V/I/S/A/G/E is a creative collaboration between Belfast based photographer Carrie Davenport, graphic designer/nightclub promoter Aaron Eakin, Kaizen Print and six of Belfast’s most prominent and prolific Drag Queens.

Launching at ArtCetera Studio on Thursday 27th July and exhibiting daily from 11am-5pm until Saturday 5th August, V/I/S/A/G/E comprises of a series of portrait photographs. Each Drag Queen is depicted in both their male and Drag identities, representing the six colours of the rainbow flag.

Far from being ordinary photographs, local carpenter Gareth Martin (wishbone & Dagger) has created large scale 3 dimensional frames for us to display the works interactively, with Kaizen Print creating a new method of mounting the works so you can walk around the pieces changing your view as you more around the image.

Origins of the term Drag are widely disputed, but it’s believed to be an acronym for ‘Dressed Resembling A Girl’, a theatrical term dating back to Shakespearean plays. More than just fun and colourful entertainers, Drag Queens have been at the forefront of the fight for LGBTQ rights, dating back to the Stonewall riots of 1969.

Exhibiting as part of the 2017 Belfast Pride festival, the project’s purpose is to explore, highlight and celebrate an ancient theatrical art form that has evolved from LGBTQ culture to the mainstream.

RED: Matthew Cavan / Cherrie Ontop

ORANGE: Adam Renshaw / Rusty Hinges

YELLOW: Marcus Hunter-Neill / Portia Di’ Monte

GREEN: Michael Hillman / Misty Falls

BLUE: Joshua Cargill / Blu Hydrangea

VIOLET: Robert McCready / Titti Von Tramp

V/I/S/A/G/E at ArtCetera Studio, 43 Rosemary Street, Belfast. Launching Thursday 27th July at 7pm. Open daily (except Sunday) from 11am-5pm. In association with The Maverick. Admission free.

The next concert in the series of The Lough Lively Sessions is taking place at Portico, Portaferry on Friday 28 July and will feature the hugely popular alt-folk band Runabay.

Runabay are six musicians from the Glens of Antrim who through their passion for harmony and melody have been writing and recording since 2013.

The band are at the forefront of fresh, new music in Northern Ireland, a sound which has undeniably been shaped by the beautiful coastline which surrounds the Glens of Antrim and is felt through the swooping melodies and poignant lyrics. The band produce a mature sound that leaves the listener hanging on to the intricate guitar riffs, harmonies and haunting cello.

Recent notable highlights for the group are national airplay on BBC 6 Music, RTE 2FM, Today, Amazing Radio and massive local support from Radio Ulster.

Tickets cost £10 and are on sale now  at www.visitardsandnorthdown.com or www.porticoards.com. Show time is 7.30pm.

Still to come at the Lough Lively Sessions in Portico are; The 4 of Us, Emerald Armada, Saffyre and Rapparees – book early to avoid disappointment!

Running until October, the lively music events are supported by Ards and North Down Borough Council and The Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

St Anne’s Cathedral will play host to two literary greats this September as it welcomes a unique three person theatre production featuring David Payne and Marc Whitmore.

After the huge success of “An Evening with CS Lewis” which visited Belfast last year, this new production entitled “Wardrobes and Rings” will transport you back to Oxford in 1963, to the Eagle and Child pub, where legendary authors J.R.R Tolkien and his great friend C.S. Lewis meet for what turns out to the very last time.  With great humour, wit, and fascinating stories, these remarkable lives are explored in this memorable piece of theatre.

Simon Cordner, Business Manager at Belfast Cathedral says this is an event not to be missed

“We’re very fortunate to bring this production to Northern Ireland as part of the UK wide tour this autumn for what I’m sure will an amazing night. What better place to celebrate the lives of two of the most notable authors than here in Belfast, the home city of C.S. Lewis. If you’re a fan of Narnia, the Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit or even The Screwtape Letters this will be a fantastic evening”

Wardrobes and Rings takes place at Belfast Cathedral (St Anne’s), Donegall Street Saturday September 23^rd.  Tickets for the event are £12 and are available from the Belfast Cathedral Welcome Desk or online at www.belfastcathedral.org/ or www.bigchurchlive.com/events

The Ulster Orchestra is ready to play and its exciting new Season of concerts is on sale now!

A diverse range of concerts take place in the Ulster Hall, Belfast Waterfront and regional venues, from September 2017 to May 2018. Tickets for all concerts are available online at www.ulsterorchestra.org.uk, Belfast concerts are on sale from the Ulster Hall (028 9033 4455) and you can purchase tickets for shows elsewhere by contacting the relevant venue.

This season sees the core subscription series increase to 16 concerts, a series of Pops concerts in Belfast Waterfront and the introduction of a brand new Festive mini-series, along with the return of the 9-concert JTI Lunchtime Series.

Music Director Rafael Payare opens the Season on Friday 22 September in a Gala concert for Culture Night Belfast that welcomes Artist Laureate Sir James Galway back as guest soloist; the first of many internationally-renowned stars to visit this Season. Also taking to the stage will be cellists Alisa Weilerstein and Johannes Moser, pianists Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and Simon Trpčeski and violinists Sergey Khachatryan and Tasmin Little, to name a few.

Maestro Payare delves into some of music’s powerhouse symphonies, conducting work by Beethoven, Mahler and Brahms and closing the season with Shostakovich’s heroic Fifth Symphony. He takes to the stage with two regular collaborators, pianists Vikingur Ólafsson and Jonathan Biss, to explore piano concertos by Mozart and also introduces his friend and fellow countryman, trumpet player Pacho Flores, to the Ulster Hall stage.

The main theme of the subscription series is ‘The Great Concertos’ and Principal Guest Conductor Jac van Steen will take the podium for some of the greatest of them all, commencing with Sibelius’s bewitching Violin Concerto on Friday 1 December. He will also bring music by composers who are national heroes in their respective homelands, including the rich Czech Romanticism of Dvořák and the two pillars of English composition, Elgar and Vaughan Williams.

Every Ulster Orchestra season extends invitations to highly regarded guest conductors, this year welcoming (amongst others) Gergely Madaras to conduct Stravinsky’s dazzling suite The Firebird and Jonathan Darlington for a performance of Brahms’s gentle and intimate German Requiem at Easter.

Belfast Waterfront becomes the new home for the Ulster Orchestra’s pops series of concerts and these glittering nights that celebrate the music of John Williams, musicals and disco legends ABBA are hotly anticipated – be sure to make space in the diary to travel to a galaxy far, far away or dust off the flares and platforms!

I love Christmas!, the new Festive series of concerts, includes perennial favourites such as Handel’s Messiah (featuring regular concert partners Belfast Philharmonic Choir) The Snowman family concert and Celebrate New Year in Vienna, along with a brand new seasonal spectacular, The Magic of Christmas.

With all this, alongside the annual Burns Night extravaganza (in association with the Ulster-Scots Agency), the On Your Doorstep series of concerts outside Belfast and the JTI Lunchtime Series for a monthly bite-sized Tuesday treat, there is guaranteed to be something for every taste. If you book 4 concerts or more as a subscription package you can even save money, with discounts reaching 25% depending on the number of tickets you book. What’s not to love?! So head to www.ulsterorchestra.org.uk to book your concerts and join Rafael Payare, Jac van Steen and the musicians of the Ulster Orchestra for a glorious season!

Introducing MAC Youth Theatre, a new theatrical programme that aims to give young performers and stage managers from across Greater Belfast first-hand experience in producing and managing stage productions.

Building upon the MAC’s already extensive learning and participation programme, the MAC Youth Theatre will feature an ensemble of twenty young performers and stage managers as they take a collective approach to creative theatre-making.

The programme will be directed by the MAC’s Youth & Community Officer, Ciaran McQuillan and supported by MAC artists including Leonie McDonagh, founder of pony dance & known for previous appearances in the MAC pony panto Christmas show. They will support the MAC Youth Theatre in creating an innovative, contemporary production that demonstrates the MAC’s artistic excellence and exposes participants to all aspects of creating and managing a major production at an award-winning venue.

Simon Magill, Creative Director at the MAC, said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of the first MAC Youth Theatre programme. We are continuously seeking opportunities to reach out to young people and communities to engage and involve them in the arts.

 “In keeping with our artistic vision at the MAC, we not only pursue the best in touring and homegrown theatre, but actively promote collaboration and support the development of MAC original programming. We’re really excited to launch MAC Youth Theatre and support the efforts of the ensemble throughout the year leading to their final major production which will be exclusive to the MAC from 5-7 April 2018 in our Downstairs Theatre.”

Leonie McDonagh adds: “I’m thrilled to be working with the team on the new MAC Youth Theatre programme where I’ll be teaching dance technique and movement vocabulary for the stage. This is such a great opportunity for young people with any interest in theatre to get involved and learn in a creative environment like the MAC – I’m looking forward to working with the next generation of artists over the next few months.”

The MAC Youth Theatre is open to young people aged 16-18 years of all abilities and no previous drama experience is required. Participation costs £50 per term. While participating in the programme, members will also partake in arts award qualifications which will formally recognise their participation and development.

Championing inclusivity, a bursary scheme has also been created by the MAC to support young people from low income families who wish to take part in the new youth theatre programme.

Opening auditions for the 2017-18 term will take place this summer from 22-24 August through a series of fun group workshops. Rehearsals for successful applicants will launch in September, taking place every Tuesday night in the LAB rehearsal studio at the MAC.

For more information on MAC Youth Theatre and to register for auditions now, visit themaclive.com.

Now an annual summer favourite, The 7 Hills Blues Festival returns in August, with two events at The Market Place Theatre in Armagh.

Dana Masters takes to the stage on Thursday 10 August. Originally from America’s Deep South, Dana grew up with the sound of soul, rhythm and blues and gospel music all around her. Her love for music developed as she grew up and lead her to study music, majoring in vocal performance at university. Music took Dana from South Carolina to Minneapolis and then on to Los Angeles where she lived for four years and where she met an Irish boy who would later become her husband.

From live work with BBC Radio 4 and ‘Proms In The Park’ to singing regularly with Van Morrison, Dana’s reputation as one of Ireland’s top vocalists continues to gain momentum. Calling Northern Ireland home, Dana is passionate about music as a vehicle to make people and communities vibrant.

The Henry Girls are an Irish folk and roots music group consisting of three sisters, Karen, Lorna and Joleen McLaughlin. You’ll often see The Henry Girls on stage with a fiddle, ukulele, banjo, guitar, harp, mandolin, piano and accordion. Their new album ‘Far Beyond the Stars’ was named are RTE Radio’s Album of the Week in March 2017, and they will perform for one night only on Friday 11 August.

The Henry Girls combine something of our Irish heritage with a more contemporary backdrop; imbuing it with compassion, insight and warmth. See them live and you will drift away with Celtic harmonies, folkish melodies, and a dollop of that world-famous organic Donegal style.

Tickets for both performances are priced £12, and can be booked by contacting the Box Office on [028] 3752 1821, or online at www.marketplacearmagh.com

Visit the website at www.marketplacearmagh.com for full details and bookings, or contact the Box Office on [028] 3752 1821. And 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.

You are invited to join us for Party in the Park as it returns to Antrim Castle Gardens on Sunday 30 July.

Now in its sixth year this free family fun event has something for the whole family to enjoy. This year’s line-up features live music, crazy golf, water zorbs, bungee trampolines, swing boats, arts & crafts, balloon modelling, face painting and a range of culinary delights from the food fayre.

Kick back and relax to Ireland’s No 1 Tribute Act Ciaran Houlihan, his TCB band and The Sweet Sensations as he reinacts one of Elvis’ most iconic performances ‘An Afternoon in the Garden’. Derry based Indie Band Ports will also be there to entertain you.

Antrim Castle Gardens and Clotworthy House will be awash with activity for both young and old alike. Join us for a Festival of Fun at Party in the Park, Antrim Castle Gardens Sunday 30 July from 1-5pm. Free Admission.

Don’t miss Theatre at The Mill’s big summer musical production Carousel, from Tuesday 1 – Saturday 5 August. Last year’s big hit, Phantom of the Opera, received rapturous reviews and a glance at this year’s rehearsals promises another great show.

A personal favourite of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Carousel is set in a Maine costal village where carnival barker and petty criminal Billy Bigelow is granted a wish to return from the afterlife for just one day.  Bigelow encounters the daughter he never knew, now a lonely, friendless teenager, her father’s reputation as a thief and a bully having haunted her all her young life. How Bigelow instils in both the child and her mother a sense of hope and dignity is a dramatic testimony to the power of love.

The hit creative team that gave us Phantom of the Opera last year, Director Anna McNamara and Musical Director Conor Mitchell, are joined by Movement Director Anna Tringham, Designer Stuart Marshall and Lighting Designer Alan Clarke.  Under the baton of Conor Mitchell, Theatre at The Mill’s ensemble of professional musicians complemented by some of Northern Ireland’s most talented young musicians, bring life and lustre to this beautiful score.

The ballet sequence will be performed by guest artists Ruaidhri Maguire from Opera Baltycka W Gdansku and Kanako Nagayoshi from Ballet Jorgen Canada, supported by young dancers from Laura Walker’s Ballet School.

Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s masterpiece includes hits like: If I Loved You, June is Bustin Out All Over and You’ll Never Walk Alone.

With nightly performances at 7pm from 1- 5 August and a matinee performance on Saturday 5 August at 2.30pm, this is a production not to be missed.  Tickets £15 & £13 (Concession) available at Box Office T: 028 9034 0202 or online  www.theatreatthemill.com.