Tuesday, April 30, 2013

14th Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival (2-12 May 2013) - the IMF, time portals, music and death

A quick look at some events that are running as part of the 14th Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival which starts this week.

Friday 3 May

Abie Philbin Bowman: The IMF vs Jedward // 8pm in The Dark Horse // Another year and another promising show from the Irish comic who brought us Jesus: The Guantanamo Years and Pope Benedict: Bond Villain. He has a radical plan to save his country: “Ireland should get Jedward to renegotiate our bailout from the EU and IMF. After half an hour with Jedward, the IMF will give us whatever we want. After half an hour with Jedward, Bono and Bob Geldof, Ireland will own Germany.” £5.

Saturday 4 May

Sylvia’s Quest // Leaves The MAC at 3pm and 6pm // Follow Sylvia through “her labyrinth of secret streets and time portals” listening in to “the sounds, voices and worlds which only Sylvia can usually hear’ on the provided headphones as she tries to find her way home. £7. Dress for the weather. Also on Sunday 5 May.

Bernadette Morris at CQAF's Out to Lunch Festival 2012 in Belfast's Black BoxSunday 5 May

Bernadette Morris // 7pm in The John Hewitt // Having been captivated by her at Out to Lunch 2012, it’s brilliant to see Bernadette Morris at CQAF launching her debut album All the Ways you Wander. £4

Tuesday 6 May

St Anne’s: Full Circle // 6pm and 7pm in Writer’s Square // A 22 minute documentarion filmed and edited by Peter Adam about the rise and fall of the original St Anne’s plaza, told through the eyes of the skateboarders. £2.

Wednesday 8 May

Seo Robert – The Search for Robert McAdam // 8pm in The Baby Grand // a bilingual show (with Irish sections repeated in English) looking a cross-cultural nineteenth century northern Presbyterian Robert Shipboy McAdam. “McAdam was involved in setting up a library, a harp society, a museum and a literary society, he designed and mended steam turbines, made the windows for the Pasha’s Palace in Cairo and still found time to compose music and amass one of the largest collections of Irish cultural treasures on the island. A fascinating insight into one of Belfast’s most eminent Victorians.” £9.50 and £12.50.

Sean Hughes: Life Becomes Noises // 8pm, Downstairs at The MAC // Having sold out at January’s Out to Lunch festival, Sean Hughes is back with his one man show about aging and dying, poignant yet light hearted as he reflects on the death of his father. £10.

Thursday 9 May

Mark Thomas: Bravo Figaro // 8pm, Downstairs at The MAC // Another father and son tale from another comic. This time it’s Mark Thomas bringing opera to his bed-ridden Methodist-Thatcherite father in his Bournemouth bungalow. £10.

The QUBe Myth-Science Space Arkestra perform the music of Sun Ra // 9pm in The MAC Upstairs // Easily the strangest-titled gig at CQAF this year. QUBe are a 16-piece Belfast group of improvisers and experimental musician. Hip hop, New Orleans’ brass, lower east side experimentalism, electronica and noise; custom made costumes, unusual instruments, dancing, and unexpected surprises. £6.

Sunday 12 May

Bronagh Gallagher // 3pm in The Black Box // Bronagh. Soul. Sunday afternoon. Book. Tickets. Now. £12

If you’re in The Black Box for an event, check out Helena Hamilton’s dizzying monochrome installation in the toilets.

Also check out the Open Source #OSBelfast programme running in 25 Lower Donegall Street (building to the left of Belfast Exposed/Northern Visions) during the CQAF festival. Lots of events, workshops and performances already scheduled in to their timetable. And you can even suggest and run your own.

The History of the Troubles accordin’ to my Da with Conor Grimes, Ivan Little and Alan McKee is running (again!) in the Grand Opera House from Tuesday 7–Saturday 11 May. The play was originally commissioned ten years ago by CQAF.

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