Apr-May-Jun Brochure

APR-MAY-JUN 2012

NO BOOKING FEES At Mermaid Arts Centre, we do not believe in booking fees, administration charges or processing punishments.

We actually want you to come and have fun. So it’s simple - the price you see is the price you pay. We have concessions on the majority of our shows and if you want to make even more savings have a look at our 3 for e33 offer or become a friend.

GROUP DISCOUNTS We all love nights out with friends. So at Mermaid groups of ten or more get a 10% discount. That’s like one ticket free for every ten purchased.

The group discount applies to any event listed on page 2 of this brochure.

To get your discount call 01 272 4030.

MAKE A BOOKING Online

www.mermaidartscentre.ie

By Phone

01 272 4030 In Person Box Office is open from 10am – 6pm Mon – Sat and until 8pm on performance nights

PARKING

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Underground car-parking is available for mermaid patrons for the duration of shows in the evenings and at weekends. This is located under the Civic Offices complex beside mermaid. Please note that this underground car-park cannot be used during the day on weekdays.

Sweet April showers do spring May flowers... and Mermaid looks forward to a season abuzz and blooming with colour all the way through to June. Mermaid’s 10th anniversary celebrations continue as another season brings forth a bounty of music, art, theatre, film, dance, comedy, workshops and public talks during the late spring and early summer months.

A wonderful line-up of world-class music awaits this season, with Freddie White and Tir na nÓg, Duke Special and Cathy Davey, Albert Lee and Hogan’s Heroes, Siouxsie and the Banshees’ Steven Severin and bluegrass legend Curtis Blackwell providing rich pickings for music lovers.

We continue with our Selected Shows series with special choices from Mermaid’s inaugural Chairperson Mary Doyle and former artistic director Maureen Kennelly.

Bray has been very good to Mermaid over the past ten years and with that in mind we thought it only right to take some time out to honour her, not just for what she has meant to us but what she has meant to many: her citizens, visitors, artists, entertainers, families and holiday-makers. With Arcadia Festival - Celebrating Bray Past and Present, from the 8 to the 17 June, we hope to capture the rich social and cultural history of Bray and bring it to life in every corner of the town for ten days in June.

Whether it be for Arcadia or Bray Jazz or any of our many other events over the coming season we would love you to visit and come have a look for yourself at the wonderful and exotic delights blooming in the Mermaid garden.

Nora and the Mermaid team

Truths and Realities - Real and Imagined A thread of enquiry spans Mermaid’s 2012 artistic programme, as we explore representations of reality from different perspectives and through a variety of media.

We look in particular at documentary-style film and photography and explore those areas where the boundaries blur between fact and fiction. With this line of enquiry and exploration we look at the role artists can play in broadening our critical understanding of the world and the difficulties of representing it.

Particular highlights of this season are the remarkable documentaries, The First Movie by Mark Cousins and Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss, which explores the human stories behind life on death row. In visual arts the renowned Simon Norfolk discusses his photographic project based on the nineteenth Wicklow photographer John Burke and his photographs of Afghanistan; James Merrigan’s exhibition Low life Dramas (for late night radio) explores realities, banalities and the darkness which often lies beneath; and lastly the Arcadia exhibition - From Bray, with Love - looks back at a golden era of Irish holiday-making in Bray.

Residence News Mermaid’s Theatre Artist in Residence for 2011-12, Ciarán Taylor brings his exciting new mask play to fruition this season.

Co-produced by his company Carpet Theatre and Mermaid, it tells the story of a man whose financial security and ordered life are shattered by the arrival of a pigeon. Pigeon debuts on Wed 6 and Thu 7 of June. Commissioned by Mermaid, Ciarán has also devised a wonderful re-imagining of the Pierrot Show, the now iconic seaside clowning act which made its UK and Irish debut in Bray at the turn of the century. This piece will be performed at the Picnic on Bray Head, Sun 10 Jun, as part of the Arcadia Festival.

3 Shows for 33. Look through our brochure and anywhere you see the 3 for e33 logo on an event, then it is included in the offer. Book for any three separate events with the 3 for e33 logo at the same time and get them all for the great price of e33.

This offer includes the following shows: Theatre:

The End

Music:

Freddie White

Comedy: David McSavage

31 MAR @ 8pm 4 APR @ 8pm 5 APR @ 8pm

Theatre: Great Expectations

13 APR @ 8pm

Music:

Redmond O’Toole

14 APR @ 8pm

Music:

Duke Special

2 MAY @ 8pm

Theatre:

Love Letters

9 MAY @ 8pm

Film

Vampyr by Steven Severin

Music:

Gato Azul with Sandra Melo

Theatre: Pigeon Arcadia:

20 MAY @ 8pm 31 MAY @ 8pm 6 -7 JUN @ 8pm

Love All

9 JUN @ 8pm

Arcadia: Fitzrovia Radio Hour

16 JUN @ 8pm

Music:

22 JUN @ 8pm

Curtis Blackwell

Discussion: Four Savvy Women

23 JUN @ 8pm

Theatre: Wheelchair on My Face

29 JUN @ 8pm

Music:

30 JUN @ 8pm

Tír na nÓg

If you just like the idea of getting e11 tickets to any of these events without any restrictions you can join our Friends Scheme!

Pick your events – Call 01 2724030 – Book your tickets!

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theatre

The End

Sat 31 Mar @ 8pm

The End is a short story by Samuel Beckett which he began in English and finished in French. In it a man recounts an episode late in his life when, having been expelled from an institution of care, he finds his own way in the world. He meets a variety of characters and situations before finally lying down to let life ebb away. It is one of Beckett’s most complete, most compelling and most beautiful works and is a Gare St Lazare favourite.

Directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett. Performed by Conor Lovett.

‘It is, as ever, a towering achievement of acting and directing.’

Sunday Independent €16/14 (3 for 33)

children

Wonderland Workshop

Mon 2 - Thu 5 & Sat 7 Apr

Wonderland invites 7-12 year olds into its colourful world of drama, music, dance, playwriting, stage design and lighting, comedy and clowning, for a weeklong camp culminating in a fabulous showcase for friends and family.

Wonderland’s workshops uniquely combine a stage school with the work of a professional theatre company and take place on the stage of the theatre.

Every workshop leader is also a working theatre practitioner and a part of Wonderland’s success story. Every Wonderland Workshop’s aim is to make friends, to perform, to learn lots too, but most importantly to encourage each young performer to grow and develop through the performing arts and just as importantly to have the best of fun together. €95

Workshop from 10am-3pm daily

Wonderland Theatre Productions

5

film CLUB

The First Movie

Mon 2 Apr @ 8pm

Part documentary, part interactive educational project, this is an entirely admirable film by Mark Cousins. He took a camera crew to Goptapa in Iraq, which was targeted by Saddam’s horrendous chemical bombardment in 1988, and set up a film projector in the village; then he invited all the local children to a free showing of family movies. Afterwards, Cousins distributed mini-cams and asked them to make short films of their own.

The results are stunning. Some interview their parents and grandparents about the terrible day of Saddam’s attempted genocide; others create myths and stories which have nothing to do with it. Cousins himself has a gentle, ruminative style and is entirely uncynical. Director: Mark Cousins, 2009. Bonus screening: Short film Aman Iman, Dir: Grégoire Gosset and Loïc Wibaux, 2008 e8/6.50

Language: Kurdish/English subtitles

Duration: 76mins

children

Easter Pottery Workshop with Christien Van Bussel

Tue 3 Apr

Calling all creative children who like to get their hands dirty! This pottery workshop is for you. With Easter just around the corner what better way to have fun and unleash your inner artist this spring? Enjoy working with clay to make your very own chicken money box and an ‘eggstra’ special egg cup! Learn all about clay and how it is coloured and fired in a kiln to make pieces strong and durable. Christien will show you all the tricks of the trade so you can make your own unique ceramics using the same skills and techniques as a professional potter.

Suitable for 5-13 year olds

e15

Workshop from 11am-1pm

6

music

Freddie White

Wed 4 Apr @ 8pm

Freddie White has long been held in the highest regard by critics and serious music fans alike. Whether interpreting songs by his favourite writers, such as Tom Waits, John Hiatt and Guy Clark or performing his own compositions, White delivers every time. His sound has been described using words such as transcendent, smooth, affecting, inspiring and his live performances are nothing short of legendary. Freddie is first in an exceptional line-up of musicians this season at Mermaid and there is no doubt he will set the bar high for those who come after. ‘...with his smoky, languid voice... there’s still nobody to match White at his best’ The Irish Times e18/e16 (3 for 33)

comedy

David McSavage - He’s Alive Inside

Thu 5 Apr @ 8pm

Not for the faint-hearted, comedian David McSavage makes his Mermaid debut with his critically acclaimed show, He’s Alive Inside!

Probably best known to audiences for his controversial TV series The Savage Eye, David is fast becoming one of the country’s best-loved and most provocative comedians. From characters like The Barman to Father Finnegan to former President Mary Robinson, McSavage touches on all aspects of Irish life leaving no sacred cow unscathed. With a combination of musical satire and stand-up, McSavage returns to his live performance roots reminding us all how the funniest busker on Grafton Street became one of Irish comedy’s biggest names. €18/€16 (3 for 33)

7

music

A Tribute to the Music of John Denver by Marc Roberts

Sat 7 Apr @ 8pm

On the 12th October, 1997 John Denver was tragically killed and the world lost one of its greatest singer-songwriters. On this the 15th anniversary of his death, Marc Roberts performs his critically acclaimed tribute to the legendary country singer.

The show is a full multimedia journey through John Denver’s life and music.

Unique among the vast majority of tribute acts, Roberts has been embraced by the family of the late John Denver as a worthy carrier of the flame and has taken his show around the world with their blessing. Marc performs all the hits including Annie’s Song, Leaving on a Jet Plane, Take Me Home, Country Roads, Calypso, Thank God I’m a Country Boy..... This is a celebration of Denver’s music where audiences are welcome, and indeed encouraged to sing-along.

‘John Denver’s songs beautifully interpreted. Not to be missed.’ Pat Kenny RTE €20

film

Shame (18)

Mon 9 Apr @ 8pm

Shame represents another great feature in one of the best years for British film in living memory. Steve McQueen consolidates his reputation as one of the most gifted and confident directors, following his extraordinary feature debut Hunger. Shame is a mesmerising character drama boasting a superbly orchestrated soundtrack and cinematography and arguably the best performance to date by actor of the moment, Michael Fassbender.

Fassbender plays Brandon, an affluent Manhattan based thirty something who plans his life around relentless sexual encounters and conquests until a visit from his wayward sister forces him to reassess his priorities.

Director: Steve McQueen, 2011. Includes Scenes of an explicit sexual nature. e8/6.50

Language: English

Duration: 99mins

8

local arts

Alice in Wonderland by Sunshine Stage School

Wed 11 Apr and Thu 12 Apr @ 7.30PM

On a perfect summer’s day in the park, Alice sees a white rabbit hurrying by. Curious to know where he is going, Alice follows him into the dark tunnel, thus begins her adventure. Join Sunshine Stage school on a magical journey through this most enduring of children’s classics as they bring to life favourite characters such as the Mad Hatter, Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dee and the Cheshire Cat. Presented by Sunshine Stage School.

€17 / €13

theatre

Great Expectations

Fri 13 Apr @ 8pm

Hotbuckle Productions presents this new, innovative adaptation of one of Dickens’ greatest novels. With all the comedy, mystery, violent melodrama, suspense and poignancy of the original, it tells of Pip’s journey from boyhood to manhood as he seeks to discover who he is and find his place in an inhospitable world. It is a story of love and loss, of guilt and shame, of fear and courage and has some of the most vivid and memorable characters in all of English literature. With the bicentenary of Dickens’ birth in 2012, this electrifying, exhilarating and moving production is a must-see.

€16/€14 (3 for 33)

Hotbuckle Productions

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music

Redmond O’ Toole

Sat 14 Apr @ 8pm

Through his unorthodox playing style and committed musicianship Redmond O’Toole has emerged as one of the most innovative and exciting young guitarists in Europe. O’Toole was the first to adapt to Paul Galbraith’s ground-breaking instrument the ‘Brahms guitar’. An 8-string guitar played in the position of a cello allowing greater freedom of posture and an extension of the guitar’s repertoire. In addition to his solo recitals Redmond has appeared regularly as guest guitarist with the Chieftains since 2008 and has toured extensively with the group.

“I am delighted to recommend Redmond O’Toole, Bray’s very own international star, as my selected show for our 10 year celebration. Redmond is one of a handful of artists to play an eight string guitar and does so superbly. Since he played at our opening night 10 years ago Redmond has performed world wide including guesting many times with the Chieftains.

Redmond has given us so many memorable nights – as a solo artist, in quartets, with other musicians and memorably again with the Chieftains last year.

For all you music lovers out there and particularly those of you who have not heard Redmond play I would wholeheartedly recommend this concert.”

Mary Doyle was Mermaid’s inaugural chairperson and is currently an active member of the board.

€16/€14 (3 for 33)

10

film

Margin Call (15A)

Mon 16 Apr @ 8pm

Writer/director JC Chandor makes a cinematic debut par excellence with Margin Call, a thriller set during the start of the financial crisis on Wall Street in 2008. The film follows a chain of events put into action over a 36 hour period: sub-prime crisis, the dumping of toxic debt, brutal firings, scapegoating, bailouts and bankruptcy all come to pass within the walls of a previously respectable investment banking giant. With a stunning ensemble cast including Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Kevin Spacey, Mary McDonnell, Paul Bettany and Simon Baker this is a stark protrait of the story of our times which achieves both artistic accomplishment and cultural relevancy. Director: J.C. Chandor, 2011 €8/€6.50

Language: English

Duration: 106mins

local arts

And Then There Were None

Tue 17 Apr- Sat 21 Apr @ 8pm

Ten people, each with a dark past, are invited to a lonely mansion on Indian Island by a mysterious host who fails to appear. They are cut off from everything but each other and the inescapable shadows of their own past lives. One by one, the guests share the darkest secrets of their wicked pasts. And one by one, they start to die... Possibly her most famous book, and certainly the most adapted, Christie used different titles and endings for the novel and her stage adaptation. Classic whodunit from Square One Theatre Group, directed by George Burke.

€15/€13

Square One Theatre Group

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visual arts / talk

Burke + Norfolk: An Illustrated Talk by Simon Norfolk

Wed 18 Apr @ 7pm

In keeping with our thread of enquiry for the year, Truths and Realities, Real and Imagined, Mermaid is delighted to present a talk by internationally renowned and award-winning photographer Simon Norfolk.

In October 2010, Norfolk began a series of new photographs in Afghanistan, taking his cue from the work of nineteenth-century Wicklow photographer, John Burke. Norfolk’s photographs reimagine or respond to Burke’s Afghan war scenes in the context of the contemporary conflict. Conceived as a collaborative project with Burke across time, here Norfolk discusses this project in what promises to be an enlightening and lively exploration of those strange bedfellows - art and war.

In association with Bray Cualann Historical Society, Sirius Arts Centre and Crawford Art Gallery Admission FREE

VENUE: Bray Town Hall

local arts

Celebrating 60 Years of Bray Musical Society

Sun 22 Apr & Sun 3 June @ 8PM

For 60 years Bray Musical Society has been entertaining the people of Bray.

Whether it was a show, concert or pantomime not a single year passed without at least one production from Bray Musical Society. To celebrate 60 years of Musical Theatre Bray Musical Society is pleased to stage a Gala Concert featuring both past and present members of the society. The concert will feature music from Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Wicked, Whistle Down the Wind, Annie and much more. Come celebrate with us and have two great nights out.

€18/€16

12

film

The Help (12A)

Mon 23 Apr @ 10.30Am

This Golden Globe-winning drama is based on the book club favourite and best-selling debut novel by Kathryn Stockett. Set in Jackson, Mississippi, during the 1960s, it chronicles the relationship between three different and extraordinary women who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk. Deeply moving, filled with humour, hope and heart, this is a timeless and universal story about the ability to create change. The film is both inspirational and empowering, featuring relatable, funny, courageous characters who, by finding their unique voices, triumph and become the heroes of their own lives. Director: Tate Taylor, 2011 Downloadable study guide available from www.ifi.ie/education €5

Language: English

Duration: 146 mins

film

The Lady (12A)

Mon 23 Apr @ 8pm

Michelle Yeoh plays political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi in this biopic from Luc Besson. Focusing on her relationship with British husband Michael Aris (David Thewlis), it tells the story of their enforced separation while the pro-democracy campaigner was under house arrest in Burma. Opening with Michael’s discovery that he has cancer, it unravels the build-up to Suu’s heartbreaking decision not to visit him in Britain, for fear of never returning to the people who elected her their leader. In many ways, it is the story of the man behind the woman, and terrific performances from both Thewlis and Yeoh help deliver a moving, mature love story.

Starring: Michelle Yeoh, David Thewlis, Jonathan Raggett, Jonathan Woodhouse. Director: Luc Beeson, 2011 €8/€6.50

Language: English/Burmese Duration: 112 mins

13

local arts

BIFE Shortcuts

Tue 24 Apr @ 8pm

Bray Institute of Further Education is proud to present the ninth annual screening of short films by graduate students. This year’s show consists of a wide range of shorts; comedies, tragedies and everything in-between.

Wicklow has long maintained a reputation for excellence in all things cinematic so why not take this opportunity to support this next generation of Irish film makers- you never know- you may witness the budding career of the next Neil Jordan.

€12/€8

local arts

Contrasts by BIFE Dance

Thu 26 & Fri 27 Apr @ 8pm

Bray Institute of Performing Arts Dance presents Contrasts, a sensational and invigorating performance of dance and movement. With a wide variety of styles, this show will engage audiences from start to finish. Be prepared for a collection of explosive jazz, dramatic ballet, emotional contemporary dance, exciting choreography and much more. This opportunity to see original work presented by the graduate students and tutors of the BIFE Performing Arts Dance programme should not be missed.

€15/€12

14

local arts

Coppelia

Sat 28 & Sun 29 Apr @ 7pm

The Dance Academy is delighted to present its bi-annual charity performances of one of the first comic ballet classics, Coppelia. Pupils from The Bray and Mount Merrion centres combine for these performances.

Coppelia, a mechanical doll made by Dr Coppelius, is so life-like that some believe she is his daughter. The mistake leads to intrigue and jealousy in love. The Dance Academy is also very proud to showcase its first Modern Theatre Dance production in nearly two decades, with a short medley sure to excite and enthral.

€15/10

film

The Secret of Kells (GEN)

Mon 30 Apr @ 10:30Am

This is a wonderful animation from Kilkenny’s Cartoon Saloon in which adventure, action and danger greet 12-year-old Brendan who must fight Vikings and a serpent god to find a crystal and complete the legendary Book of Kells. Brendan has to overcome his deepest fears on a secret quest that will take him for the first time ever beyond the abbey’s walls into the enchanted forest where dangerous mythical creatures hide. With the terrifying Viking Hordes closing in, will Brendan succeed in his quest to illuminate the darkness and prove that enlightenment is the best fortification against barbarians?

Downloadable study guide available from www.ifi.ie/education Director: Tomm Moore, 2009 €5

Language: English

Duration: 75 mins

15

film

Carnage (15A)

Mon 30 Apr @ 8PM

Carnage is a film about four people who hate each other and are unable to leave the room. Sometimes they make it far as the door and once or twice to the lift, though on each occasion they are pulled back by the unfinished business of their exquisite loathing and bitter contempt. With this stealthy adaptation of the Yasmina Reza stage play, director Roman Polanski has rustled up a pitch-black farce of the charmless bourgeoisie. This fourhander brings together comedic and dramatic actors at the top of their game with John C. Reilly, Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz all bringing their considerable skills to bare on this dark and witty comedy.

Director : Roman Polanski, 2011 €8/€6.50

Language: English

Duration: 79 mins

visual arts

Fugitive Papers public dialogue #4

Tue 1 May @ 3pm

This is Fugitive Papers’ forth public dialogue. For this dialogue James Merrigan and Michaële Cutaya invite speakers and public alike to contribute to a ‘roundtable’ discussion on the conditions of art writing/criticism in Ireland today.

Fugitive Papers is an artistic research project by James Merrigan and Michaële Cutaya to explore ideas about art, writing, criticality and public(s) in Ireland at this time. The project aims at opening critical spaces to think, exchange and debate about art and art-writing through public discussions, printed publications and online.

Fugitive Papers is funded through a Project Award from the Arts Council of Ireland.

Earlier in the day, VAI will hold workshops for art practitioners, visit visualartists.ie to book Admission FREE

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local arts

Shortlist Showcase - Signal Arts Centre

Tue 1 May @ 8pm

Signal Arts Centre is delighted to invite you to the screening of the first Signal Film Fest Shortlist Showcase. As ever Signal is constantly developing new ways to engage with the arts community both locally and further afield. To this end Signal has launched a short film competition to encourage and support budding and amateur filmmakers. The ten shortlisted entries will be screened in Mermaid before a panel of judges and the winner of the grand prize of a national screening on 3e will be announced as well as awarding runner up prizes from Filmbase.

€8/€6.50

music

Duke Special

Wed 2 May @ 8pm

Another musical high point this season at Mermaid as Duke Special takes to the stage this May. Dynamic, musically ambitious and bracingly eccentric, the Duke is noted for his inimitable style and lush musicality.

Hailing from Belfast with a sound that he describes as ‘hobo-chic’, Duke Special - aka Peter Wilson - is once heard, never forgotten. Blissfully at home in his own genre of bruised romanticism, Duke Special inhabits a world unlike any other - a world filled with vaudeville-esque sensibility, sing-a-longs and addictive melodies. Critically-acclaimed and with good reason too, this performance promises to be as Special as you would expect.

Touring support with Duke Special will be ‘Foreign Slippers’ €18/€16 (3 for 33)

18

film CLUB

Dreams of a Life

Mon 7 May @ 8pm

Nobody noticed when Joyce Vincent died in her bedsit above a shopping mall in North London in 2003. Her body wasn’t discovered for three years, surrounded by Christmas presents she had been wrapping, and with the TV still on.

Director Carol Morley, determined to find out more about Joyce’s life, spent five years tracking down those who knew her by placing adverts in newspapers, on black cabs and on the internet. Interweaving interviews with imagined scenes from Joyce’s life (played brilliantly by Zawe Ashton) Dreams of a Life is an imaginative, powerful, multilayered quest. It is not only a portrait of Joyce, but a portrait of London in the eighties.

Director: Carol Morley, 2011 €8/€6.50

Language: English

Duration: 90 mins

local arts

Action Arts

Wed 9 - Sun 13 May @ 7.30pm

Action Arts presents a wonderful mixture of drama song and dance for your delight. Pupils from Bray, Greystones and Wicklow will entertain you with extracts from The King and I, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and an original musical play based at Hogworths, as well as songs and dances by current popular artists in addition to old time favourite songs. We hope you will enjoy being entertained by these talented and gifted young performers.

€13/€10

19

theatre

Wed 9 May @ 8pM

Love Letters

A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters explores the relationship between a man and a woman solely through their correspondence. The play tells the story of Andy Ladd and Melissa Gardner, whose poignantly funny friendship and ill-fated romance takes them from second grade through adolescence, maturity, and into middle age. The play traces the lifelong correspondence from the small boy, who grows up to be a staid, dutiful lawyer, Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and the girl, who turns into lively, unstable, raunchy artist Melissa Gardner. The story of their bittersweet relationship gradually unfolds from what is written - and what is left unsaid - in their letters. The words are both funny and moving, and the audience comes to know both of them intimately. €12 (3 for 33)

VENUE: Bray Town Hall Dear Conjunction Theatre Company

film

The Kid with a Bike (12A)

Mon 14 May @ 8pm

Consistent excellence is rare in cinema, but no film-making team has more regularly swept us away with their poetic insights into ordinary lives than the brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The Kid with a Bike, however, does more than keep up the high standard. On the run from a children’s home where his father (Jérémie Renier) has dumped him, 11-year-old Cyril (Thomas Doret) goes to his father’s place, but finds neither him nor his beloved bike.

Instead, when his carers find him, he dives into a doctor’s waiting room and clings to hairdresser Samantha (Cécile de France). She takes an interest and eventually offers to foster him at weekends. You might think that an obvious thawing and building of a bond between the two would follow, but nothing so simple takes place. Director: J P Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, 2011 €8/€6.50

Language: French/English subtitles

Duration: 87 mins

20

local arts

Sleeping Beauty Bray School of Dance

Wed 16- Sat 19 May @ 7.30PM

Bray School of Dance is delighted to bring you their unique interpretation of this age old tale. The first half of the show will enchant you with classical ballet, modern theatre and jazz dance, with students from the tender age of 3 up to experienced young dancers that have trained with the school for many years. The second half will thrill you with exciting tap, jazz and hip hop numbers as well as beautiful excerpts from Swan Lake and The King and I. This fantastic show will entertain children and adults alike.

Adults €14/ Children €12

music/film

Vampyr - Steven Severin

Sun 20 May @ 8pm

This is a rare opportunity to hear Steven Severin’s new score for Vampyr, the third in his ongoing film accompaniment series - Music For Silents.

Live in person, acclaimed solo artist and founder member of the legendary Siouxsie and the Banshees, Severin presents a mesmerising synthesis of sound and image, heightening appreciation of the surreal and enigmatic nature of the original work. Vampyr, Carl Theodor Dreyer’s unsettling tale of fear and obsession finds its aural counterpart in Severin’s suitably textured score, a synthesised, highly atmospheric soundscape drawing the viewer rhythmically into the oneiric imagery on screen.

Director: Carl Dreyer, 1932 €12 (3 for 33)

21

film

CLUB My House in Umbria

Mon 21 May @ 2pm

As part of the Bealtaine Festival celebrating creativity in older age, spend the afternoon enjoying a special film matinee at Mermaid Arts Centre. A now popular annual event please books your tickets early and remember that the ticket price includes a complimentary tea or coffee at the Betelnut café.

This year’s film is My House in Umbria. Based on the novella by William Trevor, My House In Umbria is set in the beautiful Italian countryside. After a tragic train accident, four survivors find solace in the villa of an English writer, Mrs. Delahunty. The other survivors - an American girl, a British general and a young German - struggle to come to terms with the disaster, as an inspector tries to figure out exactly what happened. Director: Richard Loncraine, 2003 €2

Language: English

Duration: 103 mins

film

CLUB Mon 21 May @ 8pm

Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life

Forming part of Werner Herzog’s Death Row project (which also includes a series of shorter TV films), Into the Abyss is an outstanding exploration of violent crime and its consequences. Herzog focuses on two main characters, Michael Perry and Jason Burkett, convicted of a triple homicide committed in their home state of Texas. Perry was interviewed on camera just days before his execution; Burkett did not receive the death sentence, but was sentenced to life in prison after his father, himself a convicted felon, pleaded for clemency. Alongside these protagonists, Herzog talks to their families and those of the victims, as well as to a chaplain and others intimately involved in administering the death sentence.

Director: Werner Herzog, 2011 €8/€6.50

Language: English

Duration: 107 mins

22

local arts

Once Upon a Fairytale/ Little Orphan Annie

Wed 23- Fri 25 May @ 7.30pm

Performers Theatre School returns to Mermaid with two lively and energetic performances. PTS Juniors aged 3-7yrs, bring you on a wonderful journey through the forest where you will meet Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, Snow White and many more fairytale characters with a very modern twist!. PTS seniors aged 8-14yrs will have you tapping in the aisles as they perform an all singing, all dancing excerpt from the classic musical Annie. A wonderful night’s entertainment for all the family.

€15/12

music

Albert Lee and Hogan’s Heroes

Sat 26 May @ 8pm

Described by Eric Clapton as ‘the greatest guitarist on the planet’ Albert Lee is undoubtedly one of rock’s most respected musicians and requires no introduction to guitar aficionados and country rock fans alike. Emmylou Harris, The Everly Brothers, Dolly Parton, Eric Clapton, these are just some of the artists Albert has collaborated with throughout his career. A double Grammy award-winning musician, Lee’s talents as a performer, musical director and writer continue to be in demand by both his fellow musicians and audiences around the world. Albert is joined by Hogan’s Heroes, a band made up of some of the most talented musicians working in Europe today including Gerry Hogan, Brian Hodgson and Wicklow based pianist Gavin Povey. €20

23

local arts

Junior Musicals

Sun 27 May @ 2.30pm, 5pm, 8pm

Junior Musicals together with The Hallelujah Choir celebrate 21 years with a spectacular, fun packed end of term variety show featuring excerpts from Hairspray, Bugsy Malone and much more. Over the years, Junior Musicals have appeared on the Late Late Show six times and have performed alongside Ronan Keating, Sir Cliff Richard and Rebecca Storm.

Recent successes in TV and film include: The Take (Sky 1), Titanic Blood and Steel (RTE) and Byzantium (Neil Jordan feature film). The show features special appearances from past pupils, a trip down memory lane and some surprises too!!

Join this hugely talented cast in Celebration 21 - Not to be missed. e16/ Family of 4 ticket e60

film

CLUB Mother and Child

Mon 28 May @ 8pm

It has been years since Karen (Annette Bening) gave her daughter, Elizabeth, up for adoption, and the decision to abandon her child has always haunted her. Upon meeting laid-back Paco (Jimmy Smits), Karen permits her anxiety and mistrust to get the best of her. On the surface it appears that Elizabeth (Naomi Watts) is none the worse for never knowing her biological mother; she’s a fast-talking lawyer who’s just landed a high-profile job at a firm fronted by Paul (Samuel L. Jackson), though her unsavory penchant for exploiting others is about to blow up in her face. Meanwhile, maternal-minded baker Lucy (Kerry Washington) longs to experience the joys of motherhood, eventually deciding that adoption is the best bet to start a family with her husband, Joseph (David Ramsey). Director: Rodrigo García, 2009 €8/€6.50

Language: English

Duration: 125 mins

24

local arts

Bray Music Centre

TUES 29 MAY @ 8pm

Come and hear the winners of our music competitions! Not only cups and trophies, but also generous scholarships for tuition in violin and piano are being offered as prizes.

Bray music centre has been providing quality music tuition to the bray area for 30 years and offers classes for individuals, groups and orchestra in classical, popular and jazz styles.

Also showcasing students from V.E.C. Outreach programmes who will battle it out for 1st prize in their category

€15/12

comedy

Ardal O Hanlon

Wed 30 May @ 8pm

Award-winning comedian, actor, writer - and star of Father Ted (C4), My Hero (BBC 1), Val Falvey (RTE) and Leagues Apart (RTE), Ardal O’Hanlon brings his unique brand of stand up comedy back to Ireland. A highly acclaimed stand-up, Ardal has toured to sell out audiences internationally and has released two Top Ten stand up DVDs. He continues to be one of the most sought after comedians working with regular sell out solo tours in the UK, USA and Australia. His debut novel The Talk of the Town remained in the Best Seller charts for more than 6 months and was recently voted one of the 1001 books to read before you die.

€20/€18

25

music

Gato Azul with Sandra Melo

Thurs 31 May @ 8pm

Gato Azul is an exciting new instrumental quartet and the latest project from the industrious Italian, Francesco Turrisi, who is now developing a reputation as an accordionist and frame drummer par excellence to match his well-documented piano capabilities. Joining him are percussionist Robbie Harris, whose bodhran sounds remarkably at home in this rhythmic terrain, the mighty jazz double bass of Michael Coady, and Lucas Gonzalez, an exceptional Argentinian guitarist now resident in Dublin, who brings authenticity and a flamencoesque brio to the table.

They are joined here by special guest, Brazilian singer Sandra Melo.

€16/€14 (3 for 33)

music / dance

Celtic Dream

Fri 1 Jun @ 8pm

Celtic Dream blends the traditional with the contemporary in this kaleidoscope of dance, song and spectacle. With a selection of talented Irish dancers, vocalists and musicians from all around Ireland, choreographer Josephine Brennan King takes a leaf from Michael Flatley’s book as she creates a show which celebrates the passion and spirit long associated with this land. Celtic Dream has toured extensively in America and the U.K. receiving a rapturous reception from audiences and will visit Mermaid for one night only as part of a busy Irish tour. Expect high energy entertainment with a festive feel!

€22/€20

26

film

Sat 2 Jun @ 8pm

Stella Days (15A)

Daniel Barry, parish priest of Borrisokane, Co. Tipperary, feels like the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although he works hard to fulfill his duty, he has nothing in common with his parishioners and secretly fears he has lost his vocation. When forced by his Bishop to start a big fund-raising campaign, he attempts to reconcile his passion for film with his duty to the Church through the creation of the Stella Cinema.

Stella Days is the story of the conflict between love and duty, hope and faith. It encapsulates the dilemma of Ireland in the mid-1950s – on the cusp of the modern but still clinging to the traditions of the Church Director: Tadius O'Sullivan 2011 Bonus: Post-screening Q&A with writer Michael Doorley €8/€6.50

Language: English

Duration: 87 mins

film

CLUB Bernadette: Notes on a Political Journey

Mon 4 Jun @ 8pm

This remarkable documentary, made over a nine year period, charts the story of Bernadette Devlin McAliskey’s political journey since her explosive entry into the public arena in the late sixties. Combining archive footage with a series of intimate interviews conducted with Devlin McAliskey, director Lelia Doolan perfectly encapsulates the idiosyncrasies and rebelliousness which has fuelled her subject’s pivotal role at the heart of civil rights, feminism and socialism in Northern Ireland. Bernadette is a fascinating and powerful account of this firebrand figure, an impressively rounded depiction of a woman blessed with incredible eloquence, clarity and firm socialist principles. Director: Leia Doolan, 2011 €8/€6.50

Language: English

Duration: 90 mins

27

play

Pigeon

WED 6 & THURS 7 JUN @ 8PM

Pigeon is a character mask play about an ordinary man caught in the crossfire. His familiar routine is suddenly broken. He’s making repairs and sifting through his belongings, but he can’t decide what to keep or discard. Is he losing his job, his home, his wife, his mind….? With fascinating character masks and an upbeat soundtrack, Pigeon shows just how fragile our security is in a time of crisis.

Carpet Theatre returns to Mermaid bringing magical character masks and their usual playful approach to Irish experience in this wordless production devised by Mermaid’s Theatre Artist in Residence Ciarán Taylor. Featuring Pau Cirer, Ruth Lehane and Karl Quinn.

By Cairán Taylor, carpet theatre and co-produced by Mermaid Arts Centre

‘For a long time I’ve been intruiged by character masks which aren’t really used in Ireland. My residency at Memaid has allowed me time to develop this play where the story is told through action rather than words. The challange is to reveal the characters thoughts just by how they do simple things, and the results are really magical and endearing. The play is about finding your own way when times get tough, and I think everyone will relate to it.’

Ciarán Taylor (Mermaid Theatre Artist in Residence) €16/14 (3 for 33)

Come to Arcadia Festival Bray for the finest entertainment, unrivalled scenery and a wide range of other splendid summer holiday activities for one and all.

Picnics, theatre, exhibitions, music, film, cabaret and lots more good old-fashioned fun!

Fall in love again with Bray.

ce-creams in the sunshine, train journeys by the sea, warm hazy mornings, fish and chips on the pier, periwinkles and cockles, fresh air and being beside the seaside - even when it was raining, dancing in Arcadia ballroom, puppet shows, showbands, the long stretch of summer holidays between June and September. Few places in Ireland evoke such sweet memories of childhood summers as Bray. Bray is a place that has had many lives, small fishing village, idyllic retreat for Victorian Dublin's middle-class, major holiday resort, home to James Joyce, thriving town and cultural hotspot.

As part of our 10th anniversary celebrations, Mermaid presents the Arcadia Festival from 8 - 17 June which celebrates all the best things about Bray today as well as all the facets of its rich social and cultural heritage. For ten days in June, we will bring the town alive with this wonderful history to help remind the world just how special Bray really is.

ARCADIA NEEDS YOU! Although many events are already planned, there is still so much more that can be done.

So we are asking anyone with a place in their heart for Bray to get involved and come up with their very own Arcadia event to honour Bray in style, be it a neighbourhood tea party or a nostalgic window display.

Whether you run a business, are an artist, musician or just want to be involved, get in touch with us at festival@mermaidartscentre.ie

30

broadcast

Newstalk’s Moncrieff Show Live

Fri 8 Jun @ 1:30pm-4:30pm

Newstalk’s Moncrieff show take a day trip to Bray to help us celebrate the first day of the new Arcadia Festival. Broadcasting live from Mermaid on Friday 8 June featuring the usual Movies and Booze, lively discussion, music and even free drinks and nibbles for everyone in the audience! Join Sean and his highly select panel for a delightful afternoon amusing and informative banter. A perfect way to while away an afternoon and an excellent excuse to sneak away from work early.

Admission FREE

cabaret

Arcadia Cabaret Club music, comedy, dancing & cocktails

Fri 8 Jun @ 9pm- late

A 1940s vintage cabaret with style, panache, and a touch of 1940s glamour.

Featuring 1940s style vocal harmony group The Bugle Babes - You’ve heard them on the wireless, you’ve seen them in the movies, and now here they are in person - the Queens of The Music Machines, the Singsational Bugle Babes!

Also featuring The Hilarious Adventures of Zocorro, the wanna-be Spanish Rose of Tralee. In 2002 she promised the world she would be back once she conceived an eligible Rose of Tralee. 10 years later, she is back, pregnant with the baby she needs, Marilyn Monroe’s clone.

Swingtime with DJ and saxophonist Gary Baus (yes, he does the two together) with his 1940s favourites. Dress code: Retro €20 (includes cocktail and amuse-bouche)

31

theatre

Love All

Sat 9 Jun @ 8pm

Anyone for tennis? The electrifying new theatre company Cheery Wild, have starched their whites, re-stretched their racquets and are ready to serve a virtuoso volley of Victorian melodrama. This award-winning company deliver a hilarious, rapid-fire, homicidal train ride from passion to pandemonium.

Two struggling players, a trunk of props, and a ludicrous soundtrack combine to recount the Goolds’ extraordinary globe-trotting journey from the heady heights of sporting stardom to complete catastrophe. And if you’re lucky you might even get strawberries and cream along the way!

€16/€14 (3 for 33)

Cheery Wild Productions

outing

Picnic on Bray Head

Sun 10 Jun @ 2-4pm

Bring your wicker baskets, your tartan picnic blankets, your deck chairs and your camera and join us on Bray Head for a giant picnic. Making the most of this beautiful setting, Mermaid’s picnic on Bray head is a chance to slow down, relax and enjoy life’s simple pleasures. With entertainment galore, this is a picnic for everyone.

Come and enjoy Mermaid’s commissioned show Pierrot 2000s, developed

by Mermaid’s Theatre Artist in Residence Ciaran Taylor and inspired by the 19th and 20th century tradition of seaside variety entertainment performed

by Pierrot Troupes for holidaymakers. Pierrot 2000s looks back at the classic comedy routines and brings you an up to date lively performance to brighten up your summer day by the sea.

FREE

32

film

The Artist (PG)

Mon 11 & Thu 14 Jun @ 8pm

With this 5 Academy Award winning film, travel back to the golden age of cinema in this enchanting, comedic tribute to silent films. It is 1927, and handsome, witty, and beguiling George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is Hollywood’s biggest movie star. Unhappily married, Valentin has unwittingly stolen the heart of a nobody-turned-extra named Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), who dreams of becoming a great actress in her own right.

When the studio converts to the ‘talkies’, Valentin balks at the prospect: who would want to hear actors speaking? Valentin takes it upon himself to keep the silent era alive, risking his career and his fortune, and stiff competition from his former allies. Director: Michel Hazanavicius, 2011 €8/€6.50

Language: silent - English Subtitles Duration: 100 mins

pottery workshop

Tea Party Pottery

Tue 12 Jun @ 10:30am-12:30pm

Why not revive the lost art of ‘hobby’ and get cracking on some fun home-making and home-baking! And what better place to put your freshly baked cake than on a ‘home baked’ ceramic cake stand.

Make a unique cake stand out of clay and decorate it to your taste.

Wicklow based ceramicist Christien Van Bussel will guide you through the process and also explain how the piece is fired so it will be strong, lasting through many tea parties to come!

€25 includes a slice of cake and cup of tea

33

film premiere

A Barbershop History of Bray

Tue 12 Jun @ 8pm

The Executive Barber Shop occupies the front room of an old townhouse on the Florence Road in Bray. From the outside it is an ordinary barber’s shop, run by the gregarious Tommy McNulty. Tommy has a fondness for old photographs and the walls of his shop have over the years become home to them. As a result, they have also become a fascinating pictorial history of Bray and that is what this documentary sets out to capture – not the history of Bray, just a modest history gleaned from the walls of an unassuming barber’s shop. Produced and directed by Don Rorke and David Ryan.

FREE

book launch/revue

Two Sisters Singing- A Revue

Wed 13 Jun @ 8pm

Entertainment for the evening in an evocation of 1942 to coincide with the launch of Carmen Cullen’s new book- Two Singing Sisters. There is a celebration in song, music and readings of the iconic singer of the period, the author’s aunt, Delia Murphy. I’ll Live ‘til I Die is performed by Carmen as well as musician Gerry Anderson and Mairín O’Donoghue. This is followed by foot-tapping numbers recreating Ireland’s golden ballroom era, with classic hits from singer Donal Donnelly and his band The Jazz Freaks. A perfect Arcadia event.

FREE

34

music

Cathy Davey Sings Her Heroes

Fri 15 Jun @ 8pm

The multi-award winning Cathy Davey brings her beautiful, nostalgic tribute to her heroes to Mermaid for Arcadia. Cathy sings the songs of her favourite artists from the 40’s,50’s and 60’s such as Marlene Dietrich, Julie London and Jane Russell.

This platinum-selling artist brings her considerable talent to bear on a stunning back catalogue of classics spanning four decades. A nostalgic treat for Arcadia audiences and a perfect way to spend a twilight summer’s evening

€20/18

theatre/comedy

The Fitzrovia Radio Hour

Sat 16 Jun @ 8pm

Recreating the unique spirit of 1940s radio plays and brilliantly evoking a dinner-jacketed age of casual imperialism and stiff upper lips, The Fitzrovia Radio Hour’s brand new show comes to Mermaid fresh from three critically acclaimed London residencies. Performed with cut-glass theatricality blending homage and satire, Fitzrovia mixes the chauvinist attitudes of 1940s Britain with sharp contemporary humour to produce a heady comic cocktail. Throughout the plays, sound effects are created live: a Bakelite hairdryer imitates a heating torch, a desk fan becomes an aeroplane, and multiple types of cabbage help to stage a fight scene. Rippingly good fun!

€16/€14 (3 for 33)

35

opera/theatre

I Heard You Calling Me The Story of Count John McCormack

Sun 17 Jun @ 8pm

I Heard you Calling Me is the wonderful theatrical tribute to legendary tenor John McCormack. Featuring such musical gems as Macushla, Because, Roses of Picardy, Somewhere a Voice is Calling and many more, this delicious musical evening chronicles the extraordinary life story of Count John McCormack. Narrated by the much loved radio and TV presenter Kevin Hough (from RTE’s The Lyrics Board), the show stars Waterford tenor Frank Ryan as John McCormack, and renowned Cork soprano Linda Kenny as Lily. Directed by the celebrated Cathal McCabe, the show also features the multi-award winning violinist Deirdre Lehane and legendary pianist Michael Casey. €20

local arts

Encorps Showcase

Sun 10 Jun @ 3PM & 7pm

These performances will showcase the talents of the Encorps classes in Blackrock and Dundrum/Ballinteer. This year’s show includes routines from Dirty Dancing, Legally Blonde The Musical, Mamma Mia, Disney, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj and Jedward. The students, ranging in age from 13-18, work all year towards this performance.

€10

36

film

Martha Marcy May Marlene (16)

Mon 18 Jun @ 8pm

A beautiful, emotionally shattered young woman named Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) makes a dawn escape from a cult compound in the Catskill mountains, fleeing to the luxurious home of her married sister and attempts to put her life back together. But with her past spilling into the present, escape from Patrick (John Hawkes), the demented cult leader, might not be so easy.

In Martha Marcy May Marlene, first-time director Sean Durkin has crafted an insidious, slow-burn psychological thriller where the gap between reality, dream and memory becomes desperately menacing. Hallucinatory and unsettling, this is a remarkably confident debut from a bright new talent. Director: Sean Durkan, 2011 €8/6.50

Language: English

Duration: 101mins

music opportunity

Live from Mermaid Open Call to Musicians

Thu 21 Jun @ 8pm

In association with Big Garden Recording, Mermaid presents an evening of live music marking Ireland’s National Music Day. Live from Mermaid is a part of Love: Live Music, a daylong celebration of the remarkable musical talent in Ireland, with live music performances taking place across the country. Mermaid offers you the unknown and unexpected. Three selected acts will perform in Mermaid to a live audience, will be recorded by Big Garden Recording, broadcast live on Garden County Radio and will receive a recording of their performance mixed and mastered by Eóin Murphy of Big Garden Recording.

For more information on how to take part go to mermaidartscentre.ie or email festival@mermaidartscentre.ie Free

37

bluegrass

Curtis Blackwell

Fri 22 Jun @ 8pm

Curtis Blackwell - vocals/guitar Chuck Nation - fiddle Susan Nation - vocals/bass Jim Pankey - banjo More excellent music this season this time with a southern drawl. Curtis Blackwell and his band The Dixie Bluegrass Boys, bring authentic bluegrass to the Mermaid stage. A member of the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame, Curtis Blackwell is a former member of the Legendary Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys and was recognized in 2010 by the International Bluegrass Museum in Kentucky as a ‘Legend of Bluegrass’. If you’re a fan of bluegrass, you won’t want to miss this.

€16/14 (3 for 33)

film

Le Havre (PG)

Mon 25 Jun @ 8pm

Marcel Marx, a former bohemian and struggling author, has given up his literary ambitions and relocated to the port city Le Havre. He leads a simple life based around his wife Arletty, his favourite bar and his not too profitable profession as a shoeshiner. As Arletty suddenly becomes seriously ill, Marcel’s path crosses with an underage illegal immigrant from Africa. With a smorgasboard of colourful characters Le Harve is witty subtle film with both heart and intellingence, a social commentary with a fairytale feel this is the remarable Aki Kaurismäki at his best.

Director: Aki Kaurismäki, 2011

€8/6.50

Language: French

Duration: 93mins

38

discussion

Four Savvy Women

Sat 23 JuN @ 8PM

Four sassy savvy women survey the wreckage of the boom, the carnage of the bust and the future we need to build. Entitled is thinking the new bling, this engaging evening is chaired by RTÉ Radio’s Mary Wilson and produced

by Marian Richardson. The line up includes award-winning journalists Kathy Sheridan and Justine McCarthy, with others to be announced.

The four savvy women bring a new refreshing eye to the big issues shaping all our futures.

Also expect a surpise guest on the night.

Selected Show “In my time at the Mermaid, it always struck me that there was a great appetite for debate and discussion - the Mermaid audience is extremely discerning and engaged with the burning issues of the day. When Nora extended this lovely invitation to me for the 10th anniversary, I immediately thought of the 4 Savvy Women. I’ve had the pleasure of bringing them to The Electric Picnic, to Farmleigh and to Clifden Arts Festival, where audiences have revelled in their forthright and astute commentary. And now it’s a great delight to bring them back to Bray.”

Maureen Kennelly was Mermaids Artistic Director, from 2006-2008. €15/12 (3 for 33)

39

local arts

Bray Lakers

Thu 28 Jun @ 12.45PM & 8pm

Expect a high energy performance throughout with a talented cast of actors, dancers, drummers and musicians who really know how to get the party started. Come and join the fun. Sing along to the well known tunes and you can be sure your feet won’t stop tapping!

€15/10/8 for Matinee

theatre

Wheelchair on my Face

Fri 29 Jun @ 8pm

‘I got my first pair of glasses when I was seven. A nurse came to the school and tested everyone’s eyes. And so it was discovered why I’d thrown bread to the floating crisp packets in our local pond and walked into lamp posts and said, ’excuse me’. Until that day the world was a swirl of moving coloured blobs. I thought it was the same for everyone. How wrong I was.’ Fishamble returns to Mermaid with yet another critically acclaimed production. Written by and starring Sonya Kelly this one-act one-woman show is a part biographical, part comedic, part theatrical retelling of one seven year old’s story of getting her new first pair of glasses.

Post-performance in-conversation chaired by Patrick Lonergan, Synge Summer School €16/14 (3 for 33)

Fishamble - The New Play Company

40

music

Tír na nÓg

Sat 30 Jun @ 8pm

Tír na nÓg complete a great season for music at Mermaid. The hugely popular alt folk duo was formed by Leo O’Kelly & Sonny Condell in Dublin in 1970 and is regarded as one of the most influential groups to have come from Ireland.

They are cited as an inspiration from musicians and songwriters as diverse as Julie Feeney, Jimmy MacCarthy & David Kitt. They caused a sensation both on the folk and rock scenes almost as soon as they landed off the boat train to Britain and were championed by the likes of legendary radio DJ John Peel.

Join them for an evening of exceptional music with support from Cormac Breatnach accompanied by Gavin Ralston and Fiachra Trench.

€16/14 (3 for 33)

Sneak Peak @ July

The Circus is Coming to Town

MON 2 - FRI 6 @ 10Am - 1PM

The Circus is Coming to Town is a 5 day workshop packed with fun and learning through games, songs, theatre, play, dance, arts and crafts.

Children will be introduced to techniques in the various art forms in a relaxed, fun and joyful environment. The teachers Marie-Geneviève Linotte and Angelica Santander of puppet theatre Kidding Ensemble, and Antje O’Toole, dance artist and teacher, will encourage the children to express their own ideas and to develop through the various artistic media.

Throughout the week the group will create performance acts around the circus theme for a little ‘gathering’ with the children’s parents/guardians, taking place at the end of the workshop.

Theatre, Dance and Puppetry Workshops €95

41

visual arts

Low-life Dramas (for late-night radio) James Merrigan

Thu 22 MarchSUN 27 May

Over the past four years, James Merrigan’s art practice has dealt with the obsessions and addictions inherent in ‘dark’ culture. His short looping video, audio and text works combine elements of commonplace vernacular language with psychologically charged imagery and are often integrated with partially scenographic architectures. Low-life Dramas (for late-night radio) starts with the truism: ‘That type of thing just doesn’t happen round here.’ This is where Merrigan interjects with his textual clichés, visual banalities, and persuasive audio narratives.

Recent exhibitions include ‘So Long Roger Fenton...’ at Monster Truck Gallery and ‘Futures 11’ at the Royal Hibernian Academy. He will have a solo show in the LAB later in 2012. Merrigan was the recipient of the 2010/11 Irish Residential Studios Award at the Red Stables and the Visual Artists Ireland Writer Award 2011, and is creator of +BILLION- art journal and a founding editor of critical art newspaper ‘Fugitive Papers’.

James Merrigan was the Resident Art Writer in County Wicklow for 2011, an initiative of Wicklow Arts Office and supported by Mermaid Arts Centre.

42

visual arts

From Bray with Love

Fri 8 Jun – Thu 13 September

A focal point of the Arcadia Festival - Celebrating Bray Past and Present, From Bray with Love is a curated exhibition which takes a closer look at Bray’s international standing as one of the major holiday destinations in Ireland.

With the extension of the railway to Bray in 1854, Bray took off as a popular holiday resort, particularly with day-trippers from Dublin, and became the largest Irish seaside resort at the time. From Bray with Love features photographs documenting Bray’s success and travel posters designed to entice tourists to Bray and county Wicklow and highlighting the merit that Bray was given as a holiday resort, with the town standing tall alongside Killarney and Connemara as a must-see place to visit when in Ireland.

The exhibition also includes an important collection of postcards sent from Bray by holiday-makers, featuring for example sightseers walking the promenade, the cable car built in the 1950s which brought visitors halfway up Bray Head, and an array of prominent hotels and boarding houses.

With the assistance and expertise of local historians and collectors, and partners such as An Post, the National Library and Iarnrod Eireann, From Bray with Love will give everyone an opportunity to recall the ‘good old days’ and to perhaps rekindle some of that passion for ‘Beautiful Bray’.

This exhibition is accompanied by an extensive programme of events.

FUNDED BY

We would like to thank all of our Friends of Mermaid, including the following Corporate Friends:

MERMAID PRoJECT SPONSOR

Bray Tourism Bray Wanderers CRH Plc Dargle Valley nursing Home Frank Duff Lounge Bar Key Plastics Liam O’Brien

Mailing List If you would like to join our mailing list, please contact the box office or join online at www.mermaidartscentre.ie

FUNDED BY

Disabled Access Mermaid has full disabled access and patrons should advise the box office of specific requirements when booking.

Gift Vouchers Gift Vouchers are available in any denomination from the box office.

Betelnut Café & Theatre Bar The Betelnut Café at mermaid is open for breakfast, lunch and snacks from 8am - 6pm Monday - Friday, 9am to 9pm on Saturday and from 10am - 5pm on Sunday. The theatre bar is open for pre-show drinks. Interval drinks can be ordered before the performance.

Concessions & Group Bookings Concessions are available to students, senior citizens and the unemployed.

Group discounts are available. Please contact the box office for details.

FILM TICKET PRICES & CLUB FILM INFormation: Tickets: 8 / 6.50 Conc.

Club films require evening (1.50) • available to all over 18 years • must be taken out at least 15 minutes prior to screening • entitles you to buy 3 guest tickets per screening • each group of 4 must have at least one member • guests must be over 18 years for Club films Latecomers: For the comfort of patrons and performers, latecomers will not be admitted until the interval.

Tickets: Once purchased, tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded.

The Mermaid team is delighted to be awarded IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year, Leinster. We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped us get there, from the IMRO members who nominated us to all who supported in the public vote.

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MAR/APRIL sa 31 mo

2

The End @ 8pm Wonderland theatre workshop for children 10-3pm daily - starts

mo

2

The First Movie (Club) @ 8pm

we

3

Easter Pottery Workshop

we

3

Wonderland theatre workshop for children 10-3pm daily

th

4

Freddie White @ 8pm

th

4

Wonderland theatre workshop for children 10-3pm daily

fr

5

Wonderland theatre workshop for children 10-3pm daily - ends

fr

5

David McSavage - He’s Alive Inside @ 8pm

sa

7

A Tribute to John Denver - Marc Roberts @ 8pm

mo

9

Shame (18) @ 8pm

wed 11

Sunshine Stage School @ 7:30pm

th 12

Sunshine Stage School @ 7:30pm

fr 13

Great Expectations @ 8pm

sa 14

Selected Show, Redmond O’ Toole @ 8pm

mo 16

Margin Call (15A) @ 8pm

tu 17

Square One - And Then There Were None @ 8pm

wed 18

Square One - And Then There Were None @ 8pm

wed 18

Burke + Norfolk: An Illustrated Talk by Simon Norfolk @ 7pm

su 22

Celebrating 60 Years of Bray Musical Society

mo 23

The Help (15A) @ 10:30am

mo 23

The Lady (12A) @ 8pm

tu 24

Short Cuts @ 8pm

th 26

BIFE Dance- Contrasts @ 8pm

fr 27

BIFE Dance- Contrasts @ 8pm

sa 28

The Dance Academy - Coppelia @ 7pm

su 29

The Dance Academy - Coppelia @ 7pm

mo 30

BIFE Dance- Contrasts @ 8pm

mo 30

The Secret of Kells (Gen) @ 10:30am

mo 30

Carnage (15A) @ 8pm

children

comedy

dance

film

literature

MAY tu

1

VAI Workshops

tu

1

Fugitive Papers Public Dialogue #4 @ 3pm

tu

1

Shortlist showcase - Signal Arts @ 8pm

wed

2

Duke Special @ 8pm

fr

4

Bray Jazz 2012 - TBC @ 8pm

sa

5

Bray Jazz 2012 - Susana Baca @ 8pm

su

6

Bray Jazz 2012 - Don Byron’s new Gospel Quintet @ 8pm

mo

7

Dreams of a Life (Club) @ 8pm

wed

9

Action Arts @ 7:30pm

wed

9

Love Letters @ 8pm

th 10

Action Arts @ 7:30pm

fr 11

Action Arts @ 7:30pm

sa 12

Action Arts @ 7:30pm

su 13

Action Arts @ 7:30pm

mo 14

The Kid with a Bike (12A) @ 8pm

wed 16

Bray School of Dance @ 7:30pm

th 17

Bray School of Dance @ 7:30pm

fr 18

Bray School of Dance @ 7:30pm

sa 19

Bray School of Dance @ 7:30pm

su 20

Vampyr @ 8pm

mo 21

Bealtaine - My house in Umbria @ 2pm

mo 21

Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life @ 8pm

wed 23

Performers Theatre @ 7:30pm

th 24

Performers Theatre @ 7:30pm

fr 25

Performers Theatre @ 7:30pm

sa 26

Albert Lee and Hogan’s Heroes @ 8pm

su 27

Junior Musicals @ 2.30, 5pm & 8pm

mo 28 tu 29 wed 30 th 31

Mother and Child (Club) @ 8pm Bray Music Centre @ 8pm Ardal O’ Hanlon @ 8pm Gato Azul with Sandra Melo @ 8pm

local arts

music

opera

theatre

visual arts

JUNE fr

1

Celtic Dream @ 8pm

sa

2

Stella Days (15A) @ 8pm

su

3

Celebrating 60 Years of Bray Musical Society @ 8pm

mo

4

Bernadette: Notes on a Political Journey (Club) @ 8pm

wed

6

Pigeon @ 8pm

th

7

Pigeon @ 8pm

fr

8

Arcadia Festival - Celebrating Bray Past and Present (8th-17th)

fr

8

Newstalk’s Moncrieff Roadshow Live from Mermaid (1:30 - 4:40pm)

fr

8

From Bray with Love - Exhibition Opening

fr

8

Arcadia Cabaret Club (9pm - Late)

sa

9

Love All @ 8pm

su 10

Picnic on Bray Head (2-4pm)

su 10

Encorps @ 7pm

mo 11

The Artist @ 8pm

tu 12

Make a Cake Stand Pottery Class (10:30 - 12:30)

tu 12

A Barber Shop History of Bray @ 8pm

wed 13

Two Sisters Singing- A Revue @ 8pm

tu 14

The Artist @ 8pm

fr 15

Cathy Davey Sings her Heroes @ 8pm

sa 16

Fitzrovia Radio Hour @ 8pm

su 17

I heard you calling me, John Mc Cormack @ 8pm

mo 18

Martha Marcy May Marlene (16) @ 8pm

th 21

Love: Live: Music @ 8pm

fr 22

Curtis Blackwell @ 8pm

sa 23

Le Havre (PG) @ 8pm

mo 25

Four Savvy Women @ 8pm

th 28

Bray Lakers @ 12.45 & 8pm

fr 29

Wheelchair On My Face @ 8pm

sa 30

Tír na nÓg @ 8pm

James Merrigan - Low Life Dramas - Thu 22 Mar - Tue 10 May From Bray with Love - Fri 8 Jun - Thu 13 Sep

children local arts

comedy music

dance arcadia

film

literature

theatre

visual arts

BOX OFFICE Opening Hours Monday – Saturday 10am – 6pm (until 8pm, on show nights) Main Street, Bray, Wicklow (opposite Bray Town Council) Telephone: 01 - 2724030 Online booking: www.mermaidartscentre.ie (No booking fees)

GALLERY Opening Hours Monday – Saturday, 10am – 6pm

BETELNUT CAFE Opening Hours Monday – Friday 8am – 6pm, Saturday 9am – 6pm, Sunday 10am – 5pm Also open for pre-show and interval drinks

FOR bookings please call or visit our website

T: 01 272 4030 www.mermaidartscentre.ie

GALLERY James Merrigan - Low Life Dramas

Thu 22 Mar - Sun 27 May

From Bray with Love

Fri 8 Jun - Thu 13 Sep

DIRECTIONS Mermaid is at the civic offices complex on Bray Main Street, next to Bank of Ireland.

To Dublin M11 & N11

Brayy Bridge

t

gh Rd

Quinsborou

ce Rd Florence

Novara

Rd Kil lar ne y

M11 & N11

y Rd

By Dart Station is 10 minutes walk from Mermaid.

Town Hall

To South S

Veva

By Bus 133, 145, 146, 184, 185, 45, 84, 45A.

B Bank of Ir Ireland

To Dart

Aven nu uee

Main

Stre e

Royal Hotell

dP Mermaid Bray Town Council

Pierrot: Picnic on Bray Head

By Car Free underground parking now available to d Mermaid patrons for evening and weekend shows. ert R Herb No daytime car-parking is available From N11 northbound exit at Bray South. Follow signs to Bray onto Killarney Rd. Continue until you reach Bray Main Street.

From N11 southbound exit at Bray North. Follow signs for Bray. Continue on Dublin Rd over Bray PParn arneell ll Road Bridge until you reach Bray Main Street.