The Year that was 2019
We kicked off an incredible 2019 for Brassneck Theatre Company with our powerful production of Hugh Stoddard's 'Gibraltar Strait' about the killing of the Gibraltar 3 and the subsequent enquiry. It premiered at the Roddy McCorley Social club before touring across the north and finishing off with a performance in Glasgow.
April saw us collaborate with Aras Uí Chonghaille and Brassneck Youth for a street pageantry performance to open the brand new Aras Ui Chonghaille centre on the Falls Road in front of Uachtarán na hÉireann. It was a hugely proud moment for our organisation and the first of 2 collaborations this year with our youth company.
In May, we had the world premiere of our newly commissioned work remembering 50 years since the burning of Bombay Street with Laurence McKeown's evocative 'Something In The Air' at the Mac. The play went on to headline Féile An Phobail at The Roddys in August before a regional tour to sell out audiences and rave reviews. We also had our annual Brassneck Youth Summer Academy in St. Mary's teacher training College with record numbers and already plans are afoot to extend the Summer Scheme in 2020 to accommodate the deluge of requests we have received for children and young people to participate.
August also saw Brassneck co-produce Geraldine Hughes' incredible 'Belfast Blues' on the main stage of the Lyric Theatre. This was our fifth year of our Feile at the Lyric collaboration.
To top off an exhausting yet highly productive year, we staged our first ever children's Panto in An Chultúrlann in December with 'A Brassneck Christmas Tale'. This massively anticipated production saw both our senior and youth companies coming together for the second time this year. Starring along with Michael Mulcahy from 'Belfast Girls', Antoinette Morelli from 'Derry Girls' and Maria Connolly, we had a cameo appearance from west Belfast's very own Peaky Blinders star, Packy Lee! The play was a massive success story which sold out every single performance before the show even opened. The audience response was incredible with people saying it was the best kids show in town. It was an absolute pleasure on behalf of Brassneck and Brassneck Youth to be able to bring this collaboration together and present it for the first time ever in West Belfast this Christmas! The 22 children who participated in the show made the piece what it was and they all excelled as young performers. The talent displayed by all of them is testament to their hard work and that of the facilitators of Brassneck Youth headed by Alison McCrudden. It being such an unexpected runaway success, we are already in discussions now about ensuring that we will do it all over again next year and we are determined that it will be even bigger and better!
Thankyou as always to our wonderful audiences who support us through everything and we cant wait to tell you what we have in store for you in 2020!!! Watch this space...
April saw us collaborate with Aras Uí Chonghaille and Brassneck Youth for a street pageantry performance to open the brand new Aras Ui Chonghaille centre on the Falls Road in front of Uachtarán na hÉireann. It was a hugely proud moment for our organisation and the first of 2 collaborations this year with our youth company.
In May, we had the world premiere of our newly commissioned work remembering 50 years since the burning of Bombay Street with Laurence McKeown's evocative 'Something In The Air' at the Mac. The play went on to headline Féile An Phobail at The Roddys in August before a regional tour to sell out audiences and rave reviews. We also had our annual Brassneck Youth Summer Academy in St. Mary's teacher training College with record numbers and already plans are afoot to extend the Summer Scheme in 2020 to accommodate the deluge of requests we have received for children and young people to participate.
August also saw Brassneck co-produce Geraldine Hughes' incredible 'Belfast Blues' on the main stage of the Lyric Theatre. This was our fifth year of our Feile at the Lyric collaboration.
To top off an exhausting yet highly productive year, we staged our first ever children's Panto in An Chultúrlann in December with 'A Brassneck Christmas Tale'. This massively anticipated production saw both our senior and youth companies coming together for the second time this year. Starring along with Michael Mulcahy from 'Belfast Girls', Antoinette Morelli from 'Derry Girls' and Maria Connolly, we had a cameo appearance from west Belfast's very own Peaky Blinders star, Packy Lee! The play was a massive success story which sold out every single performance before the show even opened. The audience response was incredible with people saying it was the best kids show in town. It was an absolute pleasure on behalf of Brassneck and Brassneck Youth to be able to bring this collaboration together and present it for the first time ever in West Belfast this Christmas! The 22 children who participated in the show made the piece what it was and they all excelled as young performers. The talent displayed by all of them is testament to their hard work and that of the facilitators of Brassneck Youth headed by Alison McCrudden. It being such an unexpected runaway success, we are already in discussions now about ensuring that we will do it all over again next year and we are determined that it will be even bigger and better!
Thankyou as always to our wonderful audiences who support us through everything and we cant wait to tell you what we have in store for you in 2020!!! Watch this space...