Aside from the The 11th Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival , which runs to Sunday the 9th there is also the Festival of Fools (now in it’s 7th year) which brings local and international street theatre and performers to the city centre .
Though i didn’t manage to see the opening night show from Mr Pejo’s wandering Dolls (from Russia) i did catch a few shows today. So here’s a selection of photographs of the shows i saw today which i hope give you a flavour of the fun, physical & lingual dexterity and laughter you can expect.
It should be stressed that this isn’t just for the kids, most of the shows work on two levels, being tried and tested shows that have been well honed. The quality of the performances is astonishing, with local talent effortlessly fitting in with international artists. (Local performers have undoubtably gained from rubbing shoulders with some of the finest exponents from around the world)
And it’s all free.
So step away from the computer and get yourself down to what many people who have experienced previous Festival of fools say “is the best weekend of the year”. I’d be very surprised if it didn’t raise a smile or two and just might be the remedy to election fever.
Gombeens (i only saw half of this and will be making sure i see all of it tomorrow)
Audience at the end of Jitterbug Jackson, a home grown talent who gets better and better
Mr Jones who was brilliant, working off script as it were, without the usual PA and music. Unseen here is Fred his amazing Stunt Pig!
Mr Pejo’s Decadence is an enchanting parade from Cotton Court to the new St.Annes Square at the back of the Cathedral.
Sat and Sun 9 pm from Cotton Court
My must see acts are…..
Dansk0 Gido –
Sat -11am Fountain St & 3 pm Rosemary St.
Sun – 3 pm Bank Square & 3pm Rosemary St
Gombeens –
Sat – 1pm Cornmarket & 3 pm Arthir St
Sun – 3 pm Cotton Court
Mr Jones & Fred the Amazing Stunt Pig –
Sat – 12pm Rosemary St & 5pm Cotton Court
Sun – 1pm &3 pm Saint Annes Square
Mon – 2pm Rosemary St & 4pm Fountain St
and i’ll add to that list as the weekend progresses and i get to see more.
You should also keep your eyes peeled for random walkabout acts through out the city centre
Photographer and visual artist based in Belfast.
I have facilitated community based workshops with groups as diverse as visually impaired individuals in Dungannn, Travellers across Northern Ireland, Young Offenders and many community groups across Belfast.
My work has exhibited extensively here in Northern Ireland in group and individual shows and has been shown in North America and i had my first solo international exhibition in New Zealand. I have been the recipient of a number of grants from the Arts Council Northern Ireland.
I’ll be blogging about Arts and Culture, primarily in Belfast
check out www.moochinphotoman.tumblr.com
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