Riverbank Arts Centre Brochure - May to August 2023

YOUR VISIT

OPENING HOURS

Monday to Friday: 9:30am-5pm Box Office is closed for lunch: 2-2.30pm Saturday: 10am-1pm

Opens 1 hour before shows

HOW TO BOOK

Book Online: www.riverbank.ie

Phone: 045 448327

GALLERIES

We have two dedicated gallery spaces for our visual art exhibitions.

McKenna Gallery is located on the lower level, which is accessible by both stairs and lift.

Children’s Gallery is on the ground floor level adjacent to the café space.

As part of our visual arts programme we host a number of artist talks. All our visual arts events are free of charge, including the artist talks.

GET IN TOUCH

Phone: 045 448327

Email: boxoffice@riverbank.ie

Website: www.riverbank.ie

Address: Main Street, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, W12 D962

PARKING

There is on street parking which is paid parking from 9.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Saturday inclusive. Parking outside of these hours is free.

More information at riverbank.ie/our-location

CAFÉ

The café at Riverbank Arts Centre has reopened under new management.

The Strand Café is open Monday - Saturday, 9am-4pm and one hour before events.

ACCESSIBILITY

Riverbank Arts Centre aims to make our patrons' visit as enjoyable as possible.

The building is accessible via a ramp to the right of the building.

Our lower levels including McKenna Gallery and Auditorium are accessible via lift.

YOUR COVID SAFETY

As part of our ongoing efforts to assist our community to prevent the spread of Covid-19, we have implemented enhanced protocols and procedures which you will notice during your visit. Please see our Covid safety information on our website in advance of your visit.

FUNDING

Riverbank Arts Centre is funded by Kildare County Council and The Arts Council.

Our cinema screenings are in association with AccessCinema, IFI and DIFF.

SOCIAL

Keep up to date with everything we do across

Welcome to our Summer programme of visual arts, music, theatre, comedy, cinema, family events, schools’ events and workshops.

We are looking forward to June Fest and have an exciting lineup of events and activities including the return of Kildare Art Collective with a new exhibition by 15 artists, UNSEEN , which questions the invisible, the obscured and the unnoticed.

We have an exciting exhibition in our Children’s Gallery, Maeve Clancy’s installation on the life and work of Newbridge-born crystallographer, Kathleen Lonsdale , and there’s an accompanying graphic novel (free!) to take home to read more about this remarkable scientist, activist and pacifist. We are delighted to partner with Kildare County Council Library Service on this commission - and the graphic novel will be available in library branches throughout the county. Our Place , developed by artists Sinéad McCann and AlanJames Burns in close collaboration with artists supported by Saint John of God Liffey Services will transform our McKenna Gallery into a multisensory, welcoming and inclusive space in July.

We are also busy behind the scenes hosting artist residencies for local writers, musicians and theatre makers. Whether you are joining us for comedy, theatre or music, we hope you enjoy the thrill of a live performance at Riverbank this season.

MEET THE COVER ILLUSTRATOR

Jennifer O’Brien is a multi-disciplinary visual artist. Her work explores enchanted interpretations of nature. Exploring many modes of storytelling is the central theme within her practice: sensory story, nonlinguistic narrative & interactive illustration. Jen brings these methods into her practice as an educator working with museums, schools, cultural organisations, & communities nationwide.

Caroline, Alex, Theresa, Helen and the Riverbank team

APRIL MAY

JUNE

OUR OTHER WORK

ARTIST SUPPORT

We are delighted to be a supporting partner of Meitheal, an initiative by Branar: Téatar do Pháistí. Meitheal is committed to the development, creation and presentation of performing arts for young audiences across Ireland. Throughout 2023, Riverbank Arts Centre will present and support several artists on the Meitheal programme.  In addition, we are thrilled to host a year-long residency for emerging producer Caoimhe Whelan, supported by a Meitheal bursary - welcome to the Riverbank team, Caoimhe!   Devised and initiated by Branar, Meitheal is a pilot scheme funded by the Arts Council.

Supporting artists and the creation of work is a central activity at Riverbank Arts Centre. We are happy to support a residency by Newbridge writer Susan Connolly, to develop her new play Bring Them In, based on her first-hand experience of Goldenbridge Industrial School in the 1960s and 1970s. Susan will work with Noelle Brown (dramaturg) and a group of actors during her week- long residency in July. This residency is supported by Kildare County Council Arts Service and Riverbank Arts Centre.

We are partnering with Improvised Music Company (IMC) on a NAVIGATOR jazz residency programme. This programme is to assist in creating new work, new interactions, new collaborations, while also deepening artists' sense of place and space. We are thrilled to announce that CV Lunny will be our NAVIGATOR artist in Summer/Autumn. During their Navigator residence, CV Lunny will be developing opera with improvised elements, while exploring themes of home, connection and care, and sharing improvisation and processbased art participation within the local area.

OUR OTHER WORK

OUTREACH ACTIVITIES FIGHTING WORDS

Riverbank Arts Centre is the Kildare Partner of Fighting Words. We present creative writing workshops for primary and secondary schools. We are happy to say we are now presenting workshops in the venue once again, led by Pierina Campbell and new Irish language workshops hosted by Seirce Mhac Conghaile. Fighting Words workshops are always free of charge to the participants.

LIVE NETWORK

Riverbank Arts Centre is a member of the LIVE Network -  a literary network that was established in 2018.  The LIVE venues work together to develop literature and audiences for literature through programmed events, collaborations, tours and workshops.

This spring Riverbank will deliver several literary projects in association with LIVE Network including Give a Poem, Get a Poem led by Kildare poet Darren Donohue with Kilberry National School, where young people learn about writing poetry and transcribe their original poems into specially made cards.

NETWORK FOR EXTRAORDINARY AUDIENCES

We are delighted to partner with Anna Newell Theatre Adventures to present Sing Me to the Sea at Enable Naas in July. Sing Me to the Sea is an immersive multi-sensory adventure for children and young people with complex needs. It is performed in hydro pools with three audience members per show, each with an adult companion – with everyone in the water! This presentation is part of the Network for Extraordinary Audiences, of which Riverbank Arts Centre is proud to be a partner.

KATHLEEN LONSDALE

AN EXHIBITION BY MAEVE CLANCY

Friday 24th March - Saturday 1st July

Children’s Gallery

Admission Free

VISUAL ARTS

Artist Maeve Clancy presents the working life of Newbridge-born scientist Kathleen Lonsdale (1903-1971) through an immersive cut paper installation. The paper is combined with drawings, lighting and animation designed to take the visitor out of their world and into the extraordinary mind of Kathleen Lonsdale.

The installation will allow audiences to follow this pioneer’s discoveries and scientific process, while looking at Lonsdale’s education, working life and achievements in science. Kathleen Lonsdale was an eminent scientist who helped to develop the science of crystallography, with many important discoveries along the way. One of those discoveries, and probably what is considered her best known find, was conclusive proof that the Benzene ring had a flat planar structure.

In addition to the exhibition, Maeve Clancy has created a graphic novel charting the remarkable life and achievements of Kathleen Lonsdale. This is available free from Riverbank Arts Centre, or through Kildare County Council Library Service.

About the artist

Maeve Clancy is an artist who works in cut paper, drawing and story. She creates immersive exhibitions, writes and draws comic books and designs sets for theatre and TV.

Commissioned by Riverbank Arts Centre and Kildare County Council Library Service.

FINDING FORM: SELECTED WORKS FROM KILDARE’S MUNICIPAL ART COLLECTION

Friday 21st April - Saturday 27th May

McKenna Gallery

Admission Free

VISUAL ARTS

Come along and explore artwork from Kildare County Council’s Municipal Art Collection (MAC) established in the 1970’s. The collection normally displayed in public buildings across the county, has been revisited, and a selection of work has been especially curated for this exhibition.

A municipal collection is a body that is in the process of becoming and so, is not easily defined. The works chosen from the collection echo this feeling of flux, of taking form, the momentary becoming monumental through time and context and medium. Included among the selection are artworks by Niamh O’Malley, Isabel Nolan, Gillian Lawler, Shane Hynan, Emma Stroude, John Minihan, Seán Cotter, Rebecca Peart, John Behan, James Nolan, Derek A Fitzsimons and Dominic Turner.

This exhibition has been curated by Paula Barrett, the newest member of our Kildare Arts Service team. “This has been a great opportunity to get to know the works in the Kildare MAC, to take time to reflect on the purchasing policy and what it means to care for and interpret a municipal collection.”

Official opening – Friday 21st April, 6.30pm

Panel Discussion chaired by Cristín Leach - Thursday, 11th May, 7pm

Finding Form Workshop - Thursday, 25th May, 7pm (for adults)

Bread by Derek A. Fitzsimons

ages 7-9

WORKSHOP

DESIGN MANGA CHARACTERS

WITH AMY LOUISE O’ CALLAGHAN

Saturday 29 th April, 10am

Tickets €10

Seen in Pokémon, Studio Ghibli films and much more, Japanese manga and anime are well-known for their particular style, including big, expressive eyes, creative hairstyles and playful character design. In this introductory workshop, participants will be shown how to draw “anime” style, including heads and faces, different expressions and colouring tips. In the end, they will be able to draw themselves as an anime character.

Duration: 60 minutes, suitable for 7-9 years

WORKSHOP

MANGA COMIC BOOK WORKSHOP

WITH AMY LOUISE O' CALLAGHAN

Saturday 29 th April, 11:30am

Tickets €12

ages 10-12

WORKSHOP

Comics and manga are a fun and creative way to tell a story, exercising your skills in both drawing and writing. In this workshop, participants will be introduced to the world of comics, including character design, idea generation and storytelling, as well as how to use panels, sound effects and other useful tips for telling your story, with the aim to create a simple 1-2-page comic.

Duration: 90 mins, suitable for 10-12 years.

Amy Louise O’Callaghan is an illustrator from Cork and currently based in Dublin. She is best known for her interpretations of Irish culture and mythology, heavily inspired by her love of anime, magic and fantasy. Her most recently finished project is a 22-card Major Arcana Tarot set, based around Irish myths and legends, as well the comic Feathers, a retelling of The Children of Lir.

FAMILY CINEMA

BELLE

Saturday 29 th April, 2pm

Tickets €4

Suzu is a 17-year-old high school student living in a rural village with her father. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. One day, she enters “U,” a virtual world of 5 billion members on the internet. There, she is not Suzu anymore but Belle, a worldfamous singer. She soon meets with a mysterious creature. Together, they embark on a journey of adventures, challenges and love, in their quest of becoming who they truly are.

YOUTH THEATRE

KILDARE YOUTH THEATRE PRESENTS

HAMLET BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Wednesday 3 rd – Friday 5 th May, 7pm

Tickets €10/€6

Featuring a cast of young people from Kildare schools who are studying the play. They are joined by young volunteers from abroad, making it a truly multicultural production.

Kildare Youth Theatre is a project of Crooked House Theatre Company. Each May they stage a play by Shakespeare, usually the text that is prescribed for current 5th years for their Leaving Certificate.

This production emphasises the zealous nature of Hamlet’s quest to be the ‘scourge and minister’ of the age. He is a fundamentalist, bent on setting the world ‘right’ and damning Claudius’ soul to Hell. In this sense, Hamlet really is mentally ill, and not in the way that he pretends to be.

Directed by Peter Hussey

Directed by Mamoru Hosoda | 121 mins | Cert PG

WORKSHOP

SEAN - NÓS WORKSHOP

WITH INNI - K

Saturday 6th May, 11am

Tickets €10

Join Eithne Ní Chatháin (Inni-K) for this interactive, fun 1.5 hour workshop in sean-nós and traditional singing, where Eithne will teach two songs - one in Irish and one in English in her characteristic informal, welcoming and informative manner.

No previous experience required. Lyrics will be provided. Fáilte roimh gach éinne/Everyone welcome.

Note: Ní gá Gaeilge líofa a bheith agat le páirt a ghlacadh, ach suim a bheith agat sa teanga agus in amhrán a fhoghlaim/Fluency in Irish is not necessary to participate, just an interest in the language and an interest in learning a song.

INNI - K

Saturday 6 th May, 8pm

Tickets €20/€18

MUSIC

Inni-K ’s music draws on her extensive background in folk and traditional Irish music, even as she ventures into new musical territories. Her original songwriting (The Hare & the Line and The King has Two Horse’s Ears), combines ethereal vocals with deft musicianship, evocative lyrics and a unique approach to song-writing. Inni-K’s highly celebrated third studio album Iníon, released in 2022 is a contemporary sean-nós album.

Inni-K and her highly skilled band will be performing material from her latest album Iníon as well as her original song-writing from The Hare & the Line (2019) and The King has Two Horse’s Ears (2015) for this special show.

ages 1-3

ARMAGEDDON TIME

Monday 8 th May, 8pm

CINEMA

Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

New York City, 1980. Paul is a middle-class JewishAmerican boy who dreams of being an artist, much to the disapproval of his strict parents Esther and Irving. As a new school year starts, Paul befriends Johnny - the only Black student in his class. Their friendship solidifies as they repeatedly find themselves getting into trouble at school. However, both boys learn difficult lessons about inequality and privilege when social workers come searching for Johnny.

James Gray’s (The Lost City of Z ) new film is a semiautobiographical tale that looks back on the past with a mix of sadness, nostalgia and self-reflection. It’s perfectly cast, with superb performances from Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong and Anthony Hopkins, as well as from young Banks Repeta and Jaylin Webb.

EARLY YEARS

MUSIC & SENSORY PLAY

WITH CATHERINE HARTNETT

Wednesday 10th May, 10.30am

Wednesday 21st June, 10.30am

Tickets €10 (toddler & adult)

Music and sensory play session for toddlers aged 1 to 3 years and parents/guardians, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Toddlers will be given the opportunity to learn through music, movement and play, and explore different textures and sounds. This class led by music teacher Catherine Hartnett promotes adult-child interaction as well as interactions between children. Dance, sing, listen, learn and play with musical instruments, scarves, mirrors, parachutes and more!

Catherine Hartnett is a music teacher with experience of working with children of all ages.

Duration 60 minutes

Directed by James Gray | 115 mins | Cert 15A

COUNTRY & IRISH BY PATRICK MCCABE

Wednesday 10 th May, 8pm

Tickets €18/€16

Peter Gowen takes the lead in Patrick McCabe’s Beckettesque one-man show.

Meet Donie Burris, who overcomes his troubles (which include his treacherous girlfriend, his overbearing Mum and the Midford Mafia) by imagining himself as “The star of his own gangster movie”.

Country and Irish is essentially the story of a man at the end of his tether who sets out to tell a story like no other; none you’ve ever heard before.

Directed by Conor Hanratty, McCabe’s triumphant theatrical display has been picking up rave reviews and great enthusiastic audience response.

MUSIC

MUSIC NETWORK PRESENTS LIZ KNOWLES, NIWEL TSUMBU & NIALL VALLELY

Friday 12 th May, 8pm

Tickets €18/€15

Three musicians, multiple traditions and an abundance of talent would be one way to describe the specially curated powerhouse ensemble of Knowles, Tsumbu and Vallely.

Genre-bending and label-defying would be another, and this trio will immerse listeners in the striking melodies, beautiful harmonies, and deep rhythmic grooves that result from their collaborative onstage joie de vivre. Bringing together stellar hardingfele and fiddle player Liz Knowles from Kentucky, masterfully elegant Congolese guitarist-vocalist Niwel Tsumbu, and Irish concertina master and prolific composer Niall Vallely, you can hear the cross-cultural counterpoint that results from their uniquely expressive musicmaking underpinned by the common ground of their shared artistic vision.

Presented by Fight2Flight Theatre in association with Smock Alley Theatre.

STRONGWOMEN SCIENCE

Saturday 13 th May, 2pm

Tickets €10/€32 (family of 4)

StrongWomen Science is a circus science show for children and families starring two women scientists turned circus performers. Aoife Raleigh is an engineer, Maria Corcoran an environmental scientist.

Ever wanted to know how you balance a chair on your chin, if you can juggle liquid, or how circus performers eat fire? StrongWomen Aoife and Maria reveal the scientific secrets behind their astounding tricks. In a fun, lively and fast-paced family circus performance, find out how jugglers, acrobats and hula hoop artists use science to create their amazing acts.

KATHLEEN LONSDALE: A LIFE

BY MAEVE CLANCY

Commissioned by Riverbank Arts Centre and Kildare County Council Library Service.

Available free of charge from Riverbank Arts Centre and Kildare Library branches while stocks last!

DEIRDRE O’KANE – DEMENTED

Saturday 13 th May, 8pm

Tickets €22

There’s a point beyond burnout where all you can do is laugh, and funny woman Deirdre O’Kane has well and truly reached it. Deirdre returns to Riverbank with her sell-out show Demented.

“Unique star quality.” – The Guardian

"O’Kane dazzles the audience from start to finish’" - List.

"O’Kane quickly sets up a rhythm of her own and when she exits, applause follows her all the way down the street" - Scotsman.

CINEMA

THE BEASTS

Monday 15 th May, 8pm

Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

French couple Antoine and Olga have fulfilled their lifelong dream of moving to the Galician countryside to set up their own small farm. Their refusal to sell their land to developers has created tensions with their neighbours, local brothers Xan and Loren, who want the development money for a chance at a new life in the city. Tensions boil over after an act of sabotage leads to increasingly tense and violent confrontations between the neighbours.

Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s engrossing thriller is a slowburn in the best possible way. Aided by remarkably naturalistic performances, this is a methodical film where the tension builds and builds in a manner that’s utterly compelling. It’s no surprise it dominated at Spain’s Goya film awards, where it won in nine categories including Best Film.

Directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen | 137 mins | Cert TBC

INTERACTIVE INSTALLATION

FILMORE!

INTERACTIVE INSTALLATION

Wednesday 17 th May, 5.30pm, 7pm

Thursday 18 th May, 4pm & 5.30pm

Tickets to interactive installation €10

Combo ticket to live gig & installation €15

Filmore! is a transmedia experience consisting of an interactive installation, live performance and online spaces both apparent and otherwise. It tells the story of fictional school Safety Patrol officer Maximus C. Filmore. As to what that story is about, it's up to you to decide. You’ll be asked to revisit a past that never really existed as you try to uncover what happened to Filmore! and why? It’s a murder mystery meets scavenger hunt across digital and physical spaces.

You can investigate at the exhibition and come together to decide at the live gig.

Filmore! is a 2-part experience – see below for the live music performance info.

Please Note: Contains reference to mental health, depictions of violence and the use of smoke machines.

MUSIC

MAX ZANGA PRESENTS FILMORE!

Thursday 18 th May, 8.30pm

Tickets to music performance €10

Combo ticket to live gig & installation €15

Filmore! is the moniker of Irish singer, songwriter, rapper and visual artist Max Zanga (Tebi Rex), leaning into the absurdity of the world today with a strong focus on power and violence using immersive storytelling throughout his music. Max was commissioned by Dublin Fringe Festival to create an installation combining striking visuals and imagery while exploring the complexities of youth and nostalgia using his character Filmore!, which went on to receive the George Fitzmaurice Award for experimental art.

Filmore! is a 2-part experience – see above for the interactive installation info.

Please Note: Contains reference to mental health, depictions of violence and the use of smoke machines.

7TH IRISH MILITARY SEMINAR

Friday 19th - Saturday 20th May 2023

Ireland has a long, proud military tradition. The aim of this seminar is to look at all aspects of Irish military history, drawing chiefly on events and personnel from within our nation’s past. Great episodes in Ireland’s history are intermingled with escapades in far-off places such as Italy, Spain and the Congo.

Topics: The War of Independence, Civil War, Niemba, the Spanish Armada, World War II.

Friday, 19 May

Opening event and book launch: Stand you now for Ireland’s Cause. A biographical dictionary of Co. Kildare republican activists 1913-23, by James Durney, followed by ‘The Peacemakers of Niemba. The full story of the Congo ambush,’ by Tom McCaughren.

Saturday, 20 May

Full day of presentations by renowned authors and historians including Richard Doherty, Tony Gaynor, Francis Kelly, Tomás Mac Conmara and Síobhra Aiken.

Bookshop on site.

Hosted by Kildare County Council and the County Kildare Decade of Commemorations Committee.

Image courtesy of Helen Whiteley

TILL

Monday 22 nd May, 8pm

Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

Till tells the heart-breaking true story of the historic lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till — for whistling at a white woman in Money, Mississippi in 1955 — through the eyes of his mother Mamie Till-Mobley. Till-Mobley becomes a revolutionary by insisting that the world witness the horror of her brutally maimed son’s body in an open casket viewing as an act of defiance against oppression and hate. Told from her perspective and experience Till is a compelling drama exploring a mother’s audacity which became a lightning rod in the Civil Rights Movement.

Danielle Deadwyler’s transfixing performance as a broken woman who finds formidable strength within herself is the beating heart of this powerful, moving film.

MUSIC

FAR EAST SOUNDS

Wednesday 24 th May, 8pm

Tickets €15/€12

Far East Sounds is an interactive and immersive performance featuring works that meld the distinctly different musical languages and cultures of east and west, especially the sound world of the Balinese Gamelan. An interactive video installation projects the richness and biodiverse sounds from the natural landscape of South East Asia, enveloping the performance space. This installation plays an equal role with the performers on stage, prompting musical dialogues, and draws the audience into a realm filled with wild resonances.

Performed by:

Mei Yi Foo piano; Bartosz Woroch violin; Owen Gunnell percussion

Mei Yi Foo is Artist in Residence for 2022-23 at Maynooth University, in collaboration with Kildare County Council Arts Service, Music Generation Kildare and Music Generation Offaly/Westmeath.

Directed by Chinonye Chukwu | 130 mins | Cert 12A

MUSIC

BEALTAINE CONCERT:

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

Thursday 25 th May, 12pm Free Event, booking essential

Past Times Community Choir and Voices of Spring will combine forces for this celebration of friendship and song to mark Bealtaine Festival 2023. Join the choirs as they take you on a musical journey from the 1800’s right up to the 1960’s, presenting the work of Burt Bacharach, The Beatles, Perry Como and lots more along the way.

Supported by KCC Arts Office and based in Naas and Celbridge respectively, Past Times and Voices of Spring are two large intergenerational community choirs with a special welcome for those living with dementia alongside their carers and wider communities. Musical directors Sadhbh O’Sullivan, Eric Hanlon and John O’Neill look forward to welcoming you to what promises to be an uplifting concert!

MUSIC

LISA LAMBE – NIGHTVISITING

Friday 26th May, 8pm

Tickets €22/€20

Internationally acclaimed Irish folk singer Lisa Lambe brings her new project NightVisiting , first commissioned by The National Famine Museum in Strokestown, County Roscommon, to Riverbank Arts Centre.

Lisa collaborates with renowned traditional musicians alongside local contributors to create a unique and bespoke performance at each venue. This performance includes musicians Wayne Sheehy, Tim Doyle and Mike Brookfield.

NightVisiting reconnects us to the social role that night time social house visits once played in our oral traditions and folklore, and in the preservation of our songs and stories from tender love songs to the bawdy, to songs of loss and longing.

NightVisiting is a celebration and a reimagining of those nights of sharing the old songs and stories.

Image credit: ABD Photography

ages 7-9

4- PANEL COMIC WORKSHOP

WITH KATE ESCOLIN

Saturday 27th May, 10am

Tickets €10

There are hidden storytellers among us! But many kids have the same dilemma that professional writers face when confronted by a blank sheet of paper- “I don’t know what to write!” Encouraging kids to write is no easy feat. What makes comics a great fit for young storytellers is that they require only a few simple things to get started: a pencil, paper, and a basic understanding of important comic elements. A four-panel comic strip is like a fun but simple writing exercise in disguise.

In this 90-minute workshop they will be introduced to the key basics on how to create their own classic comic strip from beginning to middle to end.

Suitable for 7-9 years old. All materials provided.

WORKSHOP

ZINES ARE COOL! WORKSHOP

WITH KATE ESCOLIN

Saturday 27th May, 12pm

Tickets €10

A whizz-bang introduction to zines, the little booklets that could. In this 90-minute workshop you’ll be learning to make your own 8 page folded zine, bringing your own idea to life.

Discover the world of zine making. A Zine (like magazine) is a handmade publication or mini book that you make yourself with a focus on being low-cost to make and produce and can be about almost anything. If you know about it, you can make a zine about it.

ages 10-12

Each participant will go away with their own zine, a how-to fold worksheet and hopefully a new love for zine making!

All materials provided. 10-12 years old

Kate Escolin is an illustrator and comic artist based in Newbridge. Along with her illustrations she is most notably known for her colourful four panelled comics that focus on her life, conversations with friends and her experiences with the world around her. Kate is also a member of the Dublin Comic Arts Festival and comic seller at Little Deer Comics where she hosts workshops for all ages.

JOHN B. KEANE’S THE MATCHMAKER

Saturday 27 th May, 8pm Tickets €25/€23

One of Ireland’s leading dramatic actresses Norma Sheahan joins Jon Kenny (who was part of the Irish comic duo d’Unbelievables with Pat Shortt) for John B. Keane’s The Matchmaker Together they play a myriad of characters in this hilarious and earthy dramatic comedy.

The play follows the efforts of Dicky Mick Dicky O'Connor to make matches for the lonely and lovelorn. Using his inimitable way with words and his sense of “devilment” and wit, Keane delves into the longings, hungers, fears and foibles of this collection of lonely country people and creates a marvellously colourful world, taking us back to a simpler time, when phones were few and far between and the only web was one left behind by spiders.

LOCAL ARTS

NEWBRIDGE DRAMA GROUP PRESENTS THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING

EARNEST BY OSCAR WILDE

Wednesday 31st May – Saturday 3rd June, 8pm Tickets €15/€12

Newbridge Drama Group are delighted to return to Riverbank Arts Centre to present Oscar Wilde's best loved play this Summer - filled as it is with sparkling comedy, both in words and situation. The language, which is sometimes drily acidic and at other times startlingly apt, combined with absurd and hilarious situations make this play an unforgettable and heart-warming experience. The director is blessed with a superb cast for this wonderful play and all involved are looking forward to doing justice to the wonderful wit of Oscar Wilde.

Directed by Arthur Burke.

KILDARE ART COLLECTIVE

McKenna Gallery

Friday 2 nd June – Saturday 1 st July

Admission Free

VISUAL ARTS

Kildare Art Collective return to the McKenna Gallery in June as part of June Fest with a group exhibition featuring the work of 15 collective members.

Unseen reveals what we generally do not, or cannot, see. This prompts us to question the invisible, the obscured and the unnoticed.

In this exhibition Kildare Art Collective take their work to a variety of fascinating places.

Addressing themes such as faith, philosophy, identity, time and memory this exhibition shines a light on the unseen. It explores the unnoticed, hidden or obscured and provides a view beneath the surface to another perspective. Unseen simultaneously refers to the limitations of our visual perceptions and also addresses observations that can transcend our everyday familiar experiences.

What can we see in ‘Unseen’? Quite a lot, as it happens!

Official opening Saturday 3rd June, 5pm. All welcome!

Image by Holly Delaney

CARDING WITH KEITH

Saturday 3 rd June, 11am

Tickets €15

Join Keith Walsh for a workshop of card-making and mindfulness. Rediscover the joy and fun of drawing, colouring and writing, while creating original cards for yourself and for loved ones.

Over this 90-minute workshop, you can take time out to think about yourself and your life, and meet new people in a friendly environment.

Suitable for grown-ups of all ages, no art or drawing experience is necessary. All art materials provided. Keith Walsh is a Radio & TV Broadcaster and writer. Previously the lead anchor on RTÉ 2FM’s Early Morning Breakfast Show Breakfast Republic, Keith wrote his first play Pure Mental, which toured to 16 venues over 4 weeks in 2021 produced by Riverbank Arts Centre.

LOCAL ARTS

FEST PRESENTS A PARLOUR EVENING WITH FRIENDS

JUNE

Sunday 4th June, 8pm

Tickets €10

All funds raised on the night will go to Newbridge Day Care Centre & Meals on Wheels.

Let our local artists entertain you with an evening of music, drama, poetry & song. Featuring Eimear Dempsey, Nicky Keogh, Aoise Dempsey & Stephen Connelly, Frankie Lane, Pud Barrett, Con Cummins, Conor Mahony & Alan Fitzgerald, Roisín McAlinden, Maria McDonald, Mary Linehan and Martin Connelly.

June Fest takes place in a range of venues from Friday 2nd to Monday 5th June – for the full programme see their website www.junefest.ie

Photo by Martin Connelly

YOUTH THEATRE

Kildare Youth Theatre THE INDIGO COLLECTIVE

Tuesday 6 th June, 8pm Free event, booking essential

The Indigo Collective is a group of young people from Kildare who make theatre about LGBTQI+ identity. They have met weekly since January, exploring issues that concern them, and using narrative and theatre-making forms developed by artists Peter Hussey and Casey Hallahan. The performance forms part of an international project called Prism created by Crooked House Theatre. All week young people from around Europe are meeting to make theatre and explore how to be in solidarity with other young people from countries where being LGBTQI+ is problematic at best, and dangerous at worst.

The Indigo Collective is supported by funding from The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

THEATRE

DECADENT THEATRE PRESENTS FROM A LOW AND QUIET SEA

Thursday 8 th & Friday 9 th June, 8pm Tickets €20/€18

Adapted for the stage from Donal Ryan’s acclaimed, Booker Prize-nominated novel.

Four souls. Each searching for something they have lost. Each trying to make sense of the road they have chosen.

For Farouk, family is all.

Lampy is distracted.

For John, the game was always the lifeblood coursing through his veins.

Florence’s son is acting differently which forces her to look for answers, but she is afraid of the truth that lies within herself.

Four characters, four lost souls, searching for a version of home.

Adapted by Donal Ryan, the cast and Andrew Flynn. Directed by Andrew Flynn.

Cruinniú na nÓg:

Cruinniú na nÓg is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme’s Creative Youth Plan to enable the creative potential of children and young people. Now in its fifth year Cruinniú na nÓg is a day of free activity for children and young people.

FAMILY WORKSHOP

FAMILY DRUMMING WORKSHOP

10am

Enjoy the energy of Group drumming in a friendly Group environment with Jabba Jabba Jembe!

This interactive workshop is family friendly allowing all ages to learn and play a vast range of Drums and Percussion instruments. Learn about the origins of the instruments, how to play rhythms with your body and voice, discover rhythms from across the globe.

All instruments are supplied for this event and no previous experience is needed to enjoy this event. This is an event for the whole family (children must be accompanied by an adult!)

FAMILY WORKSHOP

ages 3-7

MOVING WORDS –

FAMILY STORY & DANCE WORKSHOP

12.30pm, 1.30pm & 2.30pm

moving words is a story-time workshop with live dance performance for early years that combines dance & the reading of a selected picture book. ‘moving words’ aims to bring children closer to reading and dancing.

FAMILY WORKSHOP

CBI BOOK CLINIC

12pm - 3pm

Are you a young reader? Looking for a new series to delve into? Feeling uninspired by your bookshelves at home? Then pop along to Children’s Books

Ireland Book Clinic! Chat to the Book Doctor, consult on your favourite reads and leave with a prescription for your next book which you can take to your local bookshop or library!

Cruinniú na nÓg events will take place on Saturday 10th June. All events are free, booking is essential!

SELMA DANIEL & LITTLE LION

DANCE THEATRE PRESENTS

MUSIC

SHARON SHANNON

Saturday 10 th June, 8pm

Tickets €31

In June 1989 Sharon was rehearsing and demoing tracks for her first album, when she was whisked away to Glastonbury festival with The Waterboys. In the 30 years that have elapsed since then, Sharon has recorded 10 studio albums; 5 live albums, 4 best of compilations and 3 live concert DVDs.

She has received many awards including being the youngest ever recipient of the Meteor Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. She has collaborated, recorded and toured with everyone from Willie Nelson, Bono, Shane MacGowan and John Prine to Nigel Kennedy and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and had many hit records including The Galway Girl with Steve Earle, It's Christmastime Again with Wallis Bird and Go Tell the Devil with Imelda May.

CINEMA

EO

Monday 12 th June, 8pm

Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

EO is a grey donkey, living in a travelling circus where he performs alongside his beloved owner Sandra. But when circumstances outside of his control separate him from his mistress and the only life he has ever known, EO begins an adventurous journey through the modern European countryside. Along the way he has many encounters and experiences …

Unfolding through a series of vignettes and intermittently told from EO’s innocent viewpoint, 84-year old Polish writer-director Jerzy Skolimowski (Deep End, The Shout) exploits stunning cinematography and immersive sound design to create a bold, poetic fable-like story examining the ambiguous world we live in. The film was recently named 2022’s Best International Feature by the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle.

Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski | 88 mins | Cert 15A

ages 3-5

MUSIC

MUSIC NETWORK PRESENTS

LINDA MAY HAN OH & FABIAN ALMAZAN

Thursday 15th June, 8pm

Tickets €18/€15

The lingering days of midsummer will be the perfect time to delight in the music of two leading jazz artists of our time: Malaysian-Australian bassist Linda May Han Oh and pianist Fabian Almazan. Almazan draws profound inspiration from his Cuban heritage, its natural environment, and his musical training in jazz and classical idioms—by bringing this together with Oh’s prodigiously gifted bass-playing and compositional talent, the result is a recipe for awe-inspiring musical brilliance. Displaying musical sensitivity and audacity in perfect proportion, these two players deliver an impeccably paired and unforgettable musical experience this June.

EARLY YEARS

FLIP

Saturday 17th June, 11am & 1pm

Tickets: €8/€28 (family 0f 4 ticket)

Like children raging over the playground, that’s how the performers of Flip storm the stage… What follows is a whirling, twirling, tumbling, rumbling, jumping and flipping stream of playful necessity. Flip is an unstoppable ode to playing and connecting with each other. A performance full of movement, rhythm and beautiful chaos for children and grown-ups who can’t keep still…

FLIP is a dance performance for everyone 3+

FLIP received a YPCE Project Award from the Arts Council. Mónica Muñoz is supported by Branar Meitheal 2022-23.

ages 0-12m

MUSIC

ANTON JABLOKOV WITH STEFANO MOCETTI

WITH SPECIAL GUEST VLADIMIR JABLOKOV

Saturday 17 th June, 8pm

Tickets: €32/€30

Join violin sensation Anton Jablokov as he returns to Riverbank Arts Centre for a memorable performance with Swiss guitarist Stefano Mocetti. This unique fusion of blending violin and guitar in classical, traditional, and jazz music makes this duo truly dynamic.

The concert will include Spanish Dance - De Falla, Asturias, Hungarian Dance no 5, Danny Boy and Brazilian Song - Tico Tico No Fuba.

Featuring special guest Vladimir Jablokov on violin.

EARLY YEARS

BABYLOVESMUSIC

Monday 19th & Tuesday 20th June, Various Times

Tickets: €10 (baby & adult)

BabyLovesMusic is a unique concert for babies.

BabyLovesMusic is an informal concert for babies aged 0-12 months and their carers featuring four award-winning musicians – Tim Doyle, Kate Hearne, Anna Newell, and Eamon Sweeney – with musical arrangements by Malachy Robinson, of the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

An eclectic musical journey with a distinctly Irish feel, BabyLovesMusic features a rich variety of instruments including guitar, cello, accordion, fiddle, uilleann pipes, treble recorder, and lots more.

Supported by the Arts Council Touring Award.

PRIDE SCREENING

BLUE JEAN

Monday 19 th June, 8pm

Tickets : €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

England, 1988. New education laws from Thatcher’s government threaten to further stigmatise homosexuality. Jean, recently divorced, is now in a happy relationship with her girlfriend Viv. Jean works as a PE teacher in a secondary school, but there she keeps her sexuality a secret. However, everything changes for her after she’s spotted by a student at a local gay bar.

Georgia Oakley’s award-winning debut feature is a moving coming out story and a reminder of the challenges the gay community faced just a generation ago (and, in many cases, still do today). Rosy McEwen is revelatory as Jean. Her performance is restrained yet expressive, and is further enhanced thanks to excellent support from Kerrie Hayes and newcomer Lucy Halliday.

by

LOCAL ARTS

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

Thursday 22 nd – Saturday 24 th June, 8pm

Tickets €15/€12

Set in the 1980s, Doreen and Peter have just moved into a rundown suburban apartment and finances are at an all-time low. But when Peter brings home a stranger who suddenly dies in their home, Doreen concocts a scam to pretend it is Peter who has died so they can claim the insurance money from his death. But things don’t go according to plan as their secret is exposed to an array of unusual characters who also want in on a piece of the action. But what are the odds of them getting away with it?

An hilarious two act comedy with intriguing dialogue and fast paced action!

Written and Directed by Dave Tiernan.

RIFF RAFF DRAMA GROUP PRESENTS

Directed

Georgia Oakley | 97 mins | Cert 15A

ages 8-12

MAKE A FLIP BOOK ANIMATION WORKSHOP

Saturday 24 th June, 10:30am

Tickets €12

Flip books are ideal for those interested in drawing and animation. You will learn how to use the basic principles of hand drawn animation to make your own stick-figure adventure.

The workshop is a mixture of live demonstrations, easy to follow drawing guides and practical handson creativity.

All materials are provided and you get to take your flip book home with you.

Joseph Orr is an award-winning stop motion animator with over 8 years of experience producing short films and delivering animation workshops around the country.

THE FABELMANS

Monday 26 th June, 8pm

Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

New Jersey, 1952. Sammy Fabelman is the young son of Mitzi (Michelle Williams) and Burt (Paul Dano).

A trip to a Cecil B. DeMille movie is a transformative experience for Sammy, and his parents encourage him to start making 8mm home movies. As the years pass, Sammy’s filmmaking ambitions continue to grow… but he also starts noticing some troubling cracks in his parents’ marriage.

Now a half century into his extraordinary career, Steven Spielberg tells some of his own life story in The Fabelmans. He directly draws on his own experiences growing up – particularly his relationships with his parents – for this deeply personal film. It’s masterfully directed and packed with great performances, including some delightful supporting and cameo appearances.

Directed by Steven Spielberg | 151 mins | Cert 12A

ages

LOCAL ARTS

GRIESE YOUTH THEATRE PRESENT DOUBLE BILL

Friday 30 th June – Saturday 1 st July , 7pm Tickets €12/€6

Griese Youth Theatre are delighted to be back on Riverbank’s stage with four different plays, including a work in progress for Brigid 1500.

Mystery, love, excitement and all things youthful and theatrical!

June 30th Double Bill at 7pm.

July 1st Double Bill at 7pm (suitable 12+)

This production has been supported by Youth Theatre Ireland’s Playshare and Perform YT Schemes. For more information please visit www.youththeatre.ie

SUMMER CAMP

SONGWRITING SUMMER CAMP WITH MEGAN O’NEILL

Monday 3 rd – Friday 7 th July, 10am-2pm Tickets €120

Back by popular demand!

Chart topping and multi award-winning singersongwriter Megan O’Neill is hosting a week long musical workshop for young people aged 9-12 years exploring song-writing, lyric writing, collaborating and performance.

Each student will write at least one full song in these four days (although some will write more) and there will be the option to design your own artwork and record your song towards the end of the workshop. On the last day (Friday 15th July) there will be a live performance where parents and friends will be invited and students can perform one of their own original songs live for the audience.

Please bring a packed lunch each day!

ages 8-12

ROUTE 66 BIG BAND

Saturday 8th July, 8pm

Tickets €20/€18

MUSIC

Route 66 is a 16-piece Big Band with a big sound! Route 66 makes a very welcome return to Riverbank Arts Centre, bringing their unique mix of music which has proved a huge success in theatres all over Ireland. Fronted by a male and female singer and with a mix of brass, saxes and rhythm, Route 66 produces a fabulous sound. Their programme, which includes numbers made famous by Adele, Frank Sinatra, Amy Winehouse, Tom Jones plus many more, will have you calling for more at the end of the show. Expect a great night’s entertainment from this fabulous live band!

SUMMER CAMP

BRICKFLICKS SUMMER CAMP

Monday 10 th July – Friday 14 th July

Tickets €120

In this special BrickFlicks Stop Motion Animation Camp, learn all the basics of how to animate in stop motion using your favourite LEGO character. Shoot spells, fight superheroes, blast rockets or fall through portals, use your imagination to make your very own movies. With plenty of hands-on learning and simple demonstrations, Createschool will take you on a journey from having a cool idea to making it into an awesome movie. You will learn the different elements of stop motion animation as well as how to create a set, storyboard and plan for your movie, which you will then film, edit, and record.

Suitable for 8-12 years

YOUTH THEATRE

KILDARE YOUTH THEATRE DOUBLE BILL

Monday 10 th July, 7pm

Tickets €8

The Leaving by Tom Swift.

This is a play about the impact of excessive drinking on a group of teenagers at a pivotal stage in their lives.

Directed by Sinead Mooney.

Citizenship by Mark Ravenhill

Citizenship brings us two teenagers, Tom and Amy, who are both exploring their identity and trying to find out who they are. They both want to be loved. Tom thinks he might be gay, but is unsure. And Amy wants someone to love.

Directed by Abdelmoneim Nassef.

Both plays contain sexual references, and mild swear words.

WORKSHOPS

CREATIVE WRITING SUMMER CAMP

WITH EMMA -JANE LEESON

Monday 17 th – Friday 21 st July, 10am-2pm

Tickets €120

Creative Writing Summer Camp for 7-13 year olds. Learn how to write your own book in this 5-day camp hosted by Kildare author Emma-Jane Leeson. The camp will help students to develop their writing skills and to explore their love of writing in a fun, creative, encouraging environment.

Emma-Jane Leeson is the author of the Johnny Magory book series for children.

OUR PLACE

McKenna Gallery

Friday 14th – Friday 28th July

Admission Free

VISUAL ARTS

Our Place, playfully explores themes of happiness, human rights, and a sense of belonging by transforming the McKenna Gallery at Riverbank Arts Centre into a friendly multi-sensory environment through an electric combination of sound art, storytelling, tactile lighting, touchable sculptures and comfy seating for everyone to enjoy.

A soundscape will play through a system of 12 audio speakers in the gallery with adjustable volume. To further enhance this experience for everyone, three distinct sensory areas within the gallery space will be created including; a social seating area, a time out area, and a tactile string lighting and sculptural area. Lámh, braille and captioned descriptions of sound works will be available. A full breakdown of all accessible measures will be available on our website closer to the exhibition.

So come along to Our Place and listen to our sound art! Everyone is welcome.

Our Place is a new exhibition developed by artists Sinéad McCann and AlanJames Burns in close collaboration with artists, who are supported by Saint John of God Liffey Services, Aíne Walsh, David Carter, Keith Whelan, Laura Hickey, Aidan Winters, Conor Begley, David Carter, David Deane, Frances Quinn, Jonathan Smith, Niamh Fortune and Sean Winder. All creative decisions and ideas leading to the exhibition design were informed by collaborative workshops with all collaborators, including during a two-week residency in Riverbank Arts Centre in February 2023, funded by the Arts Council of Ireland Artist in Community Scheme, managed by Create Ireland.

Our Place is supported by Kildare’s Creative Ireland bursary awards 2023

YOUTH THEATRE

MOUTH OFF

Friday 25 th August, 7pm

Free Event

Mouth Off is an international youth theatre project between Crooked House and FOCO, Spain. It is funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

Twenty-four young people will spend one week working together to explore how to use various theatre methods in the service of making theatre to challenge hate speech and fake news.

This performance is a showcase of their work, an interactive performance created in a few days, followed by a discussion with the audience. All are welcome to attend.

Gift Vouchers

The perfect gift for the music, theatre or cinema fan in your life!

We have vouchers for:

Riverbank Arts Centre Gift Vouchers are valid for all event tickets and can be redeemed online or by phone/in person through our Box Office.

Ideal for birthdays, or as thank you gift, let someone pick their own perfect present of a night out to see their favourite band, a cinema date or family ticket to the theatre.

SCHOOL EVENTS SCHOOL EVENTS

BRING YOUR CLASS TO RIVERBANK!

Riverbank Arts Centre works closely with Irish and International companies, artists and co-producing partners to present work particularly suited to schools, and to students of all abilities. We are happy to welcome 6000 pupils to our venue each year for performances, screenings, gallery tours and workshops.

We offer tours of our exhibitions for primary and post-primary students, and engagement materials for all ages. This season we are offering primary school gallery tours for Kathleen Lonsdale by Maeve Clancy (p.8). Artist Maeve Clancy will also host an Artist Talk (p.38) for 5th & 6th Class students – this is a free event, booking is essential!

For post-primary we are offering TY & LC gallery visits for Finding Form: Selected Works from Kildare’s Municipal Art Collection (p.9). In addition to guided tours we will also be offering educational resources.

Guided gallery tours are free of charge and must be booked in advance.

This season artist Maeve Clancy will host a CPD day at Riverbank Arts Centre where participants will learn how to make a mini-comic, receive an introduction to biographical comics and make their own. Partnering with Kildare County Libraries, this training looks to use techniques from the Kathleen Lonsdale exhibition & book and apply them to any school subject. Please contact the Box Office for

SCHOOL EVENTS SCHOOL EVENTS

MAEVE CLANCY – ARTIST TALK

Thursday 11 th May, 10am

Free Event

Join artist Maeve Clancy for this illustrated talk to learn about how she created her exhibition about the life and work of Newbridge-born crystallographer Kathleen Lonsdale (p.8) and the accompanying graphic novel.

Suitable for 5th & 6th Class

Duration: 60 minutes

The accompanying exhibition Kathleen Lonsdale runs in our Children’s Gallery until Saturday 1st July, admission free. Guided tours are available and can be booked via the Box Office.

STRONGWOMEN SCIENCE

Friday 12 th May, 10:30am & 12:15pm

Tickets €6 (teachers free)

StrongWomen Science is a circus science show for children starring two women scientists turned circus performers. Aoife Raleigh is an engineer, Maria Corcoran an environmental scientist.

Ever wanted to know how you balance a chair on your chin, if you can juggle liquid, or how circus performers eat fire? StrongWomen Aoife and Maria reveal the scientific secrets behind their astounding tricks. In a fun, lively and fast-paced family circus performance, find out how jugglers, acrobats and hula hoop artists use science to create their amazing acts.

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

ages 16+

SCHOOL EVENTS SCHOOL EVENTS

KILDARE YOUTH THEATRE PRESENTS HAMLET BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Wednesday 3 rd – Friday 5 th May, 11am

Tickets €6 (teachers free) THEATRE

Featuring a cast of young people from Kildare schools who are studying the play. They are joined by young volunteers from abroad, making it a truly multicultural production. Kildare Youth Theatre is a project of Crooked House Theatre Company. Each May we stage a play by Shakespeare, usually the text that is prescribed for current 5th years for their Leaving Certificate.

This production emphasises the zealous nature of Hamlet’s quest to be the ‘scourge and minister’ of the age. He is a fundamentalist, bent on setting the world ‘right’ and damning Claudius’ soul to Hell. In this sense, Hamlet really is mentally ill, and not in the way that he pretends to be.

Directed by Peter Hussey

FILMORE!

Wednesday 17 th May, 11am, 12.30pm & 2pm

Thursday 18 th May, 9.30am, 11am & 12.30pm

Tickets €6 (teachers free)

INTERACTIVE INSTALLATION

Filmore! is a transmedia experience consisting of an interactive installation, live performance and online spaces both apparent and otherwise. It tells the story of fictional school Safety Patrol officer Maximus C. Filmore. As to what that story is about, it's up to you to decide. You’ll be asked to revisit a past that never really existed as you try to uncover what happened to Filmore! and why? It’s a murder mystery meets scavenger hunt across digital and physical spaces. You can investigate at the exhibition and come together to decide at the live gig.

Filmore! is a 2-part experience – see p.17 for the live music performance info.

Please Note: Contains reference to mental health, depictions of violence and the use of smoke machines.

SECONDARY SCHOOLS

SCHOOL EVENTS SCHOOL EVENTS

AN CAILÍN CIÚIN

SENIOR CYCLE IRISH

Tuesday 9 th May, 10am

Tickets €6 (teachers free)

CINEMA

Nine-year-old Cáit (Catherine Clinch) is sent by her dysfunctional family to spend the summer with an Aunt and Uncle she has never met before. Through the tender care of her aunt Eibhlín (Carrie Crowley) Cáit finally feels loved and safe. Despite himself, her uncle Seán (Andrew Bennett) forges a bond and for the first time, Cáit experiences the warmth of a loving home. The once quiet Cáit blossoms in their care, but in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one.

DER PFAD / THE PATH

SENIOR CYCLE GERMAN

Tuesday 16 th May, 10am

Tickets €6 (teachers free)

CINEMA

Based on the novel by Rüdiger Bertram and inspired by true events, Der Pfad follows 12-year old Rolf, as he flees Nazi terror alongside his father and dog in 1940. Assisted by young Núria, their route to freedom is the Pyrenees Mountain Range across France and Spain. What follows is a gripping yet heart-warming tale that speaks on ever-relevant issues of fleeing war and persecution, as two young people learn to support and rely on one another for help.

THE LAW OF THE SEA / MEDITERRÁNEO

SENIOR CYCLE SPANISH

Tuesday 23 rd May, 10am

Tickets €6 (teachers free)

CINEMA

As he learns of the growing humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Mediterranean Sea, Spanish lifeguard Òscar Camps decides to head to the Greek island of Lesbos along with his reluctant colleague Gerard. Once on the island, they’re faced with the enormity of the situation. With limited resources, the pair struggle to do what they can to help the continued stream of people arriving, working against determined people smugglers and inert local coastguards. Contains dramatised scenes of rescue from refugee crisis and one scene of childbirth.

SECONDARY SCHOOLS

COMING NEXT SEASON

THEATRE

SEAMUS O’ROURKE

THE BALLAD OF MOSSY FLOOD

Saturday 16 th September, 8pm Tickets €18/€16

FAMILY

JOE THE MAGICIAN PRESENTS

IT'S MAGIC

Sunday 17 th September, 2pm

Tickets €15/€55 (family of 4)

ANNE GILDEA

COMEDY

HOW TO GET THE MENOPAUSE AND ENJOY IT

Saturday 23 rd September, 8pm Tickets €22

MUSIC

THE ENNIO MORRICONE EXPERIENCE

Friday 13 th October, 8pm Tickets €22/€20

The Strand Café opened at Riverbank Arts Centre in November 2022 and has fast become popular with Riverbank visitors!

Café visitors can expect freshly-baked sweet offerings, warming soups, flavour-packed sandwiches, hearty porridge and home baked breads, as well as delicious coffee and specially sourced leaf teas. Relying on fresh ingredients, locally sourced and grown where possible, the chefs produce food items from scratch.

The café is open from 9am –4pm Monday to Saturday, and one hour before evening events at Riverbank Arts Centre. Intervals drinks available too, to add to a great night out!

For more details about The Strand Café menu, visit instagram.com/strandcafe_newbridge

We’re very excited to share our new look website which is launching this season. Designed by FUSIO and using customer feedback (we finally have a search-bar!) our new website will be easier to navigate and will feature an Education Portal for Primary and Post-Primary School events.

If you have any comments on our website or booking system, please contact marketing@riverbank.ie

HIGHLIGHT FROM LAST SEASON

In March, we presented Making Waves by Jess Rowell, an immersive multisensory dance theatre performance, designed for children aged 8 to 13 years with mild to more complex needs. Jess and her company hosted workshops at St. Anne’s (The Curragh); St Anne’s NS (Straffan) and Scoil na Naoimh Uillig. Children from these schools and also St Mark’s (Newbridge) came to Riverbank to see this beautiful performance. We also presented integrated family performances – thanks to Jess and company for such a wonderful week.

Making Waves was funded by The Arts Council with support by Draíocht, Blanchardstown, Axis Ballymun, Riverbank Arts Centre & Mermaid Arts Centre, with additional support from Kildare County Council Arts Service. Jess Rowell is supported by Branar Meitheal 2022-2023.

TEAM

VENUE DIRECTOR

Caroline Williams

PROGRAMME MANAGER

Aleksandra Rosiak

INTERIM MARKETING & PR MANAGER

Helen Whiteley

BOX OFFICE & FOH MANAGER

Theresa Davidson

TECHNICAL MANAGER

John Mahon

BOARD

Paul Davis - Chair

Maureen Bergin

Brenda Donohue

Holly Carey

Thomas Hunter McGowan

Teresa Murray

Donnchadh O’Neill

Lucina Russell

NETWORKS

Riverbank Arts Centre is a member of Strollers, Nomad, Shortworks and the Network of Extraordinary Audiences touring networks.

RIVERBANK ARTS CENTRE WORKS WITH THE FOLLOWING NATIONAL PROGRAMME PARTNERS: Fighting Words, access>CINEMA, VMDIFF, Irish Writers’ Centre, Words Ireland, Children’s Books Ireland, The National Gallery, Laureate na nÓg, Youth Theatre Ireland, First Fortnight, Culture Night, Music Network.

FUNDERS

Riverbank Arts Centre acknowledges the financial support of the Arts Council and Kildare County Council. Riverbank Arts Centre CLG Is a registered Charity (20074982) with Revenue Commissioners (CHY 19193)

TECHNICAL ASSISTANT Tom Kennedy BOX OFFICE & MARKETING ASSISTANT Adrasteia Hughes

CURATOR FOR ENGAGEMENT (VISUAL ARTS) Martina McDonald

HEAD USHER Seán Pender

Riverbank Arts Centre

Main Street, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, W12 D962

PHONE: 045 448327

EMAIL: info@riverbank.ie

BOOK ONLINE: www.riverbank.ie

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Riverbank Arts Centre is kindly supported by

Cover Illustration by Jennifer O'Brien Design by DoodleMoose Designs www.doodlemoosedesigns.com