Quarter Beat | September 2013

CULTURE NIGHT | BELLY LAUGHS | THE BELFAST RIVER | POETRY IN THE QUARTER | WHAT’S ON

QUARTER BEAT Monthly News & Listings for Belfast’s Cultural Quarter

www.thecathedralquarter.com

#8 ISSUE

SEPT 2013

THE BEST FREE PARTY IN TOWN

*

Welcome to Culture Night!

The city of Belfast will again celebrate its shared culture on Friday 20 September as musicians, artists, dancers, drummers and even wrestlers pour out on to the streets for six hours of carnivalesque revelry.

Hilary Copeland

Since the first Culture Night Belfast event in 2009, Culture Night has engendered a spirit of collective good-will from the increasing numbers of organisations taking part.

This year over 250 venues, arts centres, galleries, churches, historical buildings and businesses are joining in, collaborating and experimenting - all for the joyous aim of sharing their talent - and all for free.

A city-wide initiative, Culture Night’s Quarter Beat September 2013, Issue 8 Published by Cathedral Quarter Trust 3-5 Commercial Court, Belfast BT1 2NB 028 9031 4011 | info@cqtrust.org Design by Rinky | rinky.org

ethos is openness and access, with every resident of the city invited to take part.

There are events organised in the city centre and East and West Belfast, with a Culture Night bus service available to shuttle eager visitors around. But for those who may not know where to start, the Cathedral Quarter is the epicentre.

Adam Turkington, Culture Night Programme Manager sees the Cathedral Quarter as a nucleus for Culture Night activities.

“Culture Night plays to the Cathedral Quarter’s strengths as a cultural hub. Over the past five years we’ve seen the energy and enthusiasm spin out to other areas and the event is gradually expanding citywide, “We can create a sort-of event site in Cathedral Quarter. It allows us to make things happen in this space that couldn’t happen naturally the rest of the year.”

The idea of the streets of the city transforming for one night of the year into a giant festival party is an appealing one.

Supported by:

Belfast’s streets are littered with the infamy of history, of riots, strikes, and contentious parades. Recent events have done nothing to dispel a reputation many thought had been shaken off.

“THE CITY IS THE REAL STAR OF CULTURE NIGHT . WE WANT TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE POTENTIAL OF THE WHOLE CITY.” ADAM TURKINGTON, PROGRAMME MANAGER, CULTURE NIGHT Culture Night offers a contrast. Roads will be closed for a parade with no political agendas attached. Instead the aim is to transform the city streets in to a playground.

Hill Street and Donegal Street will be closed from 4pm when the majority of activities kick-off. Later in the evening these streets remain closed and several more are shut, including Academy Street and North Street, providing a pedestrianised area

that crosses the Cathedral Quarter from Rosemary Street to Saint Anne’s Square.

The parade, which this year includes a massive hip hop drum and dance performance from The Beat Initiative as part of international urban arts festival Urban Ballet, passes through from around 7.30pm.

Culture Night Press Officer Joe Nawaz points out that Culture Night offers many residents the chance to see Belfast in a new light. “The city centre is a neutral space with Cathedral Quarter as a focal point. Culture Night radiates out across the rest of the city.

It’s for everybody.”

The appeal is broad, with a purposefully loose definition of what counts as ‘cultural’.

With new additions to the programme every year – 2012 saw urban sports, street arts and contemporary music added to the eclectic programme – the idea is an openly liberal interpretation of culture, allowing people to make up their own minds about what they want to engage with and what ‘culture’ can mean to them.

Theatre, dance, drama, and visual arts are all showcased, but non-arts organisations are keen to get on board with the opportunity to get thousands of people through their doors.

Continued on page 2

Culture Night, continued from page one Several new bars taking part include the Titanic Bar, The Sunflower and Aether & Ester. Bank Square will be hiving with activity in what has been dubbed ‘Folktown’ as traditional music acts take over Kelly’s, Maddern’s, Market Street and Berry Street. Even Tesco on Royal Avenue will be prepping for Culture Night, with Checkout Tunes ringing out from behind their automatic doors.

Clearly the experimental mindset of Culture Night is contagious, when even big name businesses feel free to have fun and try things outside of the norm of daily commerce. The same is true for anyone turning up on the night, whether as an audience member, a spectator, or just passing

through. Turkington explains, “There is no charge in anywhere, so you can experiment.

You have nothing to lose. If people don’t like something they can move on.”

With a working title of ‘Under Construction`, the programme of events is fluid, with changes expected right up until the day and new events added at last minute. It’s part of the spontaneous nature of Culture Night.

Nawaz is hoping the experience will generate a willingness in people to experiment and try new things, to see that it’s ok to try things out and decide it’s not for you because there are 200+ other new experiences a few steps further down the street.

With so much civic pride emerging from the street-party atmosphere of previous

Culture Nights, this year the organisers are trying to harness this optimism and use it for good. A new initiative, #CNB365, is an attempt to capture the energy, and vibrancy of Belfast on Culture Night year round. Sure, shouldn’t every night be a culture night in Belfast?

As Turkington puts it, “#CNB365 is about asking people what they would like to see in their city year-round.”

Members of the public are invited to submit their ideas using the Twitter hashtag #CNB365. The best ideas will be pitted against each other in a public forum – a kind of Dragon’s Den: Civic edition – and the most popular idea will be presented to the powers-that-be.

There are no limits as to what suggestions residents and visitors can put forward, whether it’s a city planning issue, a

review of licensing or street trading laws, or a new cultural event they would like to see happen. “It’s not about what we want it to be, it’s what Belfast wants it to be”, says Joe. There is hopefulness around Culture Night that Turkington wants highlight. “The city is the real star of Culture Night . We want to draw attention to the potential of the whole city.”

The Culture Night Belfast programme launch takes place on Thursday 29th August Culture Night takes place on Friday 20th August. *As described by Culture Night Twitter fan Belfast Acupuncture @EmmaVanLoock, just one of many Culture Night participants on Twitter. Find out what’s going on #CNB13 and submit your suggestions for a better Belfast with #CNB365

CQ UNCOVERED

THE BELFAST RIVER Gary Potter, PLACE

Performers and audience at Make Yourself Heard events in The Safehouse Art Gallery.

The River Farset gives the city its name (Béal Feirste, meaning ‘mouth of the sandbanks’) and it is around this river that the small settlement of Belfast was centred in the 17th century. Today the Farset flows discreetly under High Street with many unaware of its significance in the development of Belfast and the Cathedral Quarter.

Flowing from north Belfast to the larger River Lagan the river mouth formed a natural quay at high tide and enabled commercial activity to develop. By the late 17th century stone bridges were built linking the two sides of Broad Street (now High Street) that bordered the river. Further out of town the Manor Mill, powered by a water wheel in the Farset, ground the corn of local farmers, and dams and an artificial channel were created to provide water for local animals.

During the early 19th century, developing mills and distilleries were making use of the various dams along the river.

However effluent from mills outside the town combined with waste from business and residents within the settlement and the tidal waters of the estuary caused a stench that the town’s leaders had to address.

The river was eventually covered over in sections and by 1848 it was entirely culverted through the town to the River Lagan. This addressed the stench, but the Farset was still heavily polluted until industry subsided in the 20th century. Today the historic line of the River Farset is marked by a linear water feature at the Cathedral Quarter’s largest public space, Custom House Square.

PLACE offer Architectural Walking Tours exploring the built environment. For more information visit placeni.org, phone 028 9023 2524 or email info@placeni.org.

POETRY IN CATHEDRAL QUARTER: A BRIEF HISTORY OF SORTS Australia in ‘98, and “was astonished to find the poetry scene not particularly well attended or promoted”. With Mark’s support, he made up some cheap posters and started spreading them about town. “In a short space of time we had a good crowd coming to the gigs, and then the word of mouth started to bring ever more poets into the scene.” Some of these early poster poked fun at local political propaganda, bearing such slogans as “Vote DPP: the Democratic Poetry Party” and “UFV: Undercover Fashion Victims”. Suspicions aroused, one event saw members of Special Force come down to scope out what they thought was a new paramilitary group, to find “just a bunch of stoned poets”.

Colin Dardis, poet and host of the Purely Poetry open mic night, on the performance poetry scene’s links with the Quarter.

Queen’s University and the Seamus Heaney Centre may be seen as the hub for Northern Irish poetry, but for many, the spiritual home (in essence as well as hard liquor) will always be seen as the Cathedral Quarter. It has been the site of many open mic nights, performances, slams and festival readings over the years, and helped lay the seeds for the blossoming live poetry scene Belfast enjoys today.

The roots were laid in 1996, when ​ husband-and-wife team Mark and Debbie Madden return to Belfast and opened the now legendary Arcadia Coffeehouse in North Street Arcade. Mark: “I’d been in Vancouver, where I helped form the first open mic sessions there and seen the scene grow to dozens of venues. When we came to Belfast in ‘96, we realised performance poetry didn’t happen in Belfast, so we opened a cafe in which poetry would make sense.” ​Coffee house culture had not reached Belfast yet (or many other places for that matter). Arcadia instilled what was probably the first espresso machine seen in the city, along with Mexican food, a vegetarian menu, and most importantly, a regular open mic night. Progress was initially slow: veterans from the scene remember nights of only seven or eight people, pushing a concept to the public that was unheard of and alien. Debbie Madden: “The Big List stated we were having open mic pottery evenings in Arcadia... I still think we may have missed a trick there.”

A rcadia regular, David Smylie: “On ​ a cold November night in 2000, I made my way down to the Arcadia café for the first time. The Arcade was empty; the only sign of life was the noise from the café. Inside about seven people sat around tables illuminated by small candles, or on the large leather sofa.” It was to a similar sight that I first entered, a few months later, poems in hand and nervously reading them out sitting on that sofa. Thankfully, the room was friendly and welcoming, and I was invited back to read again, as were others. With Belfast never being short on literary talent, the scene soon started to grow inside a Quarter that hadn’t yet started to grow or see redevelopment: even the John Hewitt bar closed at ten.

One of the early attendees was Brain Bailey, who had himself returned from

“LOOK CLOSELY AND YOU’LL FIND POETRY IN THE BARS AND CAFES OF THE QUARTER, SOMETIMES WHISPERED, SOMETIMES CRIED, AND ALWAYS WONDROUS.” ​ oon the tiny café saw more and more people S coming down to check out this literary curiosity.

The nights grew crowds of fifty-sixty people, with standing room only; people even stood out in the arcade, peering through the windows, hungry for poetry and performance. Glynne McReynolds: “From the moment I set foot in the door I knew I’d found a home. The atmosphere was so welcoming and open, and, in contrast to most places I would go, I knew I could just turn around and talk to anyone in there, and they’d have something interesting to say.”

Around the same time, the first ​ Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival was set up, and the area was happily placed in the cultural spotlight. Arcadia, indeed all of North Street Arcade, found itself as the new home for poets, painters, musicians and bohemians, eager to share in their creativity and passion for the arts. The buzz of these halcyon days lasted for a few years, until early 2004, when disaster struck. A heartless arson attack gutted the Arcade, destroying the businesses, and leaving the artistic community effectively homeless. ​The poetry scene floundered. Without the benefit of social media to keep everyone easily in touch, people dispersed and things grew quiet. The next couple of years saw occasional nights and gigs, one-off festival slams and some charity readings. Some folk drifted 2

into Bookfinders near Queen’s, where Brian Bailey helped form a regular poetry event.

Ruairi McNally and myself formed ‘Poetic Splendour’, a poetry group of sorts, but without an appropriate venue, it soon disappeared. I launched ‘Speech Therapy’, a small poetry zine featuring some of the Arcadia poets and others, which survived for four print issues. Then up popped a small, independent art gallery on Donegal Street, just down the road from where Arcadia once stood. ​The Safehouse Arts Space was keen to stretch its wings, and word soon circulated that they were looking to establish a poetry night. Brian suggested that I should take up the mantle, and soon after, Make Yourself Heard was formed in 2006: a new monthly open mic event, hoping to capture some of the spirit and bonhomie of the original Arcadia nights. Slowly, the poets of old returned and regrouped, along with new blood and new ambitions. ​Make Yourself Heard experienced varying degrees of success. It teamed with Creative Writers Network for a series of gigs in the Black Box, but stopped in 2010. Elsewhere, poets were turning up in singer-songwriter nights and poetry slams in the Hewitt, the Duke of York, Whites Tavern and beyond. Events such as the Belfast Poetry Cup and the Belfast heat of the AllIreland Poetry Slam appeared. More and more folk were realising that live poetry was a viable form of art and entertainment, which drew the crowds in. Thankfully, poets are generally a thirsty bunch… ​Now, the scene is alive and well, with CQAF, Culture Night Belfast, and others having poetry as a part of their artistic makeup. Community Arts Partnership, based in Commercial Court, runs the Poetry in Motion project for schools and communities, encouraging local aspiring writers in all aspects of poetry: writing, editing, public speaking, marketing and more. It also runs workshops, readings and publishes poetry anthologies. Seedhead Arts, in partnership with somewhereto_ and PLACE NI, recently brought The Open Source to a pop up site on Donegall Street, giving a free performance space to poets during this year’s CQAF. This summer has already seen poet, playwright and filmmaker Damian Gorman’s recent residency in the MAC, local group Voica Versa group performing in the Black Box, and Glastonbury’s poet-in-residence Tony Walsh reading from his new collection in the Golden Thread.

Writer’s Square will always stand as testament to poets such as MacNeice and Hewitt, but look closer and you’ll find poetry in the bars and cafes of the Quarter, sometimes whispered, sometimes cried, and always wondrous.

MAKE #CNB365

In just five years, Culture Night Belfast has become one of the highlights of Belfast’s cultural calendar, bringing a new and exciting cultural showcase to the Cathedral Quarter. Year on year, like no other, the evening brings an incredibly inclusive, unique and vibrant atmosphere to the area.

We explore what contributes to its success and pose the question, what can we do to make it more like this all year round? What lessons can we learn from Culture Night that will help us to make positive and permanent changes to the Cathedral Quarter?

Submit your own via Twitter with #CNB365.

St. Anne’s Cathedral Susan McEwen, Corrymeela As we all know, Belfast is a contested city. But for one night of the year we are able to witness how the clashing of worlds can work. People of all ages and backgrounds are welcomed to the city and invited to celebrate diversity in beautiful shared spaces such as St. Annes Cathedral, we need to find more opportunities like this that allow us to take pride in these spaces.

(Culture Night allows us to experience what a shared future could look like.)

Lower Garfield Street Declan Hill, Forum for Alternative Belfast Every Culture Night, in combination with the Tivoli Barber Shop we have transformed Lower Garfield Street and made it a busy and vibrant space. Unfortunately, for the other 364 days it remains bleak and desolated.

In Dublin they spent millions making a curved street in Temple Bar. In Belfast we have a 120 year old curved brick building and we let trees grow out of the roof. We need to appreciate existing architectural heritage.

Hill Street Sarah Jones, Black Box Manager On Culture Night the road closure of Hill Street makes a real difference to the safety of our customers young and old as well as giving us much needed outdoor space. Why isn’t Hill street pedestrianized all year round?

Assembly Rooms Conor Shields, Community Arts Partnership This building is perhaps Belfast’s most significant historic building, yet we are only given the privilege of experiencing it on Culture Night. Known variously as the Assembly Rooms and the Old Exchange, this space was central to development of Belfast for centuries. From its steps, every milestone was measured. Now, with its Grade B Listed Interior and unique cathedral timbered roof, it languishes, vacant and at risk from further vandalism and dereliction, waiting for rescue.

BELLY LAUGHS FOR BELFAST Emma Blee

Continuing to grow from strength to strength, this year’s Belly Laughs Festival sees a whole heap of new venues, some hilarious stand-up comedy, bus tours and a dash of comic theatre, to add to the bargain.

Set up by a group of comedy enthusiasts in 2011, the festival has attracted one of the most interesting comedy bills in the country and a host of local and international talent will take to the stage from 26 September – 6 October.

This year headliners include Ruby Wax, Adam Hill and Stewart Lee, who will join local comedians such as Jake O’Kane, Paddy O’Donnell and Nuala McKeever, in tickling audiences at many venues across the City including the Cathedral Quarter’s Black Box and The Sunflower.

Belly Laughs, which is a not for profit organisation, is run by volunteers and has a Management Board of nine. Heading it up is Festival Director, Pete O’Neill, who says the goals for the Belly Laughs Festival are simple: nurture home grown talent and provide audiences with a variety of funny yet affordable acts.

He explains: “We’ve had a lot of fun teasing out our events and working with local talent and venues. Basically we’ve

tried to design a programme with a variety and value that would allow all sections of the community to enjoy. That’s why we have programmed free and low cost events involving, not just stand-up comedy, but a range of genres such as book readings, poetry, cabaret, quiz’s, music, magic, workshops, kids events, seminars and even comedy bus tours.

Pete says in Northern Ireland we have a GSOH and that our “banter” is second to none. One of the main reasons for this, he believes, is our troubled past and ability not to take things too seriously.

“We were interested in exploring the boundaries of comedy in the city and the history and role of humour in our conflict.

Comedy has been important in challenging prejudice and it is widely accepted that encouraging people to laugh at themselves is often the most effective, and safest, way to tackle sectarianism,” explains Pete. “The only thing that is required for Belly Laughs is a good sense of humour,” he adds.

Local funny woman Nuala McKeever sits on the Management Board and is helping to provide many of the laughs with some lunchtime comedy at the Linen Hall Library. She agrees that our Northern Irish sense of humour is unique and sees it as a positive way to resolve conflict: “The hard things we’ve gone through in Northern

Ireland give us an edge for comedy.

“Running kids workshops as part of the festival is a really nice idea. I think children just love fun, they respond really well to imagination and fun. Anything that encourages that is great. Kids can do funny stuff and have a sense of humour.

“My whole thing with them is that it’s ok to be a fool. I certainly know in my life that I can say things as a joke and that breaks the ice. You can tell the truth sometimes and people don’t take offence from that if you say it in a friendly, funny way.”

Many of the venues for Belly Laughs are located within the Cathedral Quarter and Nuala sees the area as a great place to showcase our local talent: “I think the Cathedral Quarter is the epitome of what is possible in Belfast and I think the arts is the most interesting sector we have here. That is what people come here for, to embrace culture. Anything that gets people out and having fun is obviously great for Belfast.

“The Cathedral Quarter has been allowed to develop organically and I think that’s going to stand in good stead in the long run.”

Nuala’s advice during the Festival is to “try something you haven’t tried before.”

She adds: “A friend of mine said they had a tourist day in Belfast and they went and did all the tourist attractions and had a great time”, so the comedy bus tour with Paddy 3

McDonnell could be a way to see the sights with a few laughs along the way.

Performer, Stephen Beggs, is part of the comic theatre group ‘Those Who Can’t’ who will be taking to the stage at the Black Box on 4 October with their show ‘Thunder Finger’.

He sees the boutique festival as a major coup for the group as it showcases such a wide variety of comedy: “Our group isn’t stand-up comedy as we are quite theatrical so we sit slightly outside what would be considered as the main comedy activities. Generally when people think of comedy they do think of stand-up so it is great that Belly Laughs has included groups like us in the festival line-up to show that variety of comedy.”

“It’s also great that there are some outstanding headliners. People will flick through the brochure and be drawn to the really famous performers. But because that catches their eye they will delve deeper and see the more local acts that they maybe haven’t heard of.”

Looking forward to the show, he says: “It’s nice to work as part of a festival, there’s a real sense of camaraderie and I think Cathedral Quarter is a great place for comedy.

With places like Black Box, it is a fantastic venue and a lot of exciting stuff is happening.”

For a full list of Belly Laughs events and venues visit www.bellylaughsbelfast.com

WHAT’S ON SEPTEMBER EXHIBITIONS Late Night Art: 5 September Galleries open until 9pm.

The Jangly Dusk - Cian Donnelly 12 August - 7 September To Architect - Paul Bower 10 − 13 September Signal Box - Gary Shaw 16 − 21 September Rehearsal Room (part 1) 23 September - 5 October, PS2, 18 Donegall St, BT1 2GP pssquared.org Root - Works by Anushiya Sundaralingam 5 September - 1 October Belfast Print Workshop Gallery Cotton Court BT1 2ED, bpw.org.uk

SUNDAY 1 SEPTEMBER

WEDNESDAY 11 SEPTEMBER

MUSIC Summer Sundays Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA Free, 2pm, blackboxbelfast.com

THEATRE Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £14, 7.45pm, themaclive.com

COMEDY My Favourite Waste of Time Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA Free, 2pm, blackboxbelfast.com

TUESDAY 3 SEPTEMBER MUSIC Black Moon Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA £3, 7pm, blackboxbelfast.com

WEDNESDAY 4 SEPTEMBER

Ursula Burke: Hope for a Better Past 30 August - 13 October The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ, themaclive.com

THEATRE Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £14, 7.45pm, themaclive.com

The Air They Capture Is Different 19 July - 13 October The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ, themaclive.com

Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA £6, 8pm, blackboxbelfast.com

Psychic Driving 22 August - 5 October Golden Thread Gallery, 84-94 Great Patrick Street BT1 2LU goldenthreadgallery.co.uk

THURSDAY 5 SEPTEMBER

The Market - Mark Curran 30 August - 11 October Belfast Exposed, 23 Donegall Street BT1 2FF, belfastexposed.org Brendan Murphy 1 August - 28 September Red Barn Gallery, 43b Rosemary Street, Belfast BT1 1QB

WEEKLY EVENTS MONDAYS Live Jazz @ Bert’s Jazz Bar Free, 9pm, themerchanthotel.com Open Mic at The John Hewitt Free, 9.30pm, thejohnhewitt.com Monopollie @ Ollie’s Nightclub £3, 10pm, olliesclub.com TUESDAYS Brogue at The John Hewitt Free, 8pm, thejohnhewitt.com Live Jazz @ Bert’s Jazz Bar Free, 9pm, themerchanthotel.com WEDNESDAYS Traditional Session @ McHughs Free, 7pm, mchughsbar.com Live Jazz @ Bert’s Jazz Bar Free, 9pm, themerchanthotel.com THURSDAYS Ollie’s Rocks @ Ollie’s Nightclub £5, 9pm, olliesclub.com Live Jazz @ Bert’s Jazz Bar Free, 9pm, themerchanthotel.com Sweet Trev & The Blue Notes @ The John Hewitt Free, 9.30pm, thejohnhewitt.com Traditional Session @ The Duke of York Free, 9.30pm, thedukeofyorkbelfast.com FRIDAYS Das Vibic @ Black Box Free, 8pm, blackboxbelfast.com Feelgood Fridays @ 21 Social Free, 4pm, 21social.co.uk Traditional Session @ Whites Tavern Free, 7pm, whitestavern.co.uk Panama Jazz Band @ The John Hewitt Free, 8.30pm, thejohnhewitt.com Live Jazz @ Bert’s Jazz Bar Free, 9pm, themerchanthotel.com The Golden Years @ The Duke of York, £5, 9pm Lipstick @ Ollie’s Nightclub £5, 10pm, olliesclub.com Famous Fridays Free/£5, 10pm, myntbelfast.com SATURDAYS The BIG John Hewitt Early Session Free, 5.30pm, thejohnhewitt.com Dana Masters Jazz Sextet @ McHughs Free, 5.30 − 7.30pm, mchughsbar.com Trad Session @ Whites Tavern Free, 8pm, whitestavern.co.uk Bert’s After Hours @ Bert’s Jazz Bar Free, 9pm, themerchanthotel.com Secret Society @ Ollie’s Nightclub £10, 9pm, olliesclub.com Club Eclectic @ The Duke of York £5, 9pm Radio K @ McHughs £5, 10pm, mchughsbar.com Rewind Saturdays Free/£5, 10pm, myntbelfast.com SUNDAYS Social Sundays @ 21 Social Free, 5pm, 21social.co.uk Live Jazz @ Bert’s Jazz Bar Free, 12pm & 9pm themerchanthotel.com Traditional Session @ The Duke of York Free, 5.30pm, thedukeofyorkbelfast.com

THEATRE Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £16, 7.45pm, themaclive.com VISUAL ART Artist Talk: Ursula Burke The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, 6pm, themaclive.com Real Sketchy Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA Free, 9pm, blackboxbelfast.com

FRIDAY 6 SEPTEMBER THEATRE Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £20, 7.45pm, themaclive.com MUSIC Vibic Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA Free, 9pm, blackboxbelfast.com

SATURDAY 7 SEPTEMBER THEATRE Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £20, 7.45pm, themaclive.com MUSIC, FOOD & DRINK Jazz Supper with Casa Havana Trio Canteen at The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £20, 8.30pm, themaclive.com MUSIC Stop Stop Start Again Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA blackboxbelfast.com COMEDY The Mix Up Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA £4, 2.30pm, blackboxbelfast.com

SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER THEATRE Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £14, 7.45pm, themaclive.com MUSIC Summer Sundays Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA Free, 2pm, blackboxbelfast.com

MONDAY 9 SEPTEMBER FILM Film Devour Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA £4, 7.30pm, blackboxbelfast.com

TUESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER THEATRE Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £14, 7.45pm, themaclive.com Melmoth the Wanderer The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 8pm, themaclive.com

Melmoth the Wanderer The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 8pm, themaclive.com MUSIC Tea Dance Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA Free, 6pm, blackboxbelfast.com

THURSDAY 12 SEPTEMBER THEATRE Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £16, 7.45pm, themaclive.com

WORDS & IDEAS Tenx 9 Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA Free, 8pm, blackboxbelfast.com

THURSDAY 19 SEPTEMBER THEATRE Ring The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 7.30pm, themaclive.com Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £16, 7.45pm, themaclive.com Ring The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 9pm, themaclive.com MUSIC Jon Gomm Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA £11, 8pm, blackboxbelfast.com

Melmoth the Wanderer The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 8pm, themaclive.com

Farmer Folk Thursday Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA Free, 8pm, blackboxbelfast.com

THEATRE Hostel - Kabosh Theatre Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA £Donation, 1pm, blackboxbelfast.com

FRIDAY 20 SEPTEMBER

FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER THEATRE Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £20, 7.45pm, themaclive.com Melmoth the Wanderer The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 8pm, themaclive.com MUSIC Vibic Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA Free, 7pm, blackboxbelfast.com Benny Gallagher Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA £12.50, 8pm, blackboxbelfast.com

SATURDAY 14 SEPTEMBER WORKSHOPS, FAMILY Funky Found Sculpture The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £5, 2pm, themaclive.com THEATRE Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £14, 4.30pm, themaclive.com Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £20, 7.45pm, themaclive.com Melmoth the Wanderer The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 8pm, themaclive.com WORDS & IDEAS European Heritage Open Day Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA Free, 10am-11pm, blackboxbelfast.com

SUNDAY 15 SEPTEMBER THEATRE Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £14, 7.45pm, themaclive.com WORDS & IDEAS European Heritage Open Day Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA Free, 1.30pm-11pm, blackboxbelfast.com

TUESDAY 17 SEPTEMBER THEATRE Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £14, 7.45pm, themaclive.com

WEDNESDAY 18 SEPTEMBER VISUAL ART Curator Tour The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ Free, 6pm, themaclive.com THEATRE Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £14, 7.45pm, themaclive.com

CULTURE NIGHT BELFAST Culture Night Belfast Venues across Cathedral Quarter Free, 4-10pm, culturenightbelfast.com THEATRE Ring The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 7.30pm, themaclive.com Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £20, 7.45pm, themaclive.com

COMEDY Adam Buxton: Kernel Panic The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £9.50 - £22, 7.45pm, themaclive. com

THURSDAY 26 SEPTEMBER BELLY LAUGHS COMEDY FESTIVAL Silent Comedy: The Gold Rush Beanbag Cinema, 23 Donegall Street Free, 12.30pm, bellylaughsbelfast.com MUSIC Stephen Kellogg Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA 8pm, blackboxbelfast.com Slow Dance Party The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 8.30pm, themaclive.com

FRIDAY 27 SEPTEMBER BELLY LAUGHS COMEDY FESTIVAL Nordie Shore Live Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA £10, 8pm, blackboxbelfast.com MUSIC Ghostpoet, Girls Names & Songs For Walter The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £19.50, 8.30pm, themaclive.com

SATURDAY 28 SEPTEMBER BELLY LAUGHS COMEDY FESTIVAL Silent Comedy: The General Beanbag Cinema, 23 Donegall Street Free, 12.30pm, bellylaughsbelfast.com

Death of a Comedian The Dark Horse, Commercial Court £15 (including lunch), 2pm, bellylaughsbelfast.com Laurence Clark: Inspired Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA £5, 2pm, bellylaughsbelfast.com MUSIC Belfast Record Fair Oh Yeah Music Centre, 15-21 Gordon Street £1, 12-5pm, themaclive.com Moon Duo, Deptford Goth & Kelpe The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £17, 8.30pm, themaclive.com

SUNDAY 29 SEPTEMBER BELLY LAUGHS COMEDY FESTIVAL Pun Run Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA £6, 3pm, bellylaughsbelfast.com FAMILY, WORKSHOPS Snap Sculptures The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £5, 2pm, themaclive.com

MONDAY 30 SEPTEMBER BELLY LAUGHS COMEDY FESTIVAL I Told You I Was Funny Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA £4, 7pm, bellylaughsbelfast.com OPERA L’Elisir d’Amore The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £9.50 − 22, 7.45pm, themaclive.com

Ring The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 9pm, themaclive.com

SATURDAY 21 SEPTEMBER THEATRE, FAMILY Babble The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £6.50, 1pm, 3pm & 6pm, themaclive.com THEATRE Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £14, 2.30pm, themaclive.com THEATRE Meeting at Menin Gate The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £20, 7.45pm, themaclive.com MUSIC Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 8pm, themaclive.com MUSIC, DANCE 8 to the Bar Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA 8pm, blackboxbelfast.com

SUNDAY 22 SEPTEMBER THEATRE, FAMILY Babble The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £6.50, 11am, 3pm & 4pm, themaclive.com

MONDAY 23 SEPTEMBER THEATRE, FILM Landscape II The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £12, 8pm, themaclive.com

TUEDAY 24 SEPTEMBER MUSIC Nina Nastasia & Katharine Philippa The MAC, 10 Exchange St. West BT1 2NJ £17, 8pm, themaclive.com

WEDNESDAY 25 SEPTEMBER BELLY LAUGHS COMEDY FESTIVAL Wonderfrog Black Box, 18-22 Hill St. BT1 2LA £5, 7.30pm, bellylaughsbelfast.com

COURT IN SESSION AT THE MAC Building on the success of last year’s ‘In the Court of’ Festival curated by Duke Special, the MAC will once again be handing over the reins to another musically acclaimed guest curator. This year, the MAC welcomes Presenter Tom Ravenscroft from BBC 6 Music to curate a festival which runs from 24-28th September.

The festival will open with an double bill of music featuring New York based singer/songwriter Nina Nastasia and Belfast-based Katharine Philippa, a musician/composer. This is followed by the only chance to see cult comedian Adam Buxton’s new show ‘Kernel Panic’ in Belfast.

The final two nights of the festival welcome epic triple bills featuring local talent, and a favourite of Tom’s, Belfastbased band Girls Names alongside Mercury-nominated Ghostpoet and Songs for Walter, performing in Northern Ireland for the first time. The closing night sees another first for Belfast with the futuristic sound of San Francisco based Moon Duo alongside Deptford Goth who has been compared to James Blake with his haunting electronic music style. Also joining this electronic triple bill is Kelpe, an explosive solo act who has featured on numerous remixes, while also making his own amazing albums and who Tom recently invited to guest mix on his radio show.

Further details about the shows, artists and Tom Ravenscroft are available at themaclive.com