Castleton Lanterns Exhibition Launch Red Barn Gallery Thursday 3 October

The launch of the Castleton Lanterns exhibition in Red Barn Gallery will take place on Thursday 3rd October 2013 at 6pm. The exhibition includes lantern slide images of men of Castleton Church, York Road who served in the Great War, and will run across Remembrance Day until Wednesday 13th November 2013.

Thomas Robinson

In April, a box of old lantern slides was found in the organ loft of Alexandra Presbyterian Church. The images were of soldiers and sailors in First World War uniforms and were made by the famous Belfast photographer Mr Alex. R. Hogg. The committee minutes of Castleton Church state that in 1918 Mr Hogg was asked to put together a lantern slide exhibition ‘of our men at the front’ which was to be shown on 16th December 1918. Tickets for the lantern slide show were sent to the families of serving men.

Unfortunately the slides were not named and Alexandra Presbyterian Church have been attempting to identify the men in the slides. To date, over 20 men have been identified but there are many more faces to put names to. Red Barn Gallery have stepped in to help the project attract a wider audience, to enable the families to see their ancestors’ images and to ask the people of Belfast to visit to aid in the identification of the men.

Francis Ernest McCann

The importance of finding the families of the men is demonstrated by some of the stories being told. One such story is of Francis Ernest McCann and James McCann. Francis served in the Royal Army Medical Corps and James served in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. On 1st July 1916 (known as The Somme), Lance Corporal James McCann was killed. James is commemorated at Thiepval Memorial and his photo was listed in the Belfast Telegraph when he died. This enabled the identification of James as Slide Number 58.

David Morrow, a reader of the Castleton Lanterns blog got in touch to tell us that these men were his relatives and was able to identify Francis Ernest McCann as Slide Number 5 and provide a photo to confirm. Francis was married in 1916 to Sarah Baird Crossan, survived the war and went on to have children. He died in 1937 of cardiac failure having suffered from bronchial problems as a result of being gassed in the trenches. During the Belfast Blitz of April 1941, Francis’ wife Sarah and two of their daughters were sadly killed in Glasgow Street. One daughter survives today. David was also able to confirm that Slide Number 58 was James McCann as suggested, evidenced by his treasured family photos.

James McCann

David supplied a letter written by James’ friend James Magill who wrote to his mother Mary to tell her how her son had died and how he had received a proper burial. Another Royal Inniskilling Fusilier, the letter writer James Magill had been wounded in France and the Belfast Telegraph had printed his photograph. We were then able to identify the man who wrote the letter James Magill, as Slide Number 73. James Magill survived the war.

James Magill

Karen O’Rawe, Project Manager of Castleton Lanterns said

“The example of James Magill, Francis Ernest McCann and James McCann demonstrate just how closely connected all the Castleton Lanterns men were. They were brothers, best friends, pals and colleagues. It’s important to find their stories and tell them, to understand their lives and remember them, coming up to the anniversary of the start of the Great War. It is sad to hear the stories of those who were lost or wounded beside those who lived and flourished and I’m sure the families who gathered to watch the lantern slide show in 1918 must have felt something similar.

“We are asking everyone who had relatives around the York Road at the time to visit the exhibition, and to log on to our website at castletonlanterns.co.uk. We have a list of all the men on the Roll of Honour for Castleton (click here to see Eddie’s Extracts Roll) listed and you may find that your family member is pictured. We’d love to hear your stories and see your family photos.

Alfred Brown

It is easy to forget how much these families gave up, how a whole generation of young men was lost and how much the community needs to remember not only the sacrifice of those who died, but also the sacrifice of those who lived. The attempt to identify the men, their stories and their families is a way of shining a light on their lives. With no remaining veterans of the Great War, it is especially important that these faces do not become numbers or statistics. These men have names, families, memories and experiences that with research and your help, we will be able to record for generations to come.”

Frankie Quinn, Director, Red Barn Gallery said “The Red Barn Gallery is delighted to be involved in this important historical project. This project compliments our aim to inspire and educate through exhibitions, projects and workshops with the objective of encouraging the appreciation of photography in Belfast.

Thomas Scott Freebairn

We have a particular interest in “Shoebox Archives”, photographs of people, places and events which have sat unseen for years. This recently unearthed treasure is an important part of our shared history and a must see for anyone with an interest in the history of our city.”

The exhibition launches on Thursday 3rd October 6pm – 9pm, and runs until Wednesday 13th November, at Red Barn Gallery, 43b Rosemary Street, Belfast.

Everyone Welcome

Further information from: Karen O’Rawe / karen@castletonlanterns.co.uk

Coming up: Romeo and Juliet by C21 Theatre Company

After a great production at the Grand Opera House, C21 Theatre Company have returned with a tour of their thrilling bite size production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, especially adapted for schools and smaller theatre venues.

This turbo-charged, pared-down version distills all the beauty, violence and tragedy of the original, with a dynamic cast bringing Shakespeare's words to exhilarating new life.

You can see my review of the previous production here.


Tour dates:
Monday 30 September 7pm Belvoir Players Book here

Tuesday 1 October 7pm Braid Arts Centre, Ballymena Book here

Wednesday 2 October 11am & 7pmThe Courtyard Theatre, Ballyearl, Newtownabbey Book here

Thursday 3 October 8pm Down Arts Centre, Downpatrick Book here

Friday 4 October 11am Conway Education Centre Book here 

Tuesday 8 October - Friday 11 October 10.30am & 7pm Crescent Arts Centre Book here  


Click here to find out more about c21Theatre Company


Classygenes

Open University Course Books for Sale - SOLD

I am selling my Open University Course Books. They're all in good condition, though I have made notes and underlined sections.  I'll sell them by course.  Get in touch if you would like to buy them and let me know what you would like to offer - classygenes@rocketmail.com
Thanks
Karen

PLEASE NOTE THESE HAVE NOW BEEN SOLD

AA100 The Arts Past and Present 

Book 1: Reputations

Book 2: Tradition and Dissent

Book 3: Cultural Encounters

Book 4: Place and Leisure

Course Companion

Illustration Book 1

Illustration Book 2

Assignment Booklet (Oct 2008)

Online Applications CD-Rom

Reputations DVD/CDs (5/6)

Tradition and Dissent DVD/CDs (4/4)

Cultural Encounters DVD/CDs (4/4)

Place and Leisure DVD/CDs (4/6)

A200 Exploring history: medieval to modern 1400-1900

Block 1: France, England and Burgundy in the fifteenth century

Block 2: The European Reformation

Block 3: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms

Block 4: Slavery and Freedom

Block 5: Creating Nations

Block 6: Nations and Imperialism

Course Guide

Media Book

Visual Sources Book

TMA Booklet (2009)

DVDs 1-3

CD Rom

CD Audio

Also set book: Exploring History 1400 – 1900 (Rachel C Gibbons)

A330 Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds

Introduction

Block 1:The myth of Hippolytus and Phaedra

Block 2:Myth in Rome: power, life and afterlife

Block 3:Ovid and the reception of myth

Block 4:Myth and reason

Textual Sources 1

Textual Sources 2

Visual Sources

Assessment Booklet 2010

A326 Empire: 1492-1975

Block 1: What are Empires?

Block 2: How do Empires begin?

Block 3: How do Empires work?

Block 4: How were Empires experienced?

Block 5: How do Empires end?

Block 6: Conclusions and Legacies

Empire DVD

Empire CD

Assessment Booklet

Course Guide

Website Guide

DVD Transcript

Visual Sources Book

Assessment Booklet (2011)

A219 Exploring the Classical World

Block 1: Homer and the Greek 'Dark Age'

Block 2: Classical Athens

Block 3: The Roman Republic

Block 4: Rome – City and People

Experiencing the Classical World

Block 5: Revision and Retrospection

Readings Book 1

Readings Book 2

Illustrations Book

Course Introduction

Audio- visual Notes 1

Audio – visual Notes 2

Assignment Book

Specimen Examination Paper

CDs 1 – 6

Lysistrata (2 Cds)

DVDs 1 – 4

AA309 - Culture, identity and power in the Roman empire

Block 1: Emperor and Empire

Block 2: Rome, Italy and the Empire

Block 3: Roman Greece and Asia Minor

Block 4: Roman Britain

Block 5: Roman North Africa

Block 6: So what was the Roman Empire?

Supplementary Texts

Offprints Book

Colour Plates

Illustrations Book

Specimen Exam Paper

Assignments (2010)

Chronology

Course Guide and Glossary

Plan of Ostia

Plan of Pompeii

Cds 1 – 6 and DVDs 1 - 2

Love For Sale at the Belfast Book Festival

Last week was a busy week...
Work, The All Ireland Performing Arts Conference, the kids, Castleton Lanterns, a wee genealogy project and co-producing The Break Musical at Pick N Mix. Somehow I managed to find time to go and see Love For Sale at the Grand Opera House (part of the Belfast Book Festival).  


Adapted from a short story 'Love for Sale $17.50' by Charles Bukowski, Black Egg presented this odd and slightly unnerving story of a man who falls in love with a mannequin.  I'm sure it was a difficult sell, but I like weird things, so off I went, dragging along the lovely Drew Dillon to accompany me.

James Doran tells the story of Robert, (Michael Liebmann) who has always had a thing for dolls. He limits his desires to his sexual fantasies until by chance he meets Stella, standing in the window of a junk shop... 
He offers the owner a price and he brings her home.  This relationship is obviously quite odd, and the audience is slightly unnerved as Robert stands he in the middle of his living room, talking to her and touching her as if she is not an inanimate object.  There is some nervous laughter in the audience and a few baffled looks.  With interruptions from his friend (Ciaran Nolan) and female lover (Jo Donnelly), he hides Stella away so they can't see.  He turns down drinks in the pub and does not want his girlfriend to stay over.  

“...there were advantages – he didn’t have to take her to dinner, to parties, to dull movies; all those mundane things that meant so much to the average woman. And there were arguments. There would always be arguments, even with a mannequin.”

He falls more in love, he dresses Stella up, talks to her, makes love to her. Eventually he realises that he shouldn't be ashamed of her and decides to tell his girlfriend, when all hell breaks loose.  The really lovely thing about the play is the direction by Fionnuala Kennedy and Paul Caddell, which subtly leads the audience's emotions in the opposite direction from where they started.  At the beginning of the play, we are disgusted by Robert's obsession, by the end we are rooting for him.  In the fight with his girlfriend, it's her that appears unhinged, not Robert, even though if this happened in real life, we would all react in the same way she does.  

We were all wondering if, in fact, we all wouldn't like a Stella in our lives? 

Karen


http://twitter.com/classygenes

Can't Forget About You at the Lyric Theatre Review

It was with some trepidation that I reserved my ticket for Can't Forget About You at the Lyric Theatre. With an 18 certificate, a statement advising of 'scenes of a sexual nature' and half naked photos of Declan Rodgers plastered all over Facebook, it was a show I had to carefully choose a companion to go with.

David Ireland developed this script in his year as Artist in Residence at the Lyric.  My top two shows since the Lyric reopened 2 years ago are 'Brendan at the Chelsea' and 'Molly Wobbly's Tit Factory', both of which opened on the Naughton Studio stage, so Can't Forget About You had a lot to live up to.

In the first few scenes my heart sank as the Troubles were referred to and the stereotypical Ulster mother appeared.  I'm not a lover of 'troubles plays', but I don't think we should rewrite history either.  A story which ignores our troubled society is as misguided as one which showcases it.  With this play however, David Ireland shines a light on just enough of our cultural differences to provide a believable backdrop to his modern day love story.

Declan Rodgers does a fine job of portraying Stevie, a young man of Protestant upbringing who has broken up with his Catholic girlfriend much to the delight of his religious mother (Carol Moore) and bigoted Ulster-Scots loving sister (Abigail McGibbon).  When Stevie finds a new female companion in Martha (Karen Dunbar), his sister is delighted as Martha's background, perceived religion and heritage seem a perfect fit.  That is until she finds out what age she is...

While his God-fearing mother believes in traditional ideas such as marriage before children and staying with your husband no matter what, Stevie is concerned with more relaxed ideas.  Religion is not important, after all he defines himself as Buddhist; you don't have to be in a relationship to have sex, never mind married; and being unemployed is as good a job as any. Stevie doesn't want the traditional way of doing things and his family don't want to consider more modern ideas about relationships and religious tolerance.  But of course his family eventually accept Stevie's choice and he finally realises that he wants the traditional way of living after all.  

This is what the play does best. Yes the script is really very funny, there is partial nudity and bad language and it's lovely to see an audience leave the theatre with huge grins on their faces, but to say that's all this play is about is to do it a disservice.  The tension between traditional and more modern ways of thinking is reflective of contemporary society in NI.   While one section of our community looks forward to a future of tolerance and a less judgemental society, another section looks back to our troubled past and wonders how we can ever move on.

The idea that tradition may in fact have something to offer is served up in a witty way by David Ireland, as is the idea that tradition is not everything. We are so busy fighting for what we think we believe in that maybe we need to realise that we all need a little of what the other side believes in after all.  With a strong cast of fine actors, a well put together script and an enthusiastic audience, Can't Forget About You finds it's place as the highlight of the Lyric's 'Tales of The City' programme of events.

Oh and Wonder Woman makes an appearance...if that's not a reason for booking a ticket, then what is?        

Can't Forget About You runs until 16th June at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast. Click here to book tickets.

Karen

http://twitter.com/classygenes

Inventors at the Balmoral Show

I am devastated that I can't make this event.  It looks fabulous.

Cutting-edge theatre company Kabosh, in partnership with Ulster Bank, presents ‘Inventors’, a hilarious series of performances celebrating the history of invention in Ulster.

Need to find a way of stopping amorous cows crashing over fields to get to your bull because 

he’s so blooming attractive? 

Wonder why we love our tea so thick you could stand a stick in it?

Are your cows all moo and no milk?

From Harry Ferguson’s three-point linkage system to Samuel Davidson’s tea-drying machine to Marconi’s radio telegraph – visit the Balmoral show and hear tales of history’s innovators and revolutionaries.

Join Kabosh as they transport you back to the music hall era of the early 1900s, where the city’s most awe-inspiring entrepreneurs are pitching their visions to change the world as we know it.

Written by Carlo Gébler, Vincent Higgins, Seth Linder & Jimmy McAleavey
Live original music created and performed by Ursula Burns
Directed by Paula McFetridge, Artistic Director of Kabosh

There are regular performances from 11.30am - 4.30pm on 15th 16th and 17th May 2013 in the pop-up barn at The Balmoral Show. The pop-up barn is located by the cattle marquee and cattle rings.

Click here to find out more.

Love, Billy at the Lyric Belfast Review

Love, Billy is part of the Lyric Theatre's Belfast season, Graham Reid bringing back Belfast’s most famous family for a fifth installment in the now legendary series of Billy plays.

"Love, Billy sees Billy Martin returning to Belfast after 25 years away. He left without warning or informing anyone and now all of the Martin family are awaiting Billy’s arrival to celebrate their father Norman’s 74th birthday. They haven’t seen Billy in all that time and still have no inkling of why he left. There are family grudges to be resolved and Billy’s story to be revealed, at the heart of which is a man struggling to adapt to a family and city he knew so well but hardly recognises any more."

There are some fine performances, especially from Joe McGann and George Shane who inhibit their characters with confidence.  It was great to hear mention of a relation of mine, Buck Alec and his toothless lion (also mentioned in Brassneck's latest production The Sweety Bottle).  I thought there were some really nice moments of wit, particularly from Ciarán Nolan as Ernie Greer, and from George Shane as Norman Martin, Billy's father.

But in the end, I have to be honest, I found this show difficult to enjoy.  While it did have some nice moments, overall the production is bland.  Some of the words seem unnatural in the characters' mouths, the script could be edited into an hour long show without losing anything and nothing of importance or interest happens.  While the set looked nice, it's angle made it very difficult to hear, as at times the actor's voices were not projected out into the auditorium (I was six rows from the front).  Cutting out the pointless set changes and paring down the repetitive script may have allowed the actors to build up a bit more energy.

At curtain call the actors were clearly expecting a standing ovation when the audience applauded politely instead.  It seems it was a night of disappointment for both them and me.

Love, Billy runs till 25th May at the Lyric Belfast.  Click here to book tickets. I'd love to know what your thoughts are.



Karen

http://twitter.com/classygenes