Westmeath Rural Arts are hosting a very special Arts Council funded mini-festival of street theatre and storytelling in the local communities of Ballynacargy, Ballinafid, Milltown, Emper, and Streete from now until Saturday June 18. The tour was made possible with the support of the social enterprise, Artlands which facilitated the formation of Westmeath Rural Arts with the support of Westmeath Community Development.
The tour will feature Galway based street theatre artists The Gombeens and storyteller Clare Muireann Murphy. They will travel to three local primary schools presenting a mixture of performances and workshops. Tonight, Friday June 17 Ballynacargy Parish Hall will play host to the trio with a special emphasis on The Hussey Brothers, rapid-fire interactive, dangerously funny, musical, and explosive comedy, a priceless double act for the whole family. Suitable for outdoor and large indoor venues.
The Gombeens are Jonathan Gunning and Miquel Barcelo. They have proved themselves to be one of the most popular touring companies in Ireland, having performed to every conceivable community at festivals, fairs, community halls, and high streets to tumultuous praise from audiences and the press. They also received widespread acclaim for their theatre performance, Stories of a Yellow Town which documented stories from the Brazillian and Irish communities living together in Gort, Co. Galway.
Westmeath Rural Arts were recently awarded a Cathaoirleach Award for Arts and Culture from Westmeath County . They are planning photography workshops, visual art workshops, drama events, and culture nights in the coming months.
