This is what I like

When I was offered media tickets to an evening of Flamenco performance with two of Spain’s most highly regarded artists, my first thought was “Deadly” and my second was “Can I have some to give away please?” The answer was Yes :)

In Galway tomorrow, September 1st, in Cork on the 2nd and Dublin on the 3rd and 4th, “Six Strings for Two Heels” / “Seis cuerdas para dos tacones” is a show which… 

… sees the welcome return to Ireland of virtuoso composer and guitarist Juan Antonio Suárez “Cano” and award-winning dancer and choreographer Concha Jareño.

Proudly presented by Peña Flamenca El Indalo, with the support of the Arts Council, the Instituto Cervantes Dublin and the Agencia Andaluza para el Desarrollo del Flamenco, this tour offers Irish audiences “a unique opportunity to enjoy a level of flamenco artistry normally reserved for the stages of Spain and the more established international flamenco festivals.”

The Spanish artists, who performed separately in Dublin in 2009, are returning to tour Ireland with a new production called “Seis cuerdas para dos tacones” (“Six strings for two heels”), which they premiered in June 2010 at the annual Flamenco Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico, delighting the audience and earning great critical acclaim.

You can view details of Guitar workshops here and Dance Workshops here.

— GALWAY PROGRAMME —

» Tuesday 31 August (today!)

DANCE WORKSHOP WITH CONCHA JAREÑO

Venue: Áras na nGael, 45 Dominick St, Galway

Beginners/Improvers: 7:30pm–9:00pm, €25 (concs €23). Enrollment via http://www.flamencoindalo.com

» Wednesday 1 September

GUITAR & DANCE PERFORMANCE: “SEIS CUERDAS PARA DOS TACONES” (SIX STRINGS FOR TWO HEELS)

Venue: The Live Lounge at The Radisson Blu Hotel, Galway
Time: 8:30pm
Price: €25 (concs €22)

Tickets available online from: http://www.tickets.ie

— CORK PROGRAMME —

» Thursday 2 September

DANCE WORKSHOP WITH CONCHA JAREÑO

Venue: The Firkin Crane, Shandon, Cork

Beginners/Improvers: 4:30pm–6:00pm, €25 (concs €23). Enrollment via http://www.flamencoindalo.com/

GUITAR & DANCE PERFORMANCE: “SEIS CUERDAS PARA DOS TACONES” (SIX STRINGS FOR TWO HEELS)

Venue: The Firkin Crane, Shandon, Cork
Time: 8:30pm
Price: €25 (concs €22)

Box office: +353 21 4507487 or info@firkincrane.ie

— DUBLIN PROGRAMME —

» Friday 3 September

GUITAR & DANCE PERFORMANCE: “SEIS CUERDAS PARA DOS TACONES” (SIX STRINGS FOR TWO HEELS)

Venue: The Space at The Helix, Glasnevin, Dublin
Time: 8:30pm
Price: €25 (concs €22)

Box office: +353 1 7007000 and http://www.thehelix.ie

» Saturday 4 September

DANCE WORKSHOP WITH CONCHA JAREÑO

Venue: DanceHouse, Foley St, Dublin 1

Beginners/Improvers: 11:00am - 12:30pm, €25 (concs €23)
Intermediate/Advanced: 12:30pm - 3:00pm, €40 (concs €38)

Enrollment via http://www.flamencoindalo.com/

GUITAR & DANCE PERFORMANCE: “SEIS CUERDAS PARA DOS TACONES” (SIX STRINGS FOR TWO HEELS)

Venue: The Space at The Helix, Glasnevin, Dublin
Time: 8:30pm
Price: €25 (concs €22)

Box office: +353 1 7007000 and http://www.thehelix.ie/

To learn more about the artists and the tour, and to enrol in the dance and guitar workshops, visit the Peña Flamenca El Indalo website at http://www.flamencoindalo.com

So, thanks to Peña Flamenca El Indalo, a Dublin-based not-for-profit organisation, founded in 2009 by aficionados and artists to promote and enrich the culture of flamenco in Ireland through education and entertainment, I have tickets to the GUITAR & DANCE PERFORMANCE: “SEIS CUERDAS PARA DOS TACONES” (SIX STRINGS FOR TWO HEELS) to give away.

Wednesday 1 September:

Galway - two tickets for The Live Lounge at The Radisson Blu Hotel, Galway at 8:30pm 

Thursday 2 September:

Cork - two tickets for The Firkin Crane, Shandon, Cork at 8:30pm

Saturday 4 September:

Dublin - two tickets for The Space at The Helix, Glasnevin, Dublin at 8:30pm

If you’d like the tickets, just comment below! There’s more details over here.

Images courtesy of Pat Berrett. My thanks to Stephanie in Kate Bowe PR for her help. 

I have rarely enjoyed myself at the theatre as much as I did last Friday night at Galway’s Town Hall for Druid’s “From Galway to Broadway & back again” 35th birthday celebrations. I mentioned in the last post how much I was looking forward to it but I’m not sure I was fully prepared for how good the night would be.

For a bargain €30 each, Steph and I got to see some of the best actors working on the stage today in a show directed by Garry Hynes and Mikel Murfi, with the concept and edit by Thomas Conway and Tim Smith.

With works from writers J.M. Synge, Martin McDonagh, Tom Murphy, Louis D’Alton, John B. Keane, Geraldine Aron, Vincent Woods and Enda Walsh, the line-up was not only impressive before the show but somewhat daunting - how would the 16 actors be able to pull off a programme of such diversity and dexterity?

Extremely well, as it happens - extremely well indeed.

I hadn’t seen many of the plays from which extracts were performed before the night and the night just made me want to see them all!

(Derbhle Crotty and Eamon Morrissey in a scene from Sive by John B. Keane. Photo by Colm Hogan.)

From The Beauty Queen of Leenane through Sive; The Year of the Hiker; Lover’s Meeting; At the Black Pig’s Dyke; The Lonesome West; The Cripple of Inishmaan; My Brilliant Divorce; Same Old Moon; The Walworth Farce; Penelope; Bailegaingaire and The Playboy of the Western World the cast kept us entertained and enthralled as they flitted between a variety of characters, often, as Druid General Manager Tim Smith pointed out in his introduction “having old people play young people, as opposed to young people playing older” as was the case back when Druid was founded.

(Jane Brennan, Marie Mullen and Derbhle Crotty in a scene from Bailegangaire by Tom Murphy. Photo by Colm Hogan)

Among the myriad of memorable scenes for me there were some that stood out in partiucular. The audience choice of Conversations on a Homecoming by Tom Murphy was a particularly wonderful one, shoing the talents of a number of actors, but equally high was Cillian Murphy in a scene from At the Black Pig’s Dyke, the incredible Aaron Monaghan in a scene from The Cripple of Inishmaan and the utterly engaging Deirdre O’ Kane in Geraldine Aron’s My Brilliant Divorce.

(Sean McGinley, Catherine Walsh, Tadhg Murphy, Clare Dunne, Denis Conway and Garrett Lombard - Conversations on a Homecoming by Tom Murphy - winner of audience vote. Photo by Tom Murphy)

I also got a hug from the amazing Marie Mullen, who I have a huge crush on. True fact.

As much as the acting was superb, the lighting and sound brilliant, the costumes well chosen and the whole production quality super high, the atmosphere in the Town Hall - the love for Druid, the respect, the good feeling, the ambience, vibe and just the warmth of the audience for the Theatre Company, for their performances and for what they’ve done for Irish theatre over the last 35 years was not only evident, but a bit overwhelming. It felt special to be there - like we were part of something important, something unique.

(Garry Hynes on stage addressing the audience at the end of the night. Photo by Colm Hogan)

There’s a far more concise summary from Lorna Siggings on the Irish Times on the event, but for me, it was a hugely positive, emotional and wonderful experience - enough for me to investigate how I could become a supporter of the the theatre - something it would be an honour to do.

If you do get the chance, please GO and see something in Druid’s Theatre. See one of their productions - they’ve got loads coming up this year - and do see, if they’ll let you - if you can have a tour of that wonderful old building they’re in. Quite impressive what they’ve done with such a small space.

(Sean McGinley and Marie Mullen in a scene from The Playboy of the Western World by J.M. Synge. Photo by Colm Hogan.)

I love this photo of their ten year celebrations. Look at the actors they had working with them! Amazing stuff - and it continues to be so.

Well done Druid, very well done indeed. I’m looking forward to the next one.

I’m taking advantage of the free wifi on the Galway to Dublin GoBus to express my absolute joy of being able to journey to Galway tonight for Druid’s 35th birthday celebrations.

While I’ve always loved theatre, it’s really only in the last two years I’ve been able to properly indulge myself in an investment in it. I support performances in both Dublin’s Abbey and Peacock Theatres and by the Devious Theatre Company in Kilkenny by a bit of publicity and I frequent places like the Project Arts Centre, the New Theatre, the Samuel Beckett Theatre and more in Dublin.

Druid, though, holds a special place in my esteem, given how much I’ve heard about it all through my formative years. It’s been rightly praised as an ambassadorial institution of Ireland, bringing Irish creativity, storytelling and art right around the world.

Tonight, actors Aaron Monaghan , Catherine Walsh, 
Cillian Murphy, 
Clare Dunne , Deirdre O’Kane, 
Denis Conway, 
Derbhle Crotty, 
Eamon Morrissey, 
Enda Walsh, 
Garrett Lombard , Jane Brennan , Marie Mullen, 
Mikel Murfi , Raymond Scannell , Rebecca Bartlett , Sean McGinley and Tadhg Murphy join writers Enda Walsh, Geraldine Aron and Tom Murphy on stage at the Druid Theatre to celebrate 35 years of the company.

From the press release about tonight:

Directed by Garry Hynes and Mikel Murfi, some of Ireland’s leading actors will recreate moments from a selection of Druid’s most memorable productions ranging from The Playboy of the Western World to Conversations on a Homecoming and The Beauty Queen of Leenane to The Walworth Farce.

Additionally, Enda Walsh will read a short excerpt from his new play, Penelope, which will be premiered at this year’s Galway Arts Festival before touring Ireland and overseas.

There will also be some surprises in store and audiences can look forward to extracts from plays written by some of Ireland’s greatest writers.

 A few months ago, Druid invited the public to cast their vote for their favourite Druid production and, following a fantastic response, the play which received the most votes will be revealed and a short excerpt will be performed.

The theatre company itself was founded in 1975 by a group of friends just graduated - Mick Lally, Marie Mullan and artistic director Garry Hynes who I sat down with recently at the launch of their new season to talk to:

The achievement of Druid shouldn’t be underestimated. It was the first professional theatre company to be based outside of Dublin and has staged approximately 150 productions and won many awards including four Tonys for The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh. The story they tell on their website is quite something.

Even this coming year they have an almost incredible schedule ahead of them:

I feel it’s hugely important to do what we can to support the arts in Ireland, whether that be attendance, patronage, awareness or just appreciation. Druid has been carrying a torch for Ireland across the world - they’re probably our most respected theatre company - and it’s something special to be able to go for their birthday celebrations.

Given that the tickets for Steph and me were only €30 each it seems a bargain to be able to attend and support - as they say themselves:

As well as celebrating our 35th birthday, you’ll be helping to raise funds for our Education Outreach and New Writing programmes. If you’re a fan already you’ll relish the memories, if you’re joining us for the first time then you’re in for a treat!

Morning Ireland on RTÉ had a special feature on them this morning. Happy birthday Druid - may you have many more of them!

You can follow Druid on Twitter at @druidtheatre and on Facebook here.