CURTAIN SET TO RISE ON THE CITY’S LARGEST EVER SHAKESPEARE PRODUCTION - BELFAST TEMPEST
Belfast is getting ready to stage the largest Shakespeare production ever to be seen in the City. Terra Nova Productions and partners present the Belfast Tempest, which will see over 250 citizens (cast & crew) take part in the production from 20 – 23rd April at T13, Titanic Quarter. The production is the City’s part in the UK & Global celebrations marking Shakespeare’s 400th Anniversary (23rd April 2016). This unique and spectacular interpretation of Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest, has, over the past few months, offered over 600 opportunities for engagement across a wide range of communities with the aim to create a truly magical and unique audience experience. With community actors, dancers, drummers, a choir, and a professional cast; a set featuring an island, a ‘Giant’s Causeway’ built of books and ship wrecked seating, as well as specially composed music and 3D sound – audiences are guaranteed to be caught up in a perfect storm which will immerse them in the world of Belfast Tempest.
The Belfast Tempest is one of seven Creative Belfast projects funded by Belfast City Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland through the Creative and Cultural Belfast Fund. For more information go to www.belfastcity.gov.uk/creativebelfast and www.artscouncil-ni.org or keep up-to-date on social media using the hashtag #CreativeBelfast, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/creativebelfast and on Twitter @Crea8tiveBelfast The Belfast Tempest is also funded by the British Council and will feature as part of the British Councils’ #ShakespeareLives, a global programme of events and activities celebrating Shakespeare's work on the 400th anniversary of his death.
Whilst remaining reverential to the Bard’s play, Belfast Tempest Director and adaptor, Andrea Montgomery, has created a fresh interpretation. This includes casting four women in roles which are traditionally male (King Alonso becomes Queen Alonsa played by black British actress Nicola Gardner; Antonio becomes Antonia played by Belfast actress Jo Donnelly; Stephano becomes Stephana played by Belfast actress Nuala McKeever; Gonzalo becomes Gonzala played by emerging NI actress Moninne Dargan). Montgomery also values mixed raced casting, opportunities for community performers with disabilities, and has included a unique 25 minute ‘wedding masque’ sequence, created and devised by Associate Director Tom Finlay, featuring participation from citizens of Belfast.
Partnership has been key to the success of this ambitious project. Over the past few months Terra Nova Productions along with key partnerships African & Caribbean Support Organisation Northern Ireland (ACSONI), Crescent Arts Centre, Libraries NI and T13 have worked together to provide community outreach and engagement programmes to encourage inclusion, and creative participation across every section of the production.
Andrea Montgomery, Terra Nova’s Artistic Director said;
“Belfast Tempest is one of the most ambitious joint professional and community Shakespeare projects ever to happen in Belfast. It could not have been achieved without the support of Belfast City Council, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the British Council NI, Ulster-Scots Agency, Halifax Foundation and our fantastic partners African & Caribbean Support Organisation Northern Ireland (ACSONI), Crescent Arts Centre, Libraries NI and T13. Not only do we celebrate the works of the greatest playwright – Shakespeare - in his 400th anniversary year but his legacy has helped us to create our very own unique, historical and creative moment. His works has helped us bring our communities together, though the medium of theatre, to showcase Belfast as a City moving towards a bright, creative and intercultural future – which offers so much potential and opportunity to all its citizens.”
The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Arder Carson, added;
“Creative Belfast is the first initiative of its kind. It represents the largest amount of project funding ever awarded by Belfast City Council and underlines the Council’s strong, ongoing commitment to the cultural life of this city, and to promoting community engagement and challenging social exclusion by engaging Belfast’s diverse people and communities in culture and arts. By the end of next summer, we will have seen staging of seven bold and exciting community arts events throughout the city – from the world’s first ever ‘Baby Day’, through the recent ‘Nine Nights’ outdoor theatre spectacular, a festival tracing the story of the River Farset, to a specially-commissioned ‘Belfast Opera’. I have no doubt that the Belfast Tempest will be a superb addition to this bold, ambitious and forward-looking programme of events, which is giving thousands of people, right across the city, of all ages and walks of life, the chance to be involved in, and inspired by, these flagship projects.”
Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented;
“The Belfast Tempest is the fourth in a series of seven ambitious, exciting events coming to Belfast as part of the Creative Belfast initiative. The vision for Creative Belfast is to create a series of unforgettable landmark, high-quality, arts projects unlike anything which the city has seen before and all seven projects are set to do just that. Marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare, The Belfast Tempest is an innovative, imaginative and impressive take on a classic play, drawing inspiration from the city’s own fascinating history, and will truly engage the people and communities of Belfast.”
Belfast Tempest performances will take place at T13, Titanic Quarter from 20 – 23rd April. Tickets are £15/£10/£5. For booking and further information visit crescentarts.org or visitbelfast.com
Add paragraph text here.
CURTAIN SET TO RISE ON THE CITY’S LARGEST EVER SHAKESPEARE PRODUCTION - BELFAST TEMPEST
Belfast is getting ready to stage the largest Shakespeare production ever to be seen in the City. Terra Nova Productions and partners present the Belfast Tempest, which will see over 250 citizens (cast & crew) take part in the production from 20 – 23rd April at T13, Titanic Quarter. The production is the City’s part in the UK & Global celebrations marking Shakespeare’s 400th Anniversary (23rd April 2016). This unique and spectacular interpretation of Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest, has, over the past few months, offered over 600 opportunities for engagement across a wide range of communities with the aim to create a truly magical and unique audience experience. With community actors, dancers, drummers, a choir, and a professional cast; a set featuring an island, a ‘Giant’s Causeway’ built of books and ship wrecked seating, as well as specially composed music and 3D sound – audiences are guaranteed to be caught up in a perfect storm which will immerse them in the world of Belfast Tempest.
The Belfast Tempest is one of seven Creative Belfast projects funded by Belfast City Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland through the Creative and Cultural Belfast Fund. For more information go to www.belfastcity.gov.uk/creativebelfast and www.artscouncil-ni.org or keep up-to-date on social media using the hashtag #CreativeBelfast, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/creativebelfast and on Twitter @Crea8tiveBelfast The Belfast Tempest is also funded by the British Council and will feature as part of the British Councils’ #ShakespeareLives, a global programme of events and activities celebrating Shakespeare's work on the 400th anniversary of his death.
Whilst remaining reverential to the Bard’s play, Belfast Tempest Director and adaptor, Andrea Montgomery, has created a fresh interpretation. This includes casting four women in roles which are traditionally male (King Alonso becomes Queen Alonsa played by black British actress Nicola Gardner; Antonio becomes Antonia played by Belfast actress Jo Donnelly; Stephano becomes Stephana played by Belfast actress Nuala McKeever; Gonzalo becomes Gonzala played by emerging NI actress Moninne Dargan). Montgomery also values mixed raced casting, opportunities for community performers with disabilities, and has included a unique 25 minute ‘wedding masque’ sequence, created and devised by Associate Director Tom Finlay, featuring participation from citizens of Belfast.
Partnership has been key to the success of this ambitious project. Over the past few months Terra Nova Productions along with key partnerships African & Caribbean Support Organisation Northern Ireland (ACSONI), Crescent Arts Centre, Libraries NI and T13 have worked together to provide community outreach and engagement programmes to encourage inclusion, and creative participation across every section of the production.
Andrea Montgomery, Terra Nova’s Artistic Director said;
“Belfast Tempest is one of the most ambitious joint professional and community Shakespeare projects ever to happen in Belfast. It could not have been achieved without the support of Belfast City Council, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the British Council NI, Ulster-Scots Agency, Halifax Foundation and our fantastic partners African & Caribbean Support Organisation Northern Ireland (ACSONI), Crescent Arts Centre, Libraries NI and T13. Not only do we celebrate the works of the greatest playwright – Shakespeare - in his 400th anniversary year but his legacy has helped us to create our very own unique, historical and creative moment. His works has helped us bring our communities together, though the medium of theatre, to showcase Belfast as a City moving towards a bright, creative and intercultural future – which offers so much potential and opportunity to all its citizens.”
The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Arder Carson, added;
“Creative Belfast is the first initiative of its kind. It represents the largest amount of project funding ever awarded by Belfast City Council and underlines the Council’s strong, ongoing commitment to the cultural life of this city, and to promoting community engagement and challenging social exclusion by engaging Belfast’s diverse people and communities in culture and arts. By the end of next summer, we will have seen staging of seven bold and exciting community arts events throughout the city – from the world’s first ever ‘Baby Day’, through the recent ‘Nine Nights’ outdoor theatre spectacular, a festival tracing the story of the River Farset, to a specially-commissioned ‘Belfast Opera’. I have no doubt that the Belfast Tempest will be a superb addition to this bold, ambitious and forward-looking programme of events, which is giving thousands of people, right across the city, of all ages and walks of life, the chance to be involved in, and inspired by, these flagship projects.”
Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented;
“The Belfast Tempest is the fourth in a series of seven ambitious, exciting events coming to Belfast as part of the Creative Belfast initiative. The vision for Creative Belfast is to create a series of unforgettable landmark, high-quality, arts projects unlike anything which the city has seen before and all seven projects are set to do just that. Marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare, The Belfast Tempest is an innovative, imaginative and impressive take on a classic play, drawing inspiration from the city’s own fascinating history, and will truly engage the people and communities of Belfast.”
Belfast Tempest performances will take place at T13, Titanic Quarter from 20 – 23rd April. Tickets are £15/£10/£5. For booking and further information visit crescentarts.org or visitbelfast.com
Add paragraph text here.