So tonight saw the rounding out of May’s run of shows and we’d another fun and busy show, this time blending comedy, film, rollerskating in a gallery and all that lies between art and industry.
First up was Rebecca Austin, Artistic Director of The Cat Laughs Comedy Festival. It all kicks off this Thursday night with what sounds like an epic table quiz at Set Theatre and continues right through the weekend until Monday night and G’Nite Cats. In good form in the studio, I certainly don’t envy Rebecca in terms of programming the comedy festival and all the special events that go along with this year’s programme, but between herself, Jane Russell and the rest of the Cat Laughs crew, they’ve got another solid bill for this year and tickets are still available in “the pinkest box office” going over on John Street in Kilkenny.
Anyone who’s ever gone to a Cat Laughs gig will know the first tune that was played tonight… how apt 😉
John Purcell has been looking at the pop ups for the Eigse Carlow Arts Festival on The Bottom Line business show over the past few weeks and we had our first taste of Eigse on The Arts Show tonight with curator Helen Carey and artist Brian Duggan joining me on the line for a chat about Brian’s latest piece, Everything Can Be Done, In Principal.
Between Helen and Brian we got the background to the installation, a joint presentation by Eigse, Carlow Arts Office and the GB Shaw Theatre. Drawing on the epic Hollywood flop Heaven’s Gate – financially anyway – the installation features a full rollerskating rink, with free skates and costumes also available. You can find out all about it on EverythingCanBeDone.com. Do try and get to it during Eigse, but if you can’t the installation will be open to the public until the end of the summer.
Paul Brady also makes an appearance at Eigse on the 15th of June and I’ve been mad to get a track of his on the show since we opened. One of my favourite performers, I picked the following tune, available on the soundtrack for Wretches and Jabberers (2011).
Another man I’ve been looking to get into studio for a while is Carlovian Marc-Ivan O’Gorman, the driving force behind The Spinning Boy who scored recent Irish cinema release, Charlie Cassanova. This guy busy. Composing, filming, recording, shooting, lecturing, performing – he does the lot. I’m always interested in the creative process when it comes to music and film and particularly the marriage of both and Marc-Ivan was more than happy to share the inside details on his recent work in relation to Charlie Cassanova and other projects that are happening. You’ll catch The Spinning Boy performing live during Eigse in Buzz’s at the opening on Saturday night and again the following weekend. We’ll have full details of the shows in the next few days. Having taken a track from The Spinning Boy a few weeks back, we also gave this track a spin – here’s a clip.
Finally, Ann Mulrooney of The National Craft Gallery in Kilkenny popped in to studio to fill us in on Between Art & Industry, the latest show at the NCG which opened last Friday evening and runs until 4 July. I had managed a sneak peek of the show in Gallery 1 and 2 early last week and it’s one of my favourites in recent times at the gallery. A real multimedia experience, you’ll find a full 1 hour 43 minute documentary from Neil Brownsword (UK), several audio and video pieces from Roisin de Buitlear (IRL) and Donegal weavers Molloy & Sons (IRL) as well as craft pieces from all involved.
And that was it! If you’ve any questions on tonight’s show, the music played, events covered or if you’ve got anything to add, feel free to drop me an email at [email protected]. I’ll talk to you again next week!
Events Of Note This Week
- Between Art & Industry at National Craft Gallery until 4 July
- The All Star Wars this Friday and Saturday at the Watergate Theatre
- Another View of Helene ongoing at Butler Gallery in Kilkenny
- Photographic exhibition ‘Turning Point’ at the Watergate Theatre upstairs gallery, runs until 8 June
- Summer printmaking courses at Grennan Mill Craft School, for details phone 056 7724557
- Music In Kilkenny: St. Canice’s Cathedral this sunday and for the next three weeks with Malcolm Proud performing the complete keyboard partitas of JS Bach
- American Youth Orchestra at Castalia Hall – DeKalb Youth Orchestra performing Monday 4 June at 8pm, 5 on the door
- FILM: Romantics Anonymous: Spurred on by her Romantics Anonymous meetings – a 12-step programme to help people shy away from being shy – Angelique (Carre) finds work at a local chocalatiers. Her new boss, Jean-Rene (Poelvoorde), has a reputation for being mean to cover up his own horrendous bashfulness around women. We follow their atypical romance, willing them – and the chocolate firm – to make it against the odds. With a taut script and using musical numbers to garner laughs, this sugar-rush romance never becomes overwhelming thanks to an undercurrent of absurdity. Like the chocolate at its heart, this frothy, funny and utterly charming romantic comedy, is sweet, a little indulgent and over all-too-quickly but leaves a lingering glow of happiness. 8pm Monday June 4
- Sell Yourself Without Selling Out – Workshop for arts professionals throughout the south east, to do with telling more people about your work.   lead by author Derbhile Dromey. Booking via 087 6959799
Music Played
- The Cure – The Love Cats
- Paul Brady – Hello For The First Time (Four Words)
- The Spinning Boy – Korg Epique
