Nov – Feb 2016

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NOV | DEC JAN | FEB 2 0 1 5 /1 6

BOOKINGS 057 9122911 | www.birrtheatre.com

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Welcome!

– February programme which brings We are very excited about our November e international artists. Film@BirrTheatr an array of events from local and . world the d aroun and d films from Irelan continues with a selection of acclaimed Liam non, Shan on Shar with n seaso Music lovers will be in for a treat this and lots more. Lovers of classical O’Maonlai, The Fureys, Vladimir & Anton solo pianist Young Choon Park and wind music will be treated to evenings with l of laughs with Conal Gallen and Des quintet Cassiopeia. There will be a barre with Birr Stage Guild’s Bookworms and Bishop and plenty of theatre to enter tain Boy with no Arms.

One Duck Theatre Company’s The Little seat! your to you We look forward to seeing

Emma Neeger Haslam Venue Mana

BOOKING YOUR TICKETS 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 to Friday: 1–5.30pm 057 9122911

BOOK ONLINE: WWW.BIRRTHEATRE.COM

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VISUAL ARTS FRAGMENTS October–November An exhibition of encaustic paintings based on the local boglands by Rosemarie Langtry Ballinahown artist, Rosemarie Langtry is no stranger to Birr Theatre having exhibited in Dancing in the Breeze group shows on numerous occasions. This Rosemarie Langtry is her first solo show with us. Rosemarie works in encaustic (a combination of beeswax, pigment and resin which is fused layer upon layer – an ancient medium used thousands of years ago in Egypt). For Rosemarie, the attraction of the encaustic medium is its freedom, how it flows, texture and translucency. This body of work, Fragments, is inspired by the landscape of County Offaly and explores atmosphere, beauty, history, myth and our connection as a people to our rural surrounds and its Boglands.

The exhibition will be officially opened on Wednesday 21 October, 7pm by Carmel Duffy, Athlone Arts & Tourism, and runs until 30 November.

8th ANNUAL COMMON GROUND A TOUCH OF RED December – January Common Ground refers to a group of artists coming together to exhibit. This exhibition will showcase the exceptional talent and diversity of visual artists in the Midlands today under the theme A Touch of Red. The inspiration for this year’s theme was inspired by William Turner’s painting Helvoetsluys. In 1832 John Constable was to exhibit The Opening of Waterloo Bridge, a painting on which he had been working on for almost 15 years. In the final days before the show, he laboriously put his finishing touches to his painting in the gallery. Turner saw that in comparison his serene seascape Helvoetsluys, was a little lacking in colour. He entered the gallery, painted a small red buoy in the middle of his canvas – which had only taken him a few months to compose – and left without saying a word, upstaging Constable and stealing the show!

ATTENTION ARTISTS: See website for submission details.

EMMA CAMPBELL February – March Kildare artist, Emma Campbell, has exhibited throughout Ireland. The use of colour and flow from one point to another in any one piece is immensely important to her as she tries to portray a thought she captures into an image. Emma mainly uses acrylics, as they have great pigment and texture which help add to her abstract style. Her work is influenced by aspects of the unconscious, taking reality and enhancing what ones imagination can create. It is not only important but a necessity that a piece of work comes from within, reflecting not only an acute sense of creativity but thought, growth and individualism.

The exhibition will run from February to mid-March.

Aphrodite Emma Campbell

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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

3 PLAYS

PER NIGHT FOR

3 NIGHTS

BIRR ONE ACT DRAMA FESTIVAL 3 plays per night for 3 nights FRIDAY 23 – SUNDAY 25 OCTOBER Birr’s One Act Drama Festival has become one of the most sought after festivals in Ireland for award winning drama groups. Watch as nine teams, from across the country, compete over three nights to secure a place in the All Ireland One Act Drama Finals.

Adjudicator & workshop facilitator: Alan Howley Workshops: The weekend includes workshops in Acting and Directing.

See www.birrtheatre.com for play schedule, workshop details and bookings.

Fri & Sat 8pm; Sun 7.30pm • €14/12 (3 night special offer: €30)

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

ual 9th Ann

nder e d E a r a Birr cl

ry

28th – 31st October 2015 (Mid-term Break) Festival programme available at local schools and libraries www.hullabaloofestival.ie

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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 Film@BirrTheatre

GLASSLAND

Dir: Gerard Barrett Ireland 2014 | (English) 89 mins | Cert: TBC

TUESDAY 27 OCTOBER Starring: Jack Reynor, Michael Smiley, Toni Collette, Will Poulter.

*IMDb rating 6.7 8pm €5, Friends €3 s See 5 Film get 6th

FREE

Collect your loyalty card at Box Office

In a desperate bid to save his mother from a crippling alcohol addiction and reunite his broken family, John, a young taxi driver on the fringes of the criminal underworld is forced to take a job. It will see him pushed further into Dublin’s dark underbelly.

But will he be prepared to act when the time comes, knowing whatever he decides to do, his and his family’s lives will be changed forever?

Featuring stunning performances from the multi-award winning Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense, Little Miss Sunshine), Jack Reynor (What Richard Did, Transformers 4), Michael Smiley (A Field in England) and Will Poulter (Son of Rambow, We’re the Millers) Glassland is an uncompromising and brilliantly executed portrayal of the grim reality of life for those forced to the edges of society in contemporary Ireland.

Following his celebrated debut Pilgrim Hill, Glassland confirms Gerard Barrett as one of the most assured and talented young Irish directors working today. - Galway Film Fleadh 2014 Film@BirrTheatre

FORCE MAJEURE

Dir: Ruben Östlund Sweden 2014 | (Swedish/English) 118 mins | Cert: Club

TUESDAY 3 NOVEMBER Starring: Johannes Bah Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Clara Wettergren, Vincent Wettergren, Kristofer Hivju, Fanni Metelius.

A critical favourite and word-of-mouth sensation at this year’s Cannes Festival, where it took the Jury Prize in Un Certain *IMDb rating 7.4 Regard, this wickedly funny and precisely observed 8pm €5, Friends €3 psychodrama tells the story of a model Swedish familyhandsome businessman Tomás, his willowy wife Ebba and s See 5 Film their two blonde, pre-teen children-on a skiing holiday in the get 6th French Alps. The sun is shining and the slopes are spectacular E E FR but, during lunch at a mountainside restaurant, an avalanche turns everything upside down. With panicked diners fleeing in Collect your loyalty card at Box Office all directions, Ebba calls out for her husband as she tries to protect their children. Tomas, however, makes a decision that will shake the family’s world to its core. Although the anticipated disaster fails to occur, his marriage now hangs in the balance as he struggles to reclaim his role as family patriarch.

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Conal Gallen A Laugh & A Half FRIDAY 6 NOVEMBER Yes, he’s back! Ireland’s Ambassador of Comedy Conal Gallen returns with his hilarious new one man stand up show, A Laugh And A Half. Following the huge success of his comedy play, A Bit On The Side, Conal is back with what promises to be his best show yet. Jampacked with over 2 hours of hilarious jokes, stories and songs, it’s sure to have you in stitches from start to finish!

After 25 years of entertaining audiences around the world, Conal has perfected the art of stand up comedy like no other. Loved by audiences young and old, he has proved time and time again why he is Ireland’s funniest man with his hilarious, side-splitting brand of comedy. Tickets can be “as scarce as hens teeth” so early booking is strongly advised!!

8pm • €25

to Cassiopeia: A group of five bright stars in the shape of a W, be found in the northern sky Cassiopeia Winds: A group of five exceptional musicians, whose sheer joy in performing together shines through each concert.

Cassiopeia Winds SATURDAY 7 NOVEMBER

Cassiopeia Winds will shine brightly in Birr Theatre and Arts Centre and beguile and enthral anyone lucky enough to have purchased a ticket. The blending of Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, French Horn and Bassoon offers music of unique versatility and variety. Many early 19th century composers wrote works for wind quintet while contemporary composers are often drawn to write for the wind quintet because of the possibility to create works of startling originality.

Cassiopeia Winds repertoire reflects this and includes works by Danzi, Barber, Hindemith, Nielsen, Ligeti and Arvo Part. The programme for Birr will include a new work written specially for Cassiopeia Winds by John Buckley, one of Ireland’s most distinguished composers.

8pm • €18/16

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THURSDAY 12 – SATURDAY 14 NOVEMBER ‘Hugely funny, wickedly observed and subversively malicious along the way.

A sure fire winner, Bernard Farrell is better than ever’ Sunday Independent A sharp and hilarious examination of contemporary Ireland as mirrored in the popular phenomenon of the Book Club! It’s Ann’s turn to host the evening and a decision has been taken to allow husbands to be part of this ‘last bastion of female exclusivity’. The resulting clash not only exposes hidden lives, deceptions and indiscretions, but highlights social and financial misadventures that had long been swept under the carpet.

Bernard Farrell’s first play I Do Not Like Thee Doctor Fell premiered at the Abbey Theatre in 1979. Numerous others followed, including Canaries, The Last Apache Reunion, Stella By Starlight, to name but a few. Birr Stage Guild’s previous staging of his plays include Happy Birthday Dear Alice in 2002, and Kevin’s Bed in 2012.

This production draws together an experienced cast who provide a fantastic night of comedy, under the direction of Anne Clarke.

8pm • €16/14 Group Bookings: Contact Box Office (Group of 10 or more €12)

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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 Film@BirrTheatre

WILD TALES

Dir: Damián Szifrón Argentine 2014 | (Spanish) 122 mins | Cert: TBC

TUESDAY 17 NOVEMBER Starring: Ricardo Darín, Oscar Martínez, Darío Grandinetti, Rita Cortese, Julieta Zylberberg, Erica Rivas, Leonardo Sbaraglia

Wild Tales is a collection of six crazy, absurd and hilarious stories of people who are stressed out or depressed by the drive for success, competition and the *IMDb rating 8.2 inequality of the world we live in. Vulnerable 8pm €5, Friends €3 in the face of a reality that shifts and suddenly turns unpredictable, the characters of Wild Tales cross the thin s lm Fi See 5 h get 6t line that divides civilization and barbarism. A lover’s betrayal, a return FREE to the repressed past and the violence woven into everyday encounters Collect your loyalty card at Box Office drive the characters to madness as they cede to the undeniable pleasure of losing control.

VLADIMIR PROMOTIONS LTD.

TWO BROTHERS Vladimir & Anton Jablokov SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER

Traditional Russian tunes, popular classical pieces, themes from movies and musicals, as well as singalong favourites.

Following their hugely successful debut Irish tour, violin maestro Vladimir is once again delighted to share the stage with his equally gifted younger brother Anton.

Two Brothers celebrates popular classical music mixed with well-known favourites from the stage and screen. During the last ten years, Vladimir Jablokov has established himself as one of the brightest young stars on the Irish classical scene. Now, the talented maestro joins forces with his brother Anton, himself a dazzling violinist with a flair for daring improvisation. Sons of a gifted Russian violinist and conductor, the brothers have been playing together for almost twenty years. Pushing each other on to greater heights of artistic expression, joyful harmony and thrilling clashes, this is sibling rivalry soundtracked like you have never heard it before!

Completing the gifted trio for these concerts will be pianist Adam Kuruc, Vladimir’s longtime arranger and co-producer. Hear pieces such as, If I were a Rich Man, Sunrise Sunset, Dark Is The Night, Kalinka and Those Were The Days as well as well known themes from Dr Zhivago, The Godfather, Scent of a Woman and other cinema favourites.

For more tour dates please visit www.vladviolin.com 8pm • €18/16

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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 Film@BirrTheatre

QUEEN AND COUNTRY

Dir: John Boorman UK 2014 | (English) 105 mins | Cert: TBC

TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER Starring: Callum Turner, Caleb Landry Jones, Pat Shortt, David Thewlis, Richard E. Grant, Tamsin Egerton, Vanessa Kirby, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Sinead Cusack

The legendary director John Boorman returns with Queen and Country, a uniquely spirited memoir of his national service *IMDb rating 6.4 8pm €5, Friends €3 days. Serving as a sequel to his Oscar-nominated Hope and Glory, his latest feature picks up nine s lm Fi See 5 h get 6t years later amid a Britain adrift and bereft in the post-war era.

FREE The protagonist Bill questions Collect your loyalty not just his own national card at Box Office duty but nationalism itself, wondering why Britain should support the Americans in Korea and finding himself in hot water for not just his burgeoning rebellious streak but also his naive zeal for cinema.

Directed with style and aplomb worthy of an Old Master at work, Queen and Country, is a magnificent account of the complexities of the postwar era and invites us to share in Boorman’s own recollections of his very own rites of passage. - Cork Film Festival 2014

The

Great Irish

SONGBOOK with Paul

Byrom

WEDNESDAY 25 NOVEMBER After recently appearing with Phil Coulter, tenor Paul Byrom, returns to Birr Theatre & Arts Centre performing “The Great Irish Songbook”. The Billboard chart topping singer, will perform classic hit songs of some of our legendary songwriters: Percy French, Brendan Graham, Van Morrison, Phil Coulter, Paul Brady, Jimmy MacCarthy, Chris De Burgh and many more. This is an intimate evening of song that will appeal to all tastes and styles.

8pm • €20

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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 Dir: Abderrahmane Sissako France, Mauritania 2014 | (Arabic, French) 97 mins | Cert: 12A

Film@BirrTheatre

TIMBUKTU TUESDAY 1 DECEMBER

Starring: Ibrahim Ahmed aka Pino, Toulou Kiki, Abel Jafri

Abderrahmane Sissako confirms his status as one of the true humanists of recent cinema with this stunningly shot and deeply empathetic drama, Timbuktu. Set in the early days of the jihadist takeover of northern Mali in 2012, the film is a *IMDb rating 7.2 condemnation of intolerance and its annihilation of diversity, 8pm €5, Friends €3 told in a way that clearly denounces without resorting to cardboard perpetrators. As in his previous outings (Bamako, s Waiting for Happiness), Sissako offers a choral structure, here See 5 Film h get 6t designed to convey the multicultural makeup of FREE the area where city dwellers of various ethnicities and the nomadic Tuareg people coexist in Collect your loyalty generally respectful fashion. card at Box Office

Performances are mesmeric, even the smaller roles, and Sissako’s unfailing sense of colour, contrasting with the pale desert landscape, holds the eye without distracting from the story.

Jay Weissberg, Variety WINNER – PRIZE OF THE ECUMENICAL JURY, CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2014

“…the piano technique was dazzling with its insatiable strength and energy, her technical skill and accuracy were shown to be irreproachable…”

La Libre Belgique

“…individually refreshing, while demonstrating real passion and style as well as outstanding technical proficiency…”

FRIDAY 4 DECEMBER

Sunday Times

South Korean born pianist Young-Choon Park began the study of the piano at the age of four and gave her first full recital when she was seven. She studied at the Juilliard School in New York and later gained the highest masters degree at the Hochschule in Munich. She has toured extensively, giving over 50 concerts each year in Europe, Scandinavia, South Africa and the United States. She makes many return visits to major concert venues including the Birmingham Symphony Hall, St. David’s Hall in Cardiff, Belfast Waterfront Hall and many more. She has performed with many leading orchestras including the Stuttgart Philharmonic, Hungarian State Opera, Lithuanian National Symphony, National Philharmonic of Belarus, Filharmonia Lubelska, Slovak Philharmonic and the Warsaw Sinfonia.

She is currently recording the complete Mozart piano concertos for Duchesne World Records in Belgium.

8pm • €15

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SATURDAY 5 DECEMBER Celebrating the memory and music of a true Irish musical legend. Dublin singer/ songwriter/multiinstrumentalist Chris Kavanagh was born and raised on Irish music and has been singing Irish folk songs since he was three years old. Over the past twelve years he has amazed audiences following powerful sell-out performances in prominent Irish venues such as Vicar Street and the Cork Opera House with the regular attendance of Luke Kelly’s family. He is joined on stage by one of Ireland’s leading guitarist/composers, Michael Howard and traditional musician Joe Finn on uilleann pipes, whistle, flute and fiddle.

8pm • €18/15

Song & dance

for your Pleasure!

SUNDAY 6 DECEMBER Featuring the senior ballerinas from The Cassandra Kenny School of Dance and The Oxmantown Singers senior students, under the direction of Deirdre Hanniffy, this promises to be a beautiful evening of youthful performance. A showcase of talent in voice and dance, it presents a unique opportunity for the audience and participants alike to come together to celebrate both art forms. Early booking advised, this event is expected to sell out fast!

4pm €12/10

Ciara O’Rourke: Ciara (Riverstown, Birr) is a young artist regarded as one of Ireland’s emerging talents in classical ballet. She has obtained high distinction results in all her Royal Academy of Dance examinations, has been a member of the Irish Youth Ballet (INYB) since 2013 and performs with the Senior Company this year. She attended the renowned Yorkshire Ballet Summer School in 2014 and in 2015 was accepted as an international student with the highly prestigious American Ballet Theatre in the USA. Tonight Ciara performs a number of solos prior to auditioning for full-time dance education and training in the UK and abroad.

PROCEEDS FROM THIS EVENT GO TO SUPPORT CIARA AND YOUNG SINGERS PURSUING THEIR PROFESSIONAL CAREERS.

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Film@BirrTheatre

PHOENIX

Dir: Christian Petzold Germany 2014 | (German) 98 mins | Cert: Club

TUESDAY 8 DECEMBER Starring: Nina Hoss, Ronald Zehrfeld, Nina Kunzendorf

*IMDb rating 7.4 8pm €5, Friends €3

s See 5 Film get 6th

FREE

Collect your loyalty card at Box Office

A spellbinding mystery of identity, illusion, and deception unfolds against the turmoil of post-World War II Germany in the stunning new film from acclaimed director Christian Petzold (Barbara, Jerichow). Nelly (Nina Hoss), a GermanJewish nightclub singer, has survived a concentration camp, but with her face disfigured by a bullet wound. After undergoing reconstructive surgery, Nelly emerges with a new face, one similar but different enough that her former husband, Johnny (Ronald Zehrfeld), doesn't recognize her. Rather than reveal herself, Nelly walks into a dangerous game of duplicity and disguise as she tries to figure out if the man she loves may have been the one who betrayed her to the Nazis. Evoking the shadows and haunted mood of post-war Berlin, Phoenix weaves a complex tale of a nation's tragedy and a woman's search for answers as it builds towards an unforgettable, heart-stopping climax.

ALY JIGSAW OFFALY WITH OFF

YOUTH THEATRE

Writing

Your Mind

A Play about Youth Me ntal Health

THURSDAY 10 DECEMBER This is the culmination of a project where 6 writers, under the mentorship of Playwright, Eugene O’Brien, have interpreted what it’s like to grow up as a teenager in a not so perfect world.

Cian finds something heavy behind the front door one day… his Da’s head. Amy gets freaked out by lots of things; balloons, bullies, best friends; all these and more can induce a massive panic attack, anywhere, anytime. Jamie is not depressed. He just gets a bit down after a session, he says. He’ll be grand by next Friday, won’t he? Ali is quite comfortable in her own skin; it’s just everyone else who can’t quite accept her as she is. Joseph is trying hard to man up and he’s found a way to cope, self-harm is his release. Katie is being bullied…badly.

Online, in school, at home, at play, it just won’t go away… until she finds her own unique way to cope. Six stunning monologues as hilarious as they are stark by the cream of Irish Literary talent, coming together in this powerful production

by Offaly Youth Theatre. This performance features strong language and sensitive themes and is most suited to those aged 16 and over.

1pm • €10 (€5 School Groups) Funds to benefit Jigsaw Offaly, a free mental health service for 12–25 year olds living in Offaly. Offaly Youth Theatre is a non-profit organisation offering training in professional skills for Theatre and Film under the guidance of experienced facilitators.

Writers: Caroline Bracken, Lorna Kelly Dalton, Andrew Joseph Brown, Alison Martin, Niall Cleary, Rory Duffy.

Writing Consultant: Eugene O’Brien Directed by: Angela Ryan Whyte Produced by Jigsaw Offaly & Offaly Youth Theatre

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MERCE PRESENTS BIRR CHAMBER OF COM

SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER Join us for a yuletide soiree of music and song!

If you’re not in the festive spirit already, this night will certainly set the scene with music and craic from a selection of Birr’s finest musicians.

PROCEEDS IN AID OF BIRR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS FUND

8pm • €12

COMPANY PRESENTS THE TALISMAN THEATRE

A HIPPO FOR CHRISTMAS MONDAY 14 DECEMBER

A holiday treat for young audiences, this charming musical is set in Polly Greenjeans’ magic house with Polly and her best friend Beakio on the most magical night of the year! The anticipation is building as Polly has asked Santa for a rather unusual present! “A hippopotamus?” laughs Beakio. Wee Willie Winkie pays his usual visit and when Santa and his magic elf arrive the fun really begins.

The music from the show is delightful and features great toetapping Christmas classics including the smash hit “A Hippo for Christmas”.

The children will love it!

“As a kick-off to Christmas, this show is as bright as Rudolf’s nose”- RTÉ Guide (BOOK BEFORE FRI 6th NOV 2015 & EACH CHILD WILL RECEIVE A COPY OF THE AWARD WINNING BOOK & CD SET A Hippo for Christmas (worth €12.99) absolutely free! Only while stocks last – so please book early to avoid disappointment as we expect these shows to sell out quickly!)

See Red Panel for Booking Details

CINDERELLA’S CHRISTMAS WEDNESDAY 16 DECEMBER One of the world’s oldest and much loved fairy tales comes alive in this funfilled musical and festive adaptation of the timeless tale of Cinderella. Christmas is coming... The cleaning, washing and scrubbing are finished, but Cinderella’s ball gown is ruined and her wicked stepmother and stepsisters have already left for the Christmas ball at the palace!

Will the Fairy Godmother arrive in time to get Cinderella to the palace and win the heart of the prince? The mice seem to think so... Join us and find out!

Suitable age 4+ Times & Ticket price for both shows: 10.30am & 12noon • Adult: €13.50; Child: €12.50; School/Group rate: €10.00 (One teacher free with every 10 child tickets sold) Show running time approximately 60 mins with no interval.

To book please call Olga at Talisman Theatre on 087-6363075

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The Magic of Christmas V BIRR STAGE GUILD

FRIDAY 18 – SATURDAY 19 DECEMBER Dream of chestnuts roasting on an open fire, mistletoe and wine, silver bells and an old winter’s tale, with the ghosts of Christmas past and present! Birr Stage Guild is back with a magical night of festive charm, bringing you through a winter wonderland of seasonal songs and stories, new and old. Take time out from the Christmas rush to join our chorus, soloists and guests, for a very special celebration.

Musical Director: Enda O’Connor; Production: Tommy Lyndon 8pm • €16/14 Two nights only – Always a sell out – Early booking advisable

SHARON N O N N A SH

Ide Ch al Giftristmas

SATURDAY 9 JANUARY

Multi-platinum, award winning musician, Sharon Shannon has music at her fingertips...literally! The world renowned accordionist has made the muchmaligned accordion ‘cool’! Sharon is famous for her collaborations, not just in Irish traditional music, but through all musical genres, Hip-Hop, Cajun, Country, Classical and Rap having recorded and toured with a who’s who of the Irish and Global Music Industry, including Bono, Sinead O’Connor, Jackson Browne, Steve Earle, The RTÉ Concert Orchestra, The Chieftains, The Waterboys, Willie Nelson, Nigel Kennedy, Alison Krauss and Shane MacGowan – a list that is testament to Sharon’s versatility as well as talent. She has entertained Presidents in Ireland, USA, Poland and Australia.

A prolific composer, Sharon continues to defy genres and has recently released an album of original music recorded with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra called Flying Circus. This is Sharon’s first performance in Birr Theatre and we’re very excited!

8pm €22.50

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DES BISHOP Grey Matters

Ide Ch al Giftristmas

THURSDAY 14 JANUARY

The fantasy of everlasting youth dyed with Des’s last purchase of Just for Men over a year ago!! Now he is embracing the Grey and letting the wisdom of his years inspire his stand up. Grey Matters tackles the issues confronting Des these days, returning to live in New York, being surrounded by other people’s kids, gender and marriage equality, the dangers of snapchat, dating a Chinese woman, the prospect of reaching 40 and most of all, after the documentarystyle stand up show about his time in China, Des is looking forward to returning to straight stand up where he can riff about whatever is on his mind!

8pm • €21

‘You’re won over by Bishop’s zeal to communicate, while his enthusiasm for his new home, and its people – he’s stayed on; he can’t leave – is contagious.’

Guardian

‘One of the most funny, moving and satisfying hours of comedy you’re likely to see this year.

Deeply personal and touching, yet never over-emotional, this is truly inspiring.’ Time Out

‘Will make your spirit soar as you laugh your socks off and feel your heart squeezed …’

Chortle.co.uk

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MUSIC NETWORK

LIAM O’MAONLAI KEVIN BURKE TIM EDEY Ide Ch al Giftristmas

Liam Ó Maonlaí voice/piano • Kevin Burke fiddle • Tim Edey guitar/melodeon

SATURDAY 16 JANUARY “Extraordinary” – Australian Rolling Stone magazine, on Liam Ó Maonlaí.

Start the year with the best of traditional Irish music as one of Ireland’s most enigmatic musicians, Liam Ó Maonlaí, joins legendary fiddle player Kevin Burke, and extraordinary multi-instrumentalist Tim Edey on a specially curated Music Network tour. An unmissable evening of traditional music with three of its most celebrated and talented musicians.

8pm • €18/16

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THE FUREYS

Their emotive songs stir many emotions… tears and laughter, sadness and joy.

Ide Ch al Giftristmas

SATURDAY 23 JANUARY Legends of Irish music & song The FUREYS, renowned for their hit songs When You Were Sweet 16, The Green Fields of France, Red Rose Café, From Clare to Here, Leaving Nancy, Steal Away and so much more return once more, to Birr Theatre & Arts Centre.

The band was formed in 1978 literally by accident. George, Paul and Davey were playing in Denmark with their own band called the Buskers and Eddie and Finbar, while touring in Germany were involved in a road accident. When George and Paul got news of the accident they immediately travelled to Germany to be with their brothers. They then decided that they should all be playing together and this was the start of the FUREYS. Inevitably changes have occurred since the band first formed. Their brother Paul died suddenly in June 2002 and Finbar left the band in December 1996, however George and Eddie have continued to delight audiences on their tours and have just released a new CD The Times They Are a Changing.

The oldest of the brothers, Eddie left home in 1966 and travelled to Scotland at the time of the great folk revival where he met and shared accommodation in Edinburgh with then unknown folk singers Billy Connolly, Gerry Rafferty and Alex Campbell, now all famous in their own right. In 1969 he was the special guest for the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem throughout the USA and Canada.

Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics has credited Eddie with teaching him his first chords on guitar when they met up in the North East of England while Dave was still a teenager. www.thefureys.com 8pm • €25 (Friends: Priority)

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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 Film@BirrTheatre

CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA

Dir: Olivier Assayas France 2014 | (French, English) 124 mins | Cert: TBC

TUESDAY 26 JANUARY Starring: Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, Chloë Grace Moretz, Lars Eidinger

At the peak of her international career, Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous twenty years ago. But back then she played the role of *IMDb rating 7.3 Sigrid, an alluring young girl who disarms and eventually drives 8pm €5, Friends €3 her boss Helena to suicide. Now she is being asked to step into the other role, that of the older Helena. She departs with her s assistant (Kristen Stewart) to rehearse in Sils Maria; a lm Fi 5 e Se get 6th remote region of the Alps. A young Hollywood starlet FREE with a penchant for scandal (Chloë Grace Moretz) is to take on the role of Collect your loyalty Sigrid, and Maria finds card at Box Office herself on the other side of the mirror, face to face with an ambiguously charming woman who is, in essence, an unsettling reflection of herself.

Film@BirrTheatre

MARSHLAND (La Isla Minima)

Dir: Alberto Rodriguez Spain 2014 | (Spanish) 104 mins | Cert: TBC

TUESDAY 2 FEBRUARY Starring: Javier Gutierrez, Raul Arevalo, Maria Varod

Imagine True Detective set in the Andaluz swamplands and you begin to get the measure of Alberto Rodriguez’s atmospheric, richly textured Spanish murder mystery. It is 1980 and Spain is *IMDb rating 7.4 slowly emerging from the shadows of the Franco era. In the 8pm €5, Friends €3 sleepy backwater of Villafranco del Guadalquivir, two teenage girls have disappeared. Detectives Pedro (Raúl Arévalo) and Juan s (Javier Gutiérrez) arrive from Madrid to investigate and soon find See 5 Film get 6th themselves at odds with a community deeply suspicious of their FREE presence and yoked to misogynistic attitudes of the past.

A superb Southern gothic thriller. - Glasgow Film Festival 2014 Collect your loyalty card at Box Office

MIDLAND DRAMA SCHOOL

ITS SHOWTIME! FRIDAY 5 – SATURDAY 6 FEBRUARY

Midland Drama Schools return with another exciting production of their own School Musical to follow last years success. With fast upbeat music packed with comedy and colour, this show will have you dancing in your seats, guaranteed for all the family, not to be missed.

8pm • €12

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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

ONE DUCK THEATRE COMPANY

The Poor Little Boy

DIVISED BY MIKEL MURFI & THE CAST DIRECTED BY DAN COLLEY

SUNDAY 7 FEBRUARY

with no Arms

Ruby arrives in Skibberceannigh, “The World’s Most Liveable Community”, to a warm welcome from the friendly townsfolk. However, life in this rural idyll seem too good to be true and while out walking late one night, Ruby comes across a mysterious man who has no arms. The man tells her of how the town discriminate against him and set him tedious tasks to do by night and Ruby soon discovers that this shocking treatment of her new friend is just one of the town’s many dark secrets…

The Little Boy with No Arms was devised by Mikel Murfi and the cast. A work-inprogress showing was performed at The Lir in Dublin in 2013 with very positive feedback from the audience. Mikel is committed to a number of other projects and the moment thus, Dan Colley has come on board as director. The play has been commissioned by The Pavillion Theatre and supported by Elgin Energy.

8pm • €16/14 • NOTE: Contains strong language. Not suitable for under 16 years.

Dir: Carol Morley UK 2014 | (English) 102 mins | Cert: 16

Film@BirrTheatre

THE FALLING TUESDAY 9 FEBRUARY Starring: Maxine Peake, Maisie Williams, Florence Pugh

Carol Morley’s follow up to Dreams of a Life is a feverish exploration of raging hormones and teenage angst set in a girls’ school in 1969. Generally ignored by her agoraphobic *IMDb rating 5.6 mother, Lydia (Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones) 8pm €5, Friends €3 becomes infatuated with her charismatic friend Abbie (Florence Pugh). Abbie adores being the centre of attention but s events gradually push Lydia into the limelight and fill the See 5 Film h 6t t ge school with a sexual energy and hysteria that spreads FREE like an infection.

Strikingly photographed by Agnès Godard and set Collect your loyalty to a dreamy score by Tracey Thorn, The Falling card at Box Office confirms Morley as one of Britain’s most distinctive and exciting filmmakers.

- Glasgow Film Festival 2015

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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

Film@BirrTheatre

BLIND

Dir: Eskil Vogt Norway 2014 | (Norwegian) 91 mins | Cert: TBC

TUESDAY 16 FEBRUARY Starring: Ellen Dorritt Petersen, Henrik Rafaelsen, Vera Vitali, Marius Kolbenstvedt

Premiered at both Berlin and Sundance to great critical acclaim, this new Norwegian film has attracted a lot of attention for the way it blends humour, insight, complexity and tension, keeping *IMDb rating 7.0 the audience gripped from start to finish without any sense of 8pm €5, Friends €3 where it might be headed. Ingrid is a young woman who has gone blind and is adjusting to her new condition in her apartment, where even making a cup of tea is a major s lm Fi See 5 h undertaking. In order to keep her visual get 6t imagination fresh, she is writing a story E E FR in which fantasy and reality overlap, to the point where the audience Collect your loyalty becomes uncertain of what is real. card at Box Office Comparisons have been made with Charlie Kauffman’s Adaptation, and Variety calls it ‘droll, sexy and heartbreaking’.

- Bath Film Festival 2014

Stunning Broadway Baby

Closing your eyes, that could really be Simon and Garfunkel BBC Radio Nottingham

Simon & Garfunkel:

Through the Years

PERFORMED BY BOOKENDS THURSDAY 18 FEBRUARY After a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, receiving four star reviews, Bookends are back on tour with their moving and powerful live performance and multimedia show, taking a chronological journey through the friendship and career of Simon & Garfunkel. Following a BBC Radio tour the show was described as a “must see” with Bookends being labelled the most authentic sounding tribute to the music of Simon & Garfunkel.

With ever expanding visuals the show opens at the start of their career and ends at the much publicised breakup. Featuring hits such as The Sound of Silence, Mrs. Robinson, The Boxer and the unforgettable Bridge Over Troubled Water the show is a must see for any music lover.

8pm • €19/17

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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 Film@BirrTheatre

THE FORGOTTEN KINGDOM

Dir: Andrew Mudge Lesotho 2013 | (Sesotho) 97 mins | Cert: Club

TUESDAY 23 FEBRUARY Starring: Zenzo Ngqobe, Nozipho Nkelemba, Jerry Mofokeng, Lebohang Ntsane

The mountainous scenery of Lesotho provides the canvas for director Andrew Mudge’s profoundly visual story, which tells the tale of Atang: a young man obliged to make a pilgrimage from *IMDb rating 7.7 the bustle of Johannesburg to his native Lesotho upon learning 8pm €5, Friends €3 that his father has passed away. There, Atang is reunited with childhood friend Dineo, with whom he discovers a romantic spark. But her disapproving father whisks Dineo away and sends s See 5 Film get 6th Atang back to Jo’burg. Resolving to win her back, Atang enlists the help of FREE a young orphan boy to guide him Collect your loyalty through the arresting rural terrain. card at Box Office The first film ever to be produced in Lesotho, The Forgotten Kingdom is a beguiling quest steeped in the history and culture of the Basotho people.

- Cambridge Film Festival 2013

WINNER – AUDIENCE AWARD, CAMBRIDGE FILM FESTIVAL 2013 WINNER – AUDIENCE AWARD, FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL 2013

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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 Ltd. 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, 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.

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

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.

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Friends of Birr Theatre 2016

Become our Friend you will enjoy a host of exclusive benefits and savings while supporting our artistic objectives as we continue to provide a diverse programme of events throughout the year.

Become our Friend Circle Friends €60 per person Priority booking for all performances • Friends rate on selected events • Regular e-mail bulletins • €3 for film@birrtheatre • Invitation to exhibition openings • Entry into our season draw for 2 tickets to an event of your choice

Dress Circle Friends €120 per person ALL THE ABOVE BENEFITS, PLUS • 2 tickets at Friends rate on selected events • €3 for film@birrtheatre • Complimentary tickets to Music Network performances • 2 free tickets per year to be used on selected shows • 10% off any art purchased • Standing order payment option available

To become a FRIEND for 2016 please contact the Box Office: 057 9122911 AN IDEAL GIFT – ANY TIME OF YEAR

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DESIGN AND PRINT: BROSNA PRESS 090 6454327

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