocal coaches in the UK. Three sessions for a mix of ages and abilities are available.

The Saturday workshop will take place in the Methodist Church Hall and is aptly entitled, “On Broadway”.  Coleraine is proud to welcome Ian Weinberger who is currently the Associate Music Director of the smash hit musical Hamilton on Broadway.  His other Broadway conducting credits include Kinky Boots and Titanic (Lincoln Center). 

The international hit, Hamilton: An American Musical, is about the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, and is a multiple Tony, Grammy, Olivier and Pulitzer Award winning show. In the words of a former American President “where rap is the language of revolution and hip hop it’s urgent soundtrack”.

Details of all shows, tickets and how to get involved in the workshops, can be found on www.rhythmofthebann.com

The Rhythm of the Bann Festival will enthuse, engage and stir passion in everyone with a love of music, song and dance. Music to suit all tastes from musical theatre, gospel, jazz and choral to blues, swing, anthems and hymns, and hip hop! Just like the river itself, the Rhythm of the Bann is a blend of movement, music, patterns and flows.

This April, “Let’s be glorious.”

Only in Coleraine, this April, does Hamilton meet the greatest showman.

“So tell me, do you wanna go?”

Following phenomenal, sell-out success across the land, ’50 Shades Of Red, White & Blue’ returns to Armagh’s Market Place Theatre on 12 and 13 April. Maggie Muff, Big Sally Ann, Sinead The Greener and Mr Red White & Blue himself promise to have audiences rolling in the aisles with their own brand of muffalicious fun, as we follow Maggie’s laugh-out-loud search for love. 

It all started as a joke when Leesa Harker wrote a Belfast-based spoof of Fifty Shades of Grey. Very soon it went viral and had 29,000 followers! Her Facebook postings had Northern Ireland in fits of laughter.

If we were to say this is a laugh-a-minute evening we would be telling lies – its literally non-stop laughter!

Tickets are available from the Theatre Box Office on [028] 3752 1821, or online at www.visitarmagh.com/marketplacetheatre. To keep up-to-date with the latest news at the Market Place Theatre, you can follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/marketplacearmagh) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/mptarmagh) where you will find all the latest information, special offers and video previews.

Latino four-piece Los Dramáticos will bring their ‘Fire In The Blood’ show to Bangor Castle on Friday 12 April for the next Music In The Chamber series of events.

Los Dramáticos formed in 2012 in Teatro Cabaret restaurant on Botanic Avenue in Belfast. Victor Henríquez (Valparaíso, Chile) a charango player and Paddy Anderson a flamenco guitarist (Killinchy, Co. Down) who had long running solo residencies at the venue discovered that their music and the sonorities of their instruments blended well and started to perform weekly concerts there.

Paddy’s flamenco journey began with his apprenticeship (2001-2005) under flamenco guitar masters in Granada, Andalucía where he lived and worked for 4 years and where he returns every year to work on his playing. Victor brings along his expertise on the Andean charango, a ten-string instrument historically connected to Renaissance guitars taken to the South American highlands by Spanish colonisers in the 1700s.

Their ‘Fire In The Blood’ show performed in the beautiful setting of Bangor Castle’s Chamber Room is sure to be an unmissable event.

Tickets cost £12 and are on sale now at: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/ardsandnorthdown.

Tickets can also be purchased from North Down Museum or any of Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Visitor Information Centres.

Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre will welcome a new exhibition featuring the works of renowned Irish artists from Friday 12^th April.

The ‘UNTITLED (landscape)’ exhibition is the latest in a series of joint art demonstrations organised by the Department of Finance (DoF) and the Office of Public Works (OPW).

This year the exhibition focuses on the theme of landscape and the 30 artworks from artists including Mark Shields, Mickey Donnelly, Jennifer Trouton and Richard Mosse reflect the variety of this chosen topic. 

The artists were also invited to provide information about their selected art technique for the catalogue which includes painting, printmaking and photography.

Artist and curator Marianne O’Kane Boal will also facilitate an informal talk on the pieces within the exhibition on Thursday 2^nd May from 12pm – 1pm. Admission is free.

The exhibition will continue in Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre until Saturday 1^st June.

Four time world Superbike champion, Jonathan Rea enjoyed his time so much at last year’s fonaCAB International North West 200 in association with Nicholl Oils, he will make a return visit to the event this year.

The Kawasaki rider will take part in a special chat show in the paddock marquee on Wednesday, May 15 at 8pm.

Twelve months ago Rea rode a special lap of honour around the famous 8.9 mile Triangle circuit as the television cameras captured memorable images of the Ballyclare man brushing hands with hundreds of race fans along the coast road. This year his hordes of local supporters will have a chance to hear Jonathan describe how he became the first man in history to win four consecutive WSB titles and his attempt to make it a five timer in 2019.

Jonathan will be joined on stage in the marquee chat show by fellow Northern Ireland WSB racer, Eugene Laverty. The Toomebridge rider has switched to Ducati power with the Team Go Eleven squad for this season after several years with SMR Aprilia. Eugene has also been a regular visitor to the NW200 over the years. The man asking the questions on the night will be BBC NI’s Stephen Watson.

With two big stars on board, seats for this unique chat show will be in huge demand, so don’t miss out on your chance to be there by clicking on the official website  https://www.northwest200.org/

and ordering your ticket today. 

As part of Antrim Live Festival, Ulster Theatre Company present The Long Now by County Antrim born poet Sam Burnside at The Old Courthouse on Saturday 6 April.

Featuring two actors, projections, live music underscore and a soundscaped chorus, The Long Now explores one man’s memories.

Memory is general to all, while memories are unique to each of us.  Memory is shared, but my memories are mine, warmed or cooled, sweetened or embittered with time’s passing.

“I remember as a child being a passenger in a big black car on one dark evening.  I remember sitting low in the front passenger seat, looking up and out through the windscreen, the passing world of tree tops and cloud-filled sky being cut like scenes in a film with that mesmeric rhythm of the windscreen wipers. Do I remember, or do I imagine the sound of the wipers, the warmth of the car and the smell of the smoke of my mother’s cigarette?  I do not know but I imagine I remember the truth of that experience.”

“This entertainment may or may not be true.  Who can say?  Co Antrim in the 1950s is a far-off place.  Yet, this is the honest product of a writer closing his eyes and thrusting his hand into the bran tub of time and memory and hoping.”(Sam Burnside)

Featuring Sam Burnside’s poetic language, The Long Now is an evocative exploration of memory, childhood and hope.

Tickets from Box Office T: 028 9442 8331 or online theoldcourthousetheatre.com

Whitehead Railway Museum is set to host a fun filled birthday party to mark the centenary of the No. 3BG Guinness steam locomotive.

The 1919 engine, appropriately named after Arthur Guinness was built to shunt wagons between the famous Guinness Brewery at St. James’ Gate in Dublin and the nearby Kingsbridge (now Heuston) station. When Guinness closed its broad gauge line in May 1965, No. 3BG became the RPSI’s first locomotive.

Since then, the engine has shunted at Whitehead Excursion Station, worked train rides on the site and spent time hauling passenger trains on the Downpatrick and County Down Railway.

To mark the historic occasion, a birthday party will be hosted at Whitehead Railway Museum on 6^th April 2019 from 12 noon to 4pm. Short steam train rides on the engine will be the main attraction as it will allow visitors to experience the smells and sounds of a steam locomotive, stepping on board a steam train perhaps for the first time. Tickets are required for the train rides and are priced at £2.50 for adults and £2.00 for children. No need to book in advance as they can be purchased on the day.

For ticket holders there will be lots of fun activities throughout the afternoon for young and old to enjoy including balloon modelling, face painting and cutting of the birthday cake!

Big Telly Theatre Company will also be performing five minute pop-up plays at 10.30am,  12.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm throughout the museum, re-enacting the Whitehead train robbery of 1939.  Museum tickets for the plays can be purchased on the day.

Siobhan Dillon, acting General Manager of Whitehead Railway Museum said, “This is a fantastic occasion for the Museum, and we want everyone to feel part of the celebrations. It is not often that you get to enjoy a 100^th birthday party so we want to make it a memorable occasion. We are pleased to have delegates and invited guests join us from across Northern Ireland but want everyone feel welcome. The festivities are set to be a fantastic family fun day out and everyone is welcome to come along.”

The Edwardian Tea Room will be open as usual from 10.15am serving homemade lunches and guided tours will be on offer at 11am, 1pm and 2.30pm. For more information visit, https://www.steamtrainsireland.com/