Television actress and stand-up comedian Sonya Kelly (a regular on RTÉ’s “Savage Eye” ) delivers a hilarious and poignant one-woman show, Wheelchair On My Face at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar on Wednesday April 18 at 8pm.
Wheelchair On My Face is based on Sonya’s own childhood experience. Sonya was diagnosed with myopia when she was seven years old. “I got my first pair of glasses when I was seven. A nurse came to the school and tested everyone’s eyes. And so it was discovered why I’d thrown bread to the floating crisp packets in our local pond and walked into lamp posts and said, ‘excuse me’. Until that day the world was a swirl of moving coloured blobs. I thought it was the same for everyone. How wrong I was.”
Part memoir, part theatre and part stand-up comedy, the acclaimed Wheelchair On My Face is written and performed by Sonya Kelly and directed by Gina Moxley for Fishamble, one of Ireland’s most dynamic theatre companies. Booking advised. Tel: 094 902 3733.
The David Munnelly Band
Over a decade on the road, the David Munnelly band has captivated audiences worldwide led by accordion player par excellence David Munnelly. Founded in 1999, what sets the band apart and puts it in a class of its own is the capability and ease with which it weaves in and out of different musical styles while remaining firmly rooted in the earthy tones of Irish Traditional Music. The band boasts some of the finest talent that Irish music has to offer, with every member bringing his own unique stamp to the overall sound. Looking for an evening of musical skill, energy and excitement? Look no further.
The David Munnelly Band performs at the Linenhall Arts Centre on Wednesday May 2 at 8pm. Booking advised. Tel: 094 9023733
Lorraine Tuck exhibition at the Linenhall
Late Light, an exhibition of photographs by photographer Lorraine Tuck, continues at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar for the month of April.
Late Light is a collection of images Lorraine compiled as part of her university education. Working as a nurses’ aid, the photographer began making pictures in her place of work in a nursing home. This set of photographs is a ‘tunnel view’ of her time spent there. Lorraine Tuck was born in 1978 and is from Oughterard, Co Galway. She has a BA (Hons ) in Documentary Photography from the University of Wales College, Newport. Lorraine is best known for her work on the Children’s Burial grounds “In Connemara” and “A Lost Railway - the Connemara Line”. The exhibition runs until Saturday April 28.
Top theatre
Presenting a rarely seen play by award-winning playwright Frank McGuinness, top actor Maria McDermottroe stars in the hugely acclaimed Baglady at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar on Wednesday May 9 at 8pm.
Written by Frank McGuinness, Baglady is a touching and revealing drama on how a woman becomes alienated from life: the eponymous baglady is a gentle woman whose life has been destroyed by shocking violence. This one-woman play explores the conditions and circumstances which caused her to become estranged from society and gradually reveals the terrifying events which shaped her life.
Directed by Caroline Fitzgerald, and starring Abbey and Peacock veteran actor Maria McDermottroe, whose credits also include the film Angela’s Ashes, Glenroe, and Kilinaskully.
Baglady is a rarely performed play from one of Ireland’s leading playwrights, Frank McGuinness. It has not been seen on an Irish stage for 25 years but its story is as relevant now as when it was first written, holding a mirror up to the ongoing debate about how Ireland can best come to terms with its own history. A production by Truewest Theatre/Eska Riada.
The Linenhall Arts Centre acknowledges the financial support of the Arts Council in making these performances possible.
The Linenhall Gallery is open to the general public Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm; Saturday from 11am to 5.30pm. Admission to exhibitions is free. Further details from the Linenhall. Tel: 094 902 3733; website: www.thelinenhall.com
