Hi-Lo Productions present Shackleton’s Carpenter at The Old Courthouse Theatre, Antrim on Wednesday 31 October at 7.30pm.

Malcolm Rennie plays Harry McNish in Shackleton’s Carpenter, Gail Louw’s play about a forgotten Scottish hero, who was instrumental in ensuring the eventual survival of all the crew of The Endurance.

Shackleton’s voyage to the Antarctic with 26 crew and scientists in 1914 continues to capture the public imagination for the sufferings of the men, the photography of the Antarctic and its inspiring outcome of human determination and rescue.  Despite his extraordinary contribution to the heroic rescue, McNish did not receive the polar medal. In Shackleton’s Carpenter Gail Louw asks why the shipwright was ignored.

The play opens in 1930 with the carpenter destitute, sleeping in an open boat on the wharf in New Zealand. Cold and hungry, McNish wakes in the middle of night, recalling life on the Endeavour and the ice floes, Elephant Island and South Georgia. He remembers what it was really like to sail the famous James Caird lifeboat and the horrors of the 800-mile journey, sleeping like sardines in a coffin, in the worst seas known to man.

Malcolm Rennie returns to the stage to play McNish after four seasons as Fraser the family butler in ITV’s popular TV drama Mr Selfridge.

Malcolm said: “McNish was a working class man from Port Glasgow who called a spade a spade. He challenged Shackleton’s decision making and maybe this is why he has never had the recognition he deserved.”

Join us for a bold tale of courage, conflict, class and cold. Tickets from Box Office

T: 028 9442 8331 or theoldcourthousetheatre.com

NEW MATERIAL, NEW METHODS and a whole NEW MENU from the comedian who brought you ‘George Egg: Anarchist Cook’

 

“brilliantly funny” 

                The Observer (Jay Rayner)

 

George Egg is a stand-up comedian who cooks food, outstandingly good food, live on stage using unconventional methods and unexpected equipment. He makes you laugh too.

 

In GEORGE EGG: DIY CHEF a health scare sees George banished from the family kitchen, but relocated to the garden shed his imagination and resourcefulness lead him to build an improvised kitchen there instead. During an inspiring and inventive hour of stand-up, live cooking and comedy lecture George prepares a breakfast, a lunch and a dinner using, amongst other things, a wallpaper stripper, a heat gun, a paper shredder and a whole host of other power tools, office equipment, hair-dressing appliances and gardening implements. And the audience gets to eat the food at the end.

 

“the wonderfully talented George Egg is genuinely unique” 

The Independent

 

George Egg: DIY Chef was a Total Sell Out at the 2018 AND 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it enjoyed a glut of 5 and 4 star rave reviews. He is presently touring it all over the country including Brighton Fringe, Glasgow Comedy Festival, Galway Comedy Festival, Leicester Comedy Festival and a run at the Soho Theatre, London.

 

George’s last show, and Edinburgh debut in 2015 (George Egg: Anarchist Cook) was also a total sell out. It won him the Spirit Of The Fringe Award and he toured the show extensively on a 60 plus date tour throughout the UK as well as abroad at festivals in New Zealand, Estonia, Norway and Holland. Sell out runs at the Soho Theatre and numerous festivals, arts centres and theatres lead to appearances cooking on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Loose Ends’ and Radio 4 Extra’s ‘The Comedy Club’.

 

“trust us, you won’t believe how good the food is”

                The Scotsman

 

CONTACT INFO:                                                                                   SHOW INFO:

George Egg                                                                                            Venue: MAC Belfast

07977 413811                                                                                     Dates: Sat 22 & Sun 23 Sept

email: post@georgeegg.com                                              Time: 20:00

web: www.anarchistcook.info                                            Tickets: from £12.50

twitter: @georgeegg

Having just completed a small run of intimate, sold-out shows last week, Hozier has announced his forthcoming tour of Ireland.

 

15 December – The Olympia Theatre, Dublin

16 December – The Olympia Theatre, Dublin

17 December – The Olympia Theatre, Dublin

19 December – The Ulster Hall, Belfast

20 December – The INEC, Killarney

 

Tickets for all shows will go on sale this Friday 21 September at 9am via Ticketmaster.

 

Tickets limited to 4 per person.

 

The tour will also see Hozier and his band perform at venues across the UK and Europe – his biggest shows in over four years – and his first tour since releasing his celebrated new EP ‘Nina Cried Power’. Full tour schedule below:

 

Sunday 11th November – Coliseum, Lisbon, Portugal

Monday 12th November – La Riviera, Madrid, Spain

Wednesday 14th November – Salle Pleyel, Paris, France

Thursday 15th November – Cirque Royale, Brussels, Belgium

Sunday 18th November – Alcatraz, Milan, Italy

Monday 19th November – X-Tra, Zurich, Switzerland

Wednesday 21st November – Gasometer, Vienna, Austria

Friday 23rd November – Verti Music Hall, Berlin, Germany

Sunday 25th November – Sentrum Scene, Oslo, Norway

Monday 26th November – Annexet, Stockholm, Sweden

Wednesday 28th November – Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark

Friday 30th November – Mehr! Theatre, Hamburg, Germany

Monday 3rd December – Palladium, Cologne, Germany

Tuesday 4th December – TivoliVredenberg Ronda, Utrecht, Netherlands

Thursday 6th December – O2 Apollo, Manchester, UK

Friday 7th December – O2 Academy, Glasgow, UK

Sunday 9th December – O2 Academy, Birmingham, UK

Tuesday 11th December – Eventim Apollo, London, UK

Acclaim for Hozier’s recent shows and newly-released music has been widespread. The Guardian dubbed the single ‘Nina Cried Power’ as “startling”, with The Evening Standard commenting in their 5* live review that “Hozier’s watertight backing band wreathed the choruses in four-part harmonies, elevating his new songs into the realms of the celestial”.

Hozier’s 4 track EP ‘Nina Cried Power’ is out now via Island Records, and features legendary soul/gospel singer Mavis Staples, with iconic musician Booker T Jones on organ.

Listen to the EP and connect with Hozier here: https://hozier.lnk.to/FollowPR

https://hozier.com/

Tickets for the Ulster Hall are available:

In person at the Ulster Hall box office

By Telephone: 028 9033 4455
Book On Line: www.waterfront.co.uk / www.ulsterhall.co.uk

In person: From 100 Ticketmaster Outlets Nationwide
By Telephone (24 Hour): Northern Ireland – 0844 277 44 55
Book On Line: www.ticketmaster.ie

Concept Concerts Ltd are very excited to announce that Quadrophenia – the album, LIVE! is set for Theatre at The Mill on Friday 21 September.

This storming show pays tribute to the emotive music of The Who, the biggest-selling and most powerful band in the world for decades. Produced specifically for the stage and appealing to all generations, with full-on sound effects as used on the original album and state-of-the-art lighting to enhance the performance.

The Goldhawks, a world-class, eight-piece band, fronted by Doug Freeman who is widely regarded as the world’s greatest ever live tribute to Roger Daltrey, faithfully recreates the power, tension and visceral emotion of the music, backed by a large screen showing bespoke film, archive footage and visual effects throughout.

This show captures a tremendous piece of Mod musical history for all ages to experience today and a chance for all who were or are still part of the phenomenal Mod movement, to relive its glory. However, don’t be mistaken, it’s also about the angst of growing up in this day and age.

To send you home Shakin All Over there are a few all-time classic hits from The Who to close the show! Tickets from Box Office T: 028 9034 0202 or online theatreatthemill.com

The internationally renowned Queen’s Film Theatre is set to host a month-long series of films and events to celebrate its golden year this October.

 

To mark its fiftieth birthday, QFT, which is an independent cinema based at Queen’s University Belfast, will host a range of events including brand new films and old classics. It will also show off its newly refurbished cinema which has now been completed after a £350,000 investment.

The month-long celebrations, funded by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund and the British Film Institute, will also see over thirty special events take place including in-depth Q&As with Mark Kermode, Jim Sheridan and the Derry Girls cast.

QFT50 will kick off on 5 October with the opening of a special exhibition that will showcase a range of artefacts, photographs and memorabilia from the past 50 years, as well as screen a preview of new film First Man starring Ryan Gosling.

President and Vice-Chancellor of Queens University Belfast, Professor Ian Greer said:

“As we begin this month-long programme of events, I am excited and honoured to lead the celebrations which mark 50 years of QFT. At Queen’s University Belfast, we are privileged to have such a unique cultural venue on campus, with vast experience of bringing a high quality film experience to Belfast audiences.

“As well as being a social hub for our students and the wider community in Northern Ireland, QFT brings many positive economic, cultural and social benefits to the local economy.”

Joan Parsons, Head of QFT Belfast said:

“We are so excited to be celebrating the golden year of Queen’s Film Theatre with an amazing programme of events that takes a trip down memory lane and also looks to the future of film.

“The QFT is deeply embedded in the fabric of student life at Queen’s but it has also been an  important part of culture in Belfast itself and I am really excited to be able to present this programme of events and welcome old friends and new faces to the QFT in October.

 “With more than 30 special events, as well as our regular programme of film screening there is quite literally something for everyone to enjoy and get involved with. We have films, workshops, talks with renowned film experts like Mark Kermode, book launches, Derry Girls and even a French themed disco with tunes provided by DJ David Holmes.

 “The celebrations will mark the contribution that the QFT and film has made to Belfast during some very difficult years in the past and is a testament to the power of film that the QFT is thriving today. We thank National Lottery players for supporting us to highlight and share our fascinating 50 year heritage. We hope that after QFT50 we will have welcomed a whole new audience to the QFT.”

 Angela Lavin, Senior Grants Officer, Heritage Lottery Fund Northern Ireland said:

 “QFT has been part of the fabric of Belfast for 50 years and many people have strong memories of watching the wonderful array of diverse films that have been shown there over the years. We were delighted to invest National Lottery funding to help the QFT to collate, share and celebrate their rich heritage.

 Sarah-Jane Meredith, Manager- UK Wide Audiences, BFI said:

 “We are delighted to be able to support QFT as it celebrates 50 years of screening films to audiences in Belfast.  The QFT50 programme demonstrates an ongoing commitment by the venue to screening the very best in cinema, bringing great cinematic stories to new and existing audiences and re-kindling a love for cinema in lapsed audiences.”

 

Highlights of the QFT50 Programme

14 October

Bloodyminded – First ever interactive live feature film broadcast online and at cinemas around the UK. The film will allow audiences to make its own decisions on the morality of war and decide the ending.

16 October

Themed 50^th birthday celebration night with screening of Viva Marial, followed by a David Holmes DJ set.

19 October

Devils Doorway – Gala screening with director Aisling Clarke (former employee of QFT and first ever female-directed horror movie).

21 October

Mark Kermode book launch and Q&A.

23 October

Derry Girls screening of favourite episodes with Derry Girls cast and crew.

31 October

Closing Night Gala – ‘Widows’ by Steve McQueen with special guests to be announced at a later date.

The QFT 50 celebrations are generously supported by National Lottery funding awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and The British Film Institute.

With overwhelming responses from audiences NI theatre company Tinderbox is back with the hugely successful The Man Who Fell to Pieces at The Crescent 16^th – 27^th October.

Premiered as part of EdgeFest at The MAC in collaboration with Prime Cut Productions in February, The Man Who Fell to Pieces explores the stigma of mental health in Northern Ireland.

The play is written and directed by Tinderbox Artistic Director, Patrick J. O’Reilly, with stage design by Ciaran Bagnall and music by Katie Richardson.  It also includes a stellar cast featuring some of NI’s leading actors; Shaun Blaney (John), Roisin Gallagher (Caroline), Maria Connolly (Alice) and Patrick Buchanan (Henry).

The Man Who Fell to Pieces is a comedy which tells the story of John, a man who is literally falling apart. It is a physical, imaginative piece of theatre that celebrates what it means to be broken.  The play also reflects the personal experience of Artistic Director Patrick J.O’Reilly who used his own struggle of coping with depression to show strength and hope.

Tinderbox Artistic Director Patrick J O’Reilly said;

“I am delighted to be given the opportunity to create The Man Who Fell to Pieces at The Crescent. The story explores my personal struggle in dealing with depression and the immense power of the imagination to not only deal with the complexities of life but celebrate the beauty and fragility of being human. The Man Who Fell to Pieces inspired, entertained and most importantly shone a light on strength and hope back in February and I am delighted that it has the opportunity to empower people again in October.”

Gilly Campbell, Arts Development Officer for Drama and Dance, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented;

“The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is delighted to support this production from Tinderbox through National Lottery and public funding. The Man Who Fell to Pieces is a powerful drama which truly demonstrates the value of the arts in exploring challenging issues and I would encourage everyone to go along and see it.”

Director of The Crescent, Roger Courtney added;

“Having seen the show earlier this year, I am immensely proud to collaborate with Tinderbox to bring this play to The Crescent and to play our part in helping to reduce the stigma attached to mental health in Northern Ireland. If you missed out on seeing this play at The MAC in February we strongly recommend you don’t miss the opportunity to see it at The Crescent. We guarantee you will be moved and inspired by this incredible production.”

 

The Man Who Fell To Pieces will run at The Crescent  16^th – 27^th  October; 2.30pm &  7.45pm. For further details visit www.crescentarts.org

This year’s Aspects Festival features a full programme of creative events aimed at little readers. Designed to inspire young imaginations the Young Aspects series of events includes reading, illustration, writing and more, running from 25 – 30 September.

Reading With Your Little One at Bangor Carnegie Library on Friday 28 September is a relaxed workshop suitable for 0 – 2 year olds. Gain confidence and enjoy reading with your little ones and get some tips and advice on techniques for getting babies and toddlers interested in books. This is a free event, but booking is essential.

For more energetic youngsters –try a Book-Inspired Yoga Session with ‘David Walliams’ The First Hippo On The Moon!. Taking place at Boom! Studios on Friday 28 September, this amazing yoga adventure will bring the book to life with yoga postures, movement, breathing exercises, meditation and lots of fun! Suitable for 4 – 7 year olds, tickets cost £6.

Older children (8+) will enjoy the Tablets and Text event also taking place at Boom! Studios on Friday 28 September. Join Digital Artist Graham Ginty to create a unique audio-visual story mash up! Tablets are provided, all you need is a handful of words and a big creative brain! Tickets cost £6, booking is required.

On Saturday 29 September, also at Bangor Library, kids can enjoy ‘The Snail on the Tail of a Whale’ told in a Sensory Story Experience. Gather around to hear this Julia Donaldson classic, then explore a room full of sensory stations provided by Creative Natives. Suitable for 1 – 4 years olds, little folk will get stuck into all sorts of exciting textures, sights and sounds! Tickets £8, booking is essential.

Creative kids will love the Junior Illustrators Workshop and Original Comic Creative Workshop. Led by experienced artists and illustrators, these sessions will give children the chance to create their favourite character and their own comic! Junior Illustrators workshop is suitable for ages 4 – 6 years, tickets £5. Original Comic Creation Workshop, suitable for ages 7+, tickets £6. Both workshops are taking place at Bangor Carnegie Library on Saturday 29 September.

For the first time ever at Aspects, an Autism Friendly Story Telling Morning features on the programme. This relaxed story-telling morning will be tailored specifically for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Taking place in North Down Museum on Sunday 30 September, the storyteller will provide entertainment and playful education for families as they enjoy a once upon a time experience together. This is a free event, but booking is essential.

The Festival is delighted to once again welcome Children’s Writing Fellow for NI, Myra Zepf for a series of children’s workshops at North Down Museum on Sunday 30 September. ‘Rita Wants A Robot’ will inspire children to dress up and play, suitable for 4 – 6 year olds who enjoy stories and fun! ‘Writing Dragons’ is an exciting creative writing workshop full of dragon themed props and story writing tools designed to fire-up young imaginations. This workshop is suitable for 7 – 12 year olds. Each workshop costs £6 per child, booking is essential.

Download the full Aspects Festival programme and book tickets at: https://aspectsfestival.com/

The Aspects 2018 festival brochure is also now available. Pick up your copy today from any of our Visitor Information Centres, North Down Museum or The Town Hall, Bangor.