{"id":86072,"date":"2023-01-12T14:16:36","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T14:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/macklecommunications.com\/?p=86072"},"modified":"2023-04-07T14:29:02","modified_gmt":"2023-04-07T13:29:02","slug":"january-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/macklecommunications.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/12\/january-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"January 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

Belfast Children’s Festival brings a silver lining to families this spring<\/strong><\/p>\n

Festival celebrates 25 years as it brings global, UK and Ireland premieres to Belfast and tackles wide-ranging real-life issues through dance, drama, music and performance.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Clocking up 25 glorious years, Belfast Children\u2019s Festival 2023 is celebrating a huge birthday with a festival filled with silver linings this spring!\u00a0 The Festival, which will take place fully in-person, will host over 100 events across 10 days in the city, from 3-12 March 2023, and celebrate all that is excellent in children\u2019s performance through spoken word, music and song.<\/p>\n

This years festival will delight children young (and old) with an abundance of creative treats planned from Little Murmur<\/em>, a true story of a young person who one day realises they have been misspelling their own name, that features ground-breaking projection, an extraordinary soundscape and a blizzard of paper and confetti; to PRISM<\/em>, a story of Inter-dimensional travellers Dawn and Dusk, who have been stuck in an empty void dimension for far too long. When Dusk devises a radical solution to their problem, they are hurled into our dimension.\u00a0 This has catastrophic consequences for their onboard guide and best friend, PRISM<\/em>!<\/p>\n

Replay Theatre Company will celebrate 35 years of creating artistic adventures for young people with a new production, Mirrorball<\/em>, the story of Cherrie Ontop.\u00a0 She knows they’ve finally come for her, leaving Cherrie with no choice but to smash through the dressing room mirror to escape the grasp of fear and prejudice. In a different universe she is faced with the ultimate choice; do we confront our fears and fight for what\u2019s right? Replay will host a two-week run at this year\u2019s festival in the Lyric with sister show, PRISM<\/em>,<\/p>\n

Tackling real life every-day issues including dyslexia, autism, disability, gender, homelessness and mental health, the 2023 festival will showcase stimulating and thought-provoking new works by local company Maiden Voyage Dance working with Erik Kaiel from Netherlands and artist Michael McEvoy as well as visiting performances from Belgium, Netherlands, UK and Ireland.<\/p>\n

From the Netherlands, Theater Artemis presents The Invisible Man<\/em> a show about everything you don\u2019t see and the joy of remaining unseen. This is a tale of crazy happenings on stage as everything becomes quite bizarre for two artists, their stage technician and musician, as they are about to start their performance. Why is a coffee mug floating through the air? Where is the audience? Who is playing the piano? And is that a ghost sneaking off with that extension cord?!<\/p>\n

Nobody, Somebody<\/em> from Northern Ireland Opera is an exciting and powerful new opera created for and with teenagers and young adults focusing on the pertinent and pressing issues of housing stress and homelessness some young people are facing everyday. Performed with the Ulster Youth Orchestra the project has placed young people in the driving seat to tell the story of their own lived experience.<\/p>\n

Recognising the cost-of-living financial pressure on families and communities, this year Belfast Children\u2019s Festival has held ticket prices at \u00a35 and \u00a310 per ticket.\u00a0 The Festival is also allocating a limited number of tickets to support local communities including those from areas of social need, to ensure as many families and communities as possible can access the festival.<\/p>\n

Celebrating 25 years of entertaining and enthralling families, Young at Art Director, EibhI\u00edn de Barra said:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are so excited to launch Belfast Children\u2019s Festival 202<\/em>3 as we mark the significant milestone of turning 25 this year! That calls for a celebration, and this celebration is 10 days long! 25th<\/sup> Anniversaries are often called \u2018Silver\u2019, so after the difficult last few years, and indeed the challenging times we are currently finding ourselves in, we want to bring you the \u2018silver lining\u2019 to those clouds with the brightest, boldest and sunniest selection of theatre, dance, music, art and interactive events, including a massive range of free activities for all the family as part of our Big Belfast Birthday Bash.\u00a0 So, whether you are young, or simply young at heart, come and celebrate with us!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis year we are working with Belfast City Council\u2019s Lord Mayor to provide a Big Belfast Birthday Bash at City Hall and sites in the Cathedral Quarter.\u00a0 There will be music and performances as well as free events and activities for all the family to enjoy.\u201d<\/em> EibhI\u00edn added.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rois\u00edn\u00a0McDonough, Chief Executive,\u00a0Arts Council\u00a0of Northern Ireland\u00a0said:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>\u201cHappy 25th<\/sup> birthday! The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is delighted to support Belfast Children\u2019s Festival bringing younger audiences and their families amazing creative experiences.\u00a0 A leading children\u2019s arts festival on these islands, it attracts the best acts from around the world.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAs Young at Art celebrates the 25th birthday of its flagship festival, we can reflect on the fact that they will have been responsible for introducing thousands upon thousands of children in Northern Ireland to the wonders of the arts. We all know how influential our early experiences are on the people we will become, so it\u2019s heartening to think that those who first visited the Belfast Children\u2019s Festival back in the late 1990s may now be returning with their own children, who will embark on their own life\u2019s journey, similarly enthused and enriched by the arts.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Christina Black welcomed the launch of the festival, adding;<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u201c<\/em><\/strong>We\u2019re excited to be supporting Belfast Children\u2019s Festival once again in this, their special milestone 25th anniversary year; and their first significant full international programme since 2020.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cA cornerstone of our city\u2019s cultural experience for children, we\u2019re proud to have supported the Belfast Children\u2019s Festival over the years, and see it grow in reach, innovation and impact. Belfast really values its vibrant festival scene, which celebrates local talent, showcases the work of our emerging artists and, most importantly in the case of Belfast Children\u2019s Festival, inspires our next generation of creative talent. The international element of this year\u2019s programme is far-reaching, connecting us through creativity to other countries across the globe and attracting visitors to Belfast from near and far.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

In addition to 10 new shows, the Festival will return with a full Irish Language offering including M\u00e1ire Zepf, and Rothar and festival favourite, Babaithe Cult\u00fair.. To view the festival visit https:\/\/www.youngatart.co.uk\/festival<\/a>.\u00a0 Communities wanting to secure tickets for events can apply via education@youngatart.co.uk<\/a> or booking@youngatart.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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