The programme for next month's Belfast Festival at Queen's increases the multicultural emphasis of the past few years and moves the event out of the university area, which has been its traditional base.
Stella Hall, the festival director, has obviously taken note of the success of the city's fledgling Cathedral Quarter festival earlier in the year. In response to audience research, she and her committee have increased the range of performances and programmed events in unusual venues, with three specially commissioned public-art projects and lots of outdoor locations.
The Paint Hall in the docklands is the venue for the festival's most ambitious production, Ryusei - Shooting Stars, a Japanese musical show performed by a cast of 30 from the Osaka-based Ishin-Ha theatre company. The Japanese theme permeates a programme of recitals and opera also, including a performance by the superb pianist Noriko Ogawa. Other musical highlights include the premiere of a piece by Henryk G≤recki, performed by the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the BBC Singers and the organist Charles Harrison.
Indian culture is highlighted in the Diwali project, which includes an exhibition at the new art gallery at Queen's and projections onto the facade of the Lanyon building. Tinderbox and Kabosh theatre companies are joined by Oskaras Korsunovas, the innovative Lithuanian director, who brings his lauded production of A Midsummer Night's Dream to Stranmillis Theatre. Booking for the festival, which runs from October 26th to November 11th, is at 048-90665577 or online, at www.belfastfestival.com
Kildare County Council is the latest local authority to take the initiative in commissioning work from artists. To inaugurate the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge, the council commissioned a dance-theatre performance from dancer-in-residence Cathy O'Kennedy. The show, called Giselle: The Presence Of The Past, has been devised for Fluxusdance in collaboration with Michael Foley Dance (New York) and will be performed on Saturday.
The arts centre, a purpose-built facility with a flexible 200-seat theatre and two gallery spaces, cost £2.4 million, with funds coming from the Department of the Environment and Local Government, the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, the Arts Council and Kildare County Council. It also launches its arts programme on Saturday, with a group exhibition by the Association of Kildare Artists. Further information from 045-433480 or 045-431109
Cork's new centralised box office is having teething problems, writes Mary Leland. The system, which is shared by five of the city's leading venues and funded by a grant of £165,000 from the Arts Council, has had difficulties that Musicals UnLtd, which is producing Oklahoma! at Cork Opera House, claims are affecting ticket sales.
Cork Opera House discovered that permanent ISDN links to each venue were not available, and that leased links had to be used instead. As these wouldn't be available for three weeks, a temporary manual communications system was put in place.
The venture has been planned with the backing of Cork Corporation and is supported by Cork Opera House, the Everyman Palace Theatre, Firkin Crane, the Granary and Triskel Arts Centre. Located at 15 Grand Parade, the Central Box Office incorporates a marketing service that retains patrons' details.
The potential for audience development is one of the system's main attractions for the venues, which are keeping their own offices open from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. but otherwise direct customers and telephone queries to the CBO. Bookings are taken from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 021-4543210 or 021-4270022; there is also an information line, at 021-4271168.
Edited by Helen Meany
arts@irish-times.ie
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