Writing workshops, visual art, theatre & music in GAC for Culture night 2016

Writing workshops, visual art, theatre & music in GAC for Culture night 2016

Its that special time of year again when Galway Arts Centre takes part in the nationwide CULTURE NIGHT on Friday 16th September. All Culture Night events are FREE!

Galway Arts Centre’s evening will kick off with a Writing workshop for teenagers with Red Bird Youth Collective members Daniel Mulcahy and Saffron Lily. Over one hour, participants will work together and separately on creating fun haikus and complete a number of exercises designed to challenge and engage their peers. The publication celebrating five years of Red Bird Youth Collective will also be available on the night.

After this workshop, the GAC programme opens up to all ages. At 6.30pm, curator Anna McGowan will give a tour and talk on the current GAC exhibition, Bad (L)Attitudes: Reassessing Finnish Femininity. In a recent review, Irish Times art critic Aidan Dunne said of the exhibition which sets Finland in contrast with Ireland: “The work McGowan has chosen to highlight suggests a more complicated picture and a broad range of concerns. She has also gone for humour, often with a distinctly dark edge.” Anna will talk about the works on display and the research behind the concept for the exhibition, which she did as part of her recent MA Arts Policy & Practice in the Huston School of Film & Digital Media, NUI Galway.

GAC will also host a unique event by Anam Theatre entitled; WHAT FOREMOTHERS? An Introduction to Six Forgotten Irish Poets. As a taster for their upcoming remounting of WHAT FOREMOTHERS? in October, Anam Theatre are holding a special event for Culture Night in which  performers present the lives and poetry of the six female Irish poets whose work underpins the final production. Discover a world of forgotten literary history, while indulging in a treasure trove of lost words – this hour-long event will finish with a brief discussion around the question “What defines a literary canon?” Anam Theatre are: Sarah O’Toole (Director) Deirdre Bhreathnach (Freda Laughton), Sarah Healy (Mary Devenport O’Neill), Sarah-Jane Scott (Temple Lane), Letitia Diaz (Rhoda Coghill), Sheila Wingfield (Yvette Picque) and Megan Vine (Blanaid Salkeld). This special performance takes place at 7.30pm.

Galway based theatre maker and producer Féilim Ó hÁoláin is known for curating successful, fun and intimate events for Culture Night over the last number of years. This year GAC is delighted to host Ó’hÁoláin’s programme this year. Firstly celebrated musician and composer Aengus Hackett will give a solo performance from 8.30pm. He performs and writes in many diverse genres of music, such as jazz, folk, post-rock and electronica. His solo compositions are a combination of these styles, showing both his amazing technical skill and his unique style. This very special culture night gig is not to be missed!

From 9.30pm audiences will be enthralled with excerpts from Aindrias de Staic’s  play The Mackralaytors.  In 2010 The Mackralaytors premiered at Galway Theatre Festival. It follows the story of Franko and his band trying to make their next big break, plotting and planning from their tiny cardboard flat in Galway’s West End. With fiddle playing cats, cardboard washing machines, crooked developers and plenty of mackerel fishing references, the play is a hilarious commentary on life in Galway for young artists. Over one hour, some of the original cast will perform its best moments.

All events are free and no pre-booking is needed, although capacity is limited. Please go to www.culturenight.ie for full Galway City and County (including an Ghaeltacht) listings.
To get news of Galway Arts Centre’s classes, plays, exhibitions and events throughout the year please sign up for their mailing list on www.galwayartscentre.ie or follow them on Facebook or Twitter @galwayartscentr
Galway Arts Centre is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, Galway City Council and Galway County Council.