Jul - Oct 2018

JUL | AUG SEPT | OCT 2018

O F FA LY ’ S C E N T R E F O R T H E A R T S

BOOKINGS 057 9122911 | www.birrtheatre.com

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VISUAL ARTS CLOSE TO HOME Recent paintings of places and people in and around Birr JULY – AUGUST

DR. JOHN D. BYRNE Dr. John D. Byrne’s work reflects his delight at returning to his country roots. His childhood was spent among the drumlins and “stony grey soil” of Monaghan and the herds and horses are no strangers. However, the big skies and broad horizons around Birr are a novelty and have provided fresh inspiration. An accidental Dubliner for most of his adult life, he finds fascination in the sedate malls, the quiet corners and individualistic shop-fronts of our unique town. Subjects also include vases of the local flora and still life from the kitchen table – all the familiar beauty that can be found “Close to Home”. John is an active member of a Birr Art Group. All the paintings are executed in traditional oils, John’s medium of choice from his early childhood. The exhibition will officially open on 25 July at 7pm and run until the end of August.

INSITES / ÓN CHEAPACH SEPT – MID-OCT

GROUP EXHIBITION This is a group exhibition featuring the work of artists Monica de Bath, Lisa Fingleton and Gareth Kennedy and explores the different ways in which the artists address our relationship with a constantly changing environment.

Join us on Culture Night (21 September) to meet the artists and local artists and discuss their work and hear how new and existing work reflects on the role of art and ecological practices in highlighting the complexities of historical and contemporary land use.

BETWEEN THE HAWTHORNS MID-OCTOBER – NOVEMBER

PAT BYRNE Pat Byrne’s practice explores superstitions and folklore as he takes mythological humanoids and fairies and attempts to portray them in a more realistic and contemporary fashion through oil paintings, wanting to render them as somebody who could possibly pass us by on the street.

Superstitions have always held a core place in Irish culture but as time progresses the mischievous and malevolent spirits that once occupied the spoken word and imagination are being forgotten only to be seen as figures of parody. The lack of faith in this world is something that has left these figures of folklore on the mythological dole queue simply living out a life of ennui.

B I R R C O M E DY W E E K E N D 2 9 J U N E – 1 J U LY

Kids Stand Up

COMEDY WORKSHOP SATURDAY 30 JUNE ARE YOU A JOKER? DO YOU LOVE TO MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH? DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TO WRITE JOKES, SKETCHES AND BE FUNNY? THEN THIS COMEDY CLASS IS FOR YOU! Led by SHARON MANNION (from RTÉ’s Bridget & Eamon & Republic of Telly), this class will teach kids a variety of comedy performance skills; stand-up comedy, comedy improvisation, sketches, comedy acting, silly story-telling and more.

She’ll show you the tricks of the trade. How to develop material, how to act with confidence, and how to be yourself and make people laugh. A confidence building workshop in a supportive environment, giving you the tools to express yourself, increase your self-confidence, improve creativity, teamwork and social skills and unleash your inner comedian! Classes are fun, positive and a great laugh!

3-4.30pm • Age 8-12 years • €8 (Places Limited - Booking Essential - Max No. 12)

SATURDAY 30 JUNE The woman from Clontarf asks what have Aprés Match ever given us? 20 years of great comedy that’s what! Yes, Aprés Match are 20 this year. And that’s one birthday bash you cannot afford to miss! Aprés Match bring their hilarious and cutting-edge comedy. They were the first and they are still the best. As Someone once said accept no substitute! Join the boys from the land of Aprés, for their all new World Cup Special Show featuring a vast arsenal of characters, biting satire and general mayhem as seen on TV and stage over a career spanning 20 glorious years. From the world of sport, politics, media and everything in between, watch the anarchic Aprés Match rip the piss and deflate the egos of the great and the good and of the high and very mighty. From Dunphy to Bono, from Ivan Yates to Graham Norton from Joe Duffy to TV3 – no-one escapes their wicked ways and evil eye. So make a date with destiny baby...

8pm • €22

B U Y O N L I N E W W W. B I R R T H E AT R E . C O M

MONDAY 2 – FRIDAY 6 JULY MONDAY 13 – FRIDAY 17 AUGUST STARCAMP is Ireland’s No 1, best known and most trusted camp and is celebrating 10 years! Open to boys and girls aged 4–12, Starcamp offers a camp experience where they have a magical and comprehensive week in a safe, non-competitive and happy environment. Don’t miss out – Call Now! Book direct at: 021-4377900 www.starcamp.ie info@starcamp.ie

SUPERHERO MASTERCLASS | SING | DANCE | ACT | NEW CAMP GAMES STARCAMP TV | ARTS & CRAFTS | NEWS & WEATHER REPORTING LOTS OF LAUGHTER | SELF ESTEEM & CONFIDENCE BUILDING | DISNEY CLASSICS HIP HOP | FUN | MOVIE SCENES | MAKE NEW FRIENDS | LIFE SKILLS FRIDAY FINALE SHOW | SURPRISES & MUCH MORE!

A CHANCE TO DANCE MONDAY 9 – FRIDAY 13 JULY Summer Camp for children with special educational needs facilitated by Carol Ann Farrihy. This is an opportunity for children with special educational needs (age 6 years and up) to spend time with an experienced dance artist who will lead them in creative dance and movement. It provides an outlet and stimulus to express their feelings of joy and togetherness.

CAROL ANN FARRIHY has a passion for dance and creative expression. She has studied, danced and facilitated workshops around the world, Italy, Canada, USA and the Holy Land to name but a few. She has her own dance movement called ‘Croíative Movement’ croí being Irish for heart – encouraging participants to move from their heart and be themselves!

10am–12.30pm daily. Registration Fee €15 Supported by Birr Stage Guild, Birr Municipal District & Birr Lions Club

JULY

S I G N U P T O D AY F O R O U R E - N E W S L E T T E R

CALLING ALL

RS OCK TARS!

DARRAGH MOLLOY Music aficionado Darragh Molloy plays guitar, bass and drums; is a member of several bands and is currently guitar tutor with Music Generation.

SCHOOL OF ROCK MONDAY 16 – FRIDAY 27 JULY

The 13th Annual School of Rock, facilitated by DARRAGH MOLLOY, is now enrolling. This course will give intensive training in writing and performing your own and other well-known songs. It will also provide training in various aspects of the music business including copyright, publishing, the recording process, voice training and instrument tuition. Anyone interested in participating should have at least a basic knowledge of an instrument (guitar, drums, bass, voice).

All participants must complete a Registration Form which is available from Box Office.

To Guarantee Your Place – Registration is due by Monday 2 July 5pm.

10am–4pm • Age 14-19yrs • €80 each; 2 siblings €75 each; 3 siblings €70 each

B I R R V I N TA G E W E E K & A R T S F E S T I VA L 3 rd – 12 th August 2018

MIDLAND MUSICAL YOUTH

THURSDAY 2 – FRIDAY 3 AUGUST Following the success of their highly acclaimed production of Les Miserables in 2013, Midland Musical Youth are returning to the stage for two spectacular concerts to celebrate the 50th Birr Vintage Week & Arts Festival. With a large chorus and principals from all over the Midlands, together with beautiful costumes and magical special effects, see your favourite Disney and Musical characters come to life in a whole new way! Promised to be a highlight of the festival, the concert will include songs from classic musicals such as Wicked, Hamilton and Miss Saigon, as well as numbers from your Disney favourites such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Frozen and many more!

These two fantastic shows will sell out fast, early booking is advised.

8pm • €16 (concession rate of €14 available on Thursday 2 August only) Supported by Birr Vintage Week & Arts Festival and Birr Lions Club.

B I R R V I N TA G E W E E K & A R T S F E S T I VA L 3 rd – 12 th August 2018

SATURDAY 4 AUGUST Route 66 Big Band make a very welcome return to Birr Theatre following a sell out show last year. This fabulous band is made up of 14 very talented musicians fronted by well known local singer DICKIE DONNELLY ably backed up by Allison Saul on her first visit to Birr. The Band is in its third year of Live in Concert Theatre Shows and the secret of their success is the great mix of music which includes numbers from the 40’s right up to date which brings audiences of every age back time and time again.

Audience feedback: “I can’t wait for this band to come back, they were truly fantastic, great show” “A really entertaining show, the Route 66 Band were superb in every sense of the word” Get into the Festival Spirit! Book Early!

8pm • €22/20

IT WAS A GREAT SHOW, GREAT MUSIC, CLASS!

‘…one of the most sensitive, heartfelt, and uplifting shows of the Festival…’ The Arts Review

★★★★

BIRR VINTAGE WEEK & ARTS FESTIVAL PRESENTS LUNCHTIME THEATRE

TUESDAY 7 – WEDNESDAY 8 AUGUST Starring Rose Henderson (Father Ted) and Pat Nolan (Fair City).

A heartbreaking yet joyful comedy, full of love, laughter and the living of every moment.

Tom and Trish have celebrated their silver wedding anniversary but what happens when he wakes up with a strange woman beside him and she tells him she’s his wife? Trish has to make a choice. Which she does, armed only with humour, music and love. Who am I without my past? Who am I without my partner? When we go out of our mind, where do we go? You will laugh, you may cry, but you will find a tender story of the true meaning of love, in this honest and heartfelt portrayal of living with Alzheimer’s.

1.05pm • €15 (incl. light lunch) • Running time: 75 mins

B I R R V I N TA G E W E E K & A R T S F E S T I VA L 3 rd – 12 th August 2018

WEDNESDAY 8 AUGUST Everbody loves to sing. We like to listen...but we like to take part too!

The Golden Years is about singing songs from the past one hundred years or more that have that special ‘sing-a-long’ ingredient. Ireland’s most popular tenor, FRANK RYAN, will be joined by thrilling young soprano SARAH O’MAHONY in a melody filled presentation that will take you back to a more gracious time. Enjoy a night of singing songs like I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls, The Candy Store on the Corner, The Whistling Gypsy, Josef Lock’s Hear my Song, Violetta and Danny Doyle’s Whiskey on Sunday among a host of other Golden Hits. And don’t worry if you have forgotten the words, they will be up there on the screen so you can relax and enjoy the fun.

Come along...And bring your voices with you.

8pm • €18/16

ʼ

YOUR MAN S PUPPETS

The Salmon of Wisdom THURSDAY 9 AUGUST

With the bag full of tricks and skills that we have collected along the way, we are delighted to bring you an exciting new telling of this old Irish legend: The Salmon of Wisdom. This is the story of young Fionn, a boy left on his own in a dark, ancient forest, trying to be brave. He meets Aoife and Grainne, the Makers of Warriors. These wise women teach him their ways but there are some things they are not equipped to explain, so they send him to a philosopher Finnigus, deep in the woods. Finnigus spends his days by the river fishing for something that he has been searching for all his life. The boy discovers that sometimes things are not as they seem, and that life’s biggest lessons may play out in ways you never expected or imagined.

3pm • €6 (1 adult/2 kids €15)

B I R R V I N TA G E W E E K & A R T S F E S T I VA L 3 rd – 12 th August 2018

HUGO PRESENTS

SATURDAY 11 AUGUST

MOTORS

FLOAT LIKE A CADILLAC, STING LIKE A BEEM ER.

12 years ago children went crazy for Cars and it’s time we introduced a new generation to this awesome Pixar movie! A hot-shot race-car named Lightning McQueen gets waylaid in Radiator Springs, where he finds the true meaning of friendship and family through his new friends Mater, Doc Hudson, Sally Carrerar and many more.

3pm • €3

LM FI

NG NI E RE SC

Director: Michael Gracey USA, 2017 (English) 121 minutes | Cert: PG Starring: Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya

WARM UP THE VOCAL CHORDS – WE WANT TO HEAR YOU SINGING!!

SATURDAY 11 AUGUST Step right up and into the spellbinding imagination of a man who set out to reveal that life itself can be the most thrilling show of all. Inspired by the legend and ambitions of America’s original pop-culture impresario, P.T. Barnum, comes an inspirational rags-to-riches tale of a brash dreamer who rose from nothing to prove that anything you can envision is possible and that everyone, no matter how invisible, has a stupendous story worthy of a world-class spectacle. Australian filmmaker Michael Gracey makes his feature film directorial debut with The Greatest Showman, a story that, in the larger-than-life spirit of Barnum, bursts into a boldly imagined fictional realm, one full of infectious pop tunes, glam dances and a celebration of the transformative power of showmanship, love and self-belief. Gracey braids together original songs by Academy Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land) with a multi-talented cast headed by Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman to immerse audiences in the very origins of mass entertainment and mega-celebrities in the 70s, the 1870s, that is. The result is a chance to enter the newly electrified world of America’s post-Civil War Gilded Age – through the viscerally contemporary lens of the pop culture just igniting then.

8pm • €5

B I R R V I N TA G E W E E K & A R T S F E S T I VA L 3 rd – 12 th August 2018

HAYES HAS A SUBLIME LYRICAL & MELODIC SENSIBILITY THAT TRANSFORMS ALL THAT JIGGETY-JIG SCRAPING INTO HEART-BREAKING MUSICAL WASHES OF THE DEEPEST MELANCHOLY & MOMENTS OF SHEER, SPARKLING EXUBERANCE Sydney Morning Herald

MARTIN HAYES & DENNIS CAHILL IN THE DECADES TO COME, WE’LL SURELY TALK OF HAVING SEEN THIS MAN IN THE WAY OTHERS TALK OF MILES DAVIS OR JIMI HENDRIX OR JOHN COLTRANE The Irish Times

SUNDAY 12 AUGUST It’s been over ten years since this virtuoso duo performed at Birr Theatre and we’re delighted to have them back on the special occasion of the 50th Annual Birr Vintage Week & Arts Festival.

MARTIN HAYES is regarded as one of the most extraordinary talents to emerge in the world of Irish traditional music. His unique sound, his mastery of the fiddle and his acknowledgement of the past and his shaping of the future of the music, combine to create an astonishing and formidable artistic intelligence. His latest performing project is with The Gloaming, a band with a rare combination of Irish tunes, ancient sean-nós song, brave explorations and exhilarating medleys, moving into an entirely new musical dimension of rhythm, melody and texture.

DENNIS CAHILL is a master guitarist, a native of Chicago born to parents from the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry. He studied at the city’s prestigious Music College before becoming an active member of the local music scene. Cahill’s spare, essential accompaniment to Martin Hayes’ fiddle is acknowledged as a major breakthrough for guitar in the Irish tradition. They play multi-tune sets in their concerts, starting from the simplest of melodies, building in intensity, but never abandoning musicality and ideas.

8pm • €20/€18 (Under 13’s €15)

SPARSELY ACCOMPANIED FIDDLE MUSIC HAS RARELY SOUNDED SO COMPLETE AND SO ESSENTIAL - Q Magazine

B U Y O N L I N E W W W. B I R R T H E AT R E . C O M

!

T U O LDD STHO AUGUST URS AY 16 IRISH NATIONAL ASTRONOMY MEETING PUBLIC TALK ON THE LOW-FREQUENCY ARRAY

LOFAR A JOURNEY FROM CO. OFFALY TO THE BOUNDARIES OF OUR UNIVERSE. Public Talk about LOFAR by Pietro Zucca

COMMUN

ITY E V E N T SUITABLE FO R ALL AGES

WEDNESDAY 5 SEPTEMBER The low frequency array (LOFAR) is the largest low-frequency radio telescope in the world. With a set of core stations in the Netherlands and numerous international stations across Europe, LOFAR is capable of detecting very faint and distant astronomical objects at an unprecedented level of detail. Pietro Zucca will tell you the story of how, from an early carrier working in a small sheep shed in Co. Offaly, he has become a telescope scientist operating one of the most complex software telescopes in the world. We will explore the recent astronomical discoveries with LOFAR, from the Sun and our planetary system to the very distant galaxies, including the signatures of exploding stars. He will present our understanding of the emission of pulsating stars and explain the challenges of reaching the faint radio signals at the limit of our universe. He will then look into the technical limitations and challenges of collecting very large amounts of data, for the storage and the scientific analysis. He will conclude highlighting the future plans of the LOFAR telescope and of the low frequency observations.

7pm • €5 (family of 3 €10)

SEPT

S I G N U P T O D AY F O R O U R E - N E W S L E T T E R

CULTURE NIGHT 2018 FRIDAY 21 SEPTEMBER 7pm IN-SITES/ÓN CHEAPACH – OPEN NIGHT Curated by Denise Reddy featuring artists Monica de Bath, Lisa Fingleton and Gareth Kennedy this group exhibition addresses the relationship with a constantly changing environment. You are invited to join the In-Sites artists, along with local photographer Tina Claffey to discuss their works. The talks will be followed by a screening of the film Post Colony by Gareth Kennedy.

8.30pm SONIC POLLINATORS Sonic Pollinators (2017) aims to capture, represent and juxtapose the real and imagined, or reimagined, place, time and uniqueness of Offaly and its pollinators through music/sound. After 6 months of listening and recording natural and manned pollinators throughout Offaly, this pollinators project comes to its completion. Natural settings include: Clara Bog, Lough Boora Discovery Park and Birr Castle Gardens. Managed settings were accessed in collaboration with Offaly Beekeeping Association FREE event – All Welcome!

Film@BirrTheatre

Director: Martin McDonagh Ireland, 2017 | (English) 115mins | Cert: 15A

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI TUESDAY 25 SEPTEMBER

Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell

*IMDb rating 8.2 8pm • €5/€3 s See 5 Film get 6th

FREE

Collect your loyalty card at Box Office

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a darkly comic drama from Academy Award nominee Martin McDonagh (In Bruges). After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter’s murder case, Mildred Hayes (Academy Award winner Frances McDormand) makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby (Academy Award nominee Woody Harrelson), the town’s revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell), an immature mother’s boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing’s law enforcement is only exacerbated.

B U Y O N L I N E W W W. B I R R T H E AT R E . C O M

Offaly Drama Project

ACTING MASTERCLASS

with Geoff Colman

Head of Acting at the prestigious Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London.

FRIDAY 28 – SUNDAY 30 SEPTEMBER An excellent opportunity for experienced actors to TRAIN with an exceptional acting teacher of international renown. Professor Geoff Colman works with each individual on strengthening their core acting practice. It is amazing to OBSERVE him working with other actors in the group. This year’s masterclass will concentrate on playwrights Tom Murphy and Martin McDonagh.

Friday and Saturday 10am–6pm, Sunday 10am–1pm.

Actor places limited – “first come first served basis” – Course Fee: €150.00.

Observers places have a €20.00 fee per day.

Bookings can be made with Fiona Breen at 086 890 4828 or fionabreen247@gmail.com

Film@BirrTheatre

LADYBIRD Time to Fly

Director: Greta Gerwig USA, 2017 | (English) 94 minutes | Cert: 15A

TUESDAY 2 OCTOBER Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Beanie Feldstein

*IMDb rating 7.5 8pm • €5/€3 s See 5 Film get 6th

FREE

Collect your loyalty card at Box Office

17-year-old Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) dreams of escaping her hometown of Sacramento, California.

During her final year in high school, she deals with the challenges of teenage life: romance, a part-time job, college applications.

Meanwhile, Lady Bird’s relationship with her mother Marion (Metcalf) grows increasingly tense: they each have very different views on Lady Bird’s plans after graduation. The solo directorial debut of Greta Gerwig is an absolute delight: a funny, warm-hearted and honest account of a year in the life of one American teenager.

This coming-of-age tale is brought to life by some of the finest performances of the year: Ronan and Metcalf are superb, with excellent support from the likes of Tracy Letts and Lucas Hedges. ★★★★★ “...moving and gloriously funny...” – The Guardian ★★★★★ “...a wholly wonderful film...In short, only a cad could resist it” – The Irish Times

OCT

S I G N U P T O D AY F O R O U R E - N E W S L E T T E R CO-MOTION MEDIA

by Pat McCabe Director Joe O’Byrne Performed by Darragh Byrne and John Ruddy

ONE OF THE SADDEST AND FUNNIEST TALES I HAVE SEEN The Irish Times

A MASTERPIECE The Evening Herald

AN EXTRAORDINARY PIECE OF THEATRE The Sunday Independent

FRIDAY 5 OCTOBER Twenty-five years after its first groundbreaking tour, Pat McCabe’s Frank Pig Says Hello returns this Autumn to twenty theatres across Ireland, in a new production that brilliantly captures the legendary original. Desperately funny and yet deeply tragic, Frank Pig Says Hello is one of the great classics of modern Irish theatre. It tells the story of Francie Brady growing up in a small Irish town in the 1960s and his descent towards a brutal act that shocks his community. The play distils Francie’s infamous narrative into a riveting evening of pure, concentrated theatre. Featuring mesmerising performances by two actors, Darragh Byrne and John Ruddy, Frank Pig is regarded as one of the most vivid, hilarious and heart-breaking evocations ever seen on a stage of an Irish childhood and adolescence gone wrong. From the opening live trumpet notes over an image of a happy, comical boy acting the piglet, to the breathtaking depiction of a dark deed, this is theatre at its most entertaining and gripping best.

Set Design by Robert Ballagh and Lighting Design by Conleth White The play is NOT suited to under 13s but otherwise suited to all ages.

The tour of Frank Pig Says Hello is grant-aided by the Arts Council of Ireland and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Kindly sponsored by Patrick Goodwin & Co., Solicitors, Drogheda.

8pm • €16/€14

B I R R , C O . O F FA LY FILMMAKING • WORKSHOPS • SCREENINGS

Wednesday 10 – Sunday 14 October 2018 See www.OfflineFilmFestival.com for details

B U Y O N L I N E W W W. B I R R T H E AT R E . C O M Director: Joe Wright UK, 2018 | (English) 125 minutes | Cert: PG

Film@BirrTheatre

DARKEST HOUR TUESDAY 16 OCTOBER

Starring: Gary Oldman, Ben Mendelsohn, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James

*IMDb rating 7.4 8pm • €5/€3 s See 5 Film get 6th

FREE

Collect your loyalty card at Box Office

A thrilling and inspiring true story begins on the eve of World War II as, within days of becoming Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill (Academy Award nominee Gary Oldman) must face one of his most turbulent and defining trials: exploring a negotiated peace treaty with Nazi Germany, or standing firm to fight for the ideals, liberty and freedom of a nation. As the unstoppable Nazi forces roll across Western Europe and the threat of invasion is imminent, and with an unprepared public, a sceptical King, and his own party plotting against him, Churchill must withstand his darkest hour, rally a nation, and attempt to change the course of world history.

MEND & MAKEDO THEATRE

THE MENTAL

Written by John McKenna Director Angela Keogh

SATURDAY 20 OCTOBER

Following the success of their tour with Leonard Cohen’s Between Your Love and Mine, Mend & Makedo Theatre Co return with a new play, The Mental.

This is the third play in John MacKenna's Barrow Trilogy (Lucinda Sly in 2014; Corner Boys in 2016).

The Mental is a heartwarming, beautiful and lifeenhancing play about one man's courage, love and belief. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreakingly sad, The Mental uncovers the history of John Salter, a man who has spent forty years in psychiatric care – a history littered with disappointment, hope and optimism, a life that is a beacon to us all.

Writer JOHN MacKENNA is the author of nineteen books; ten stage plays (including Who By Fire; Breathless; Lucinda Sly; Corner Boys; Sergeant Pepper and Redemption Song); four radio plays, and is a frequent and hugely popular contributor to Sunday Miscellany on RTÉ. He has voiced more than a hundred TV documentaries and has toured widely with Mend & Makedo Theatre Company.

8pm • €16/€14 (Running time 80mins)

OCT

S I G N U P T O D AY F O R O U R E - N E W S L E T T E R

BIRR STAGE GUILD

FRIDAY 26 – SUNDAY 28 OCTOBER This highly innovate and original theatre piece tells of the present-day activities of a teenage boy, who, through his obsession with his enchanted telescope accesses, not just the night sky above, but also sees into the past. He connects with the story of Birr Workhouse and its inmates and discovers a plot to destroy the present historic building by some greedy developers who wish to use the site for their own ends. He battles the disapproval of his parents and community in his quest to try and save the building. This performance deals with the social and scientific history of 19th century Birr, with particular reference to the local Workhouse through drama, music and movement. The story is told through dialogue, choreography and most importantly music and song.

Researched and directed by Michael Donegan (Sowing the Wind 2016) in collaboration with Margaret Hogan (historian). All the songs are original and have been developed and orchestrated

by Birr Stage Guild’s musical team.

8pm • €16/€14

HULLABALOO! IS CO-ORDINATED BY OFFALY COUNTY COUNCIL ARTS OFFICE AND BIRR THEATRE & ARTS CENTRE

nual 12th An

31st Oct – 3rd Nov 2018 (Mid-term Break) Festival programme available at local schools and libraries in mid-September www.birrtheatre.com • www.offaly.ie

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY…

FRIDAY 9 NOVEMBER Ireland’s No.1 Rod Stewart Tribute show Tonight's the Night have been wowing audiences far and wide. A seven-piece LIVE, full production show with sexy backing dancers!! A two-hour roller coaster of Rod Stewart’s greatest songs this is rapidly becoming one of the most sought after tribute shows in the UK and Ireland.

8pm • €20

An Evening with

JOHNNY McEVOY THURSDAY 15 NOVEMBER Johnny McEvoy has been one of the most enduring and talented singer/ songwriters in these islands over the past 50 years. His concert performance is second to none with his songs beautifully delivered in truly artistic fashion and story telling of the finest order. Not to be missed...

8pm • €30/Seniors €27

DEREK RYAN

THURSDAY 29 NOVEMBER

Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Live Performer, Derek Ryan has become Irish country music’s golden boy with chart topping albums, self-written smash hit singles, box office busting live tours and of course – an army of faithful fans around the world. Tickets on sale now!

8pm • €25

BOOKING Tickets are non-refundable and must be paid for at time of booking.

Please have your credit/debit card ready. All ticket prices include €1 transaction fee.

Box Office: Open Monday – Friday: 1 – 5.30pm 057 9122911 Online: www.birrtheatre.com where you can select your seat (no additional charges).

Cheques payable to Birr Stage Guild CLG. In the final hour before a show only tickets for that performance can be processed. To comply with fire regulations children (even babies) must have a ticket.

CONCESSIONS We offer concession rates, where possible, to students, under 18’s, senior citizens, unemployed and disabled. Current I.D. is essential to avail of these concessions.

GROUP RATES Group rates are available. Please enquire at Box Office.

LATECOMERS All performances start at 8pm (unless otherwise stated). Doors open 30 minutes before performance. Performances will start on time – please don’t be late! Latecomers will not be admitted until there is a suitable break, which in some cases may be the interval.

DISABLED ACCESS Birr Theatre and Arts Centre is accessible for wheelchair users.

We also have a house wheelchair for your use. This can be booked for a performance or the chair can be used to bring you from your car to your seat (please note: there are two steps to the front row seats). Please make your requirements known at the time of booking. It is advisable to book in advance.

CHILDREN Children must be accompanied by an adult at all performances.

FOOD & DRINK Wine, beer, coffee and soft drinks will be available during the interval.

No food and drink permitted in the auditorium.

PARKING There is ample street parking. However we remind you we are located in a residential area and ask you to be conscious not to block private entrances.

PRIVACY POLICY We values our customer and staff data and will endeavour to keep this data safe at all times. We will never sell, share or use your personal information other than as described in our Privacy Policy. We operate in line with the EU GDPR (May 2018) data protection guidelines. You can opt out of receiving marketing information from us at any time. See our web-site for full details.

MAILING LIST Join our mailing list now by emailing info@birrtheatre.com or leave your details at reception. Ensure to leave your mobile number for regular text reminders.

FURTHER INFORMATION Birr Theatre & Arts Centre Oxmantown Hall, Birr, Co Offaly Box Office: 057 9122911 Email: info@birrtheatre.com Web: www.birrtheatre.com Venue Manager: Emma Nee Haslam

Comhairle Chontae Uíbh Fhailí Offaly County Council

This project is supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development and Pobal through the Community Services Programme.

Information correct at time of print. Sometimes changes are unavoidable and we apologise for same.

Call Box Office or check local press for further details.

DESIGN AND PRINT: BROSNA PRESS 090 6454327