Riverbank Arts Centre Season Brochure - January to April 2023

JanuaryApril 2023

YOUR VISIT

OPENING HOURS

Monday to Friday: 9:30am-5pm

Box Office is Closed for lunch: 2-2.30pm Saturday: 10am-1pm Opens 1 hour before shows

HOW TO BOOK

Book Online: www.riverbank.ie Phone: 045 448327

GALLERIES

We have two dedicated gallery spaces for our visual art exhibitions.

McKenna Gallery is located on the lower level, which is accessible by both stairs and lift. Children’s Gallery is on the ground floor level adjacent to the café space.

As part of our visual arts programme we host a number of artist talks. All our visual arts events are free of charge, including the artist talks.

GET IN TOUCH

Phone: 045 448327 Email: boxoffice@riverbank.ie Website: www.riverbank.ie

Address: Main Street, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, W12 D962

PARKING

There is on street parking which is paid parking from 9.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Saturday inclusive. Parking outside of these hours is free. More information at riverbank.ie/our-location

CAFÉ

The café at Riverbank Arts Centre has reopened under new management.

The Strand Café is open Monday - Saturday, 10am-3pm and one hour before events. See page 50 for details

ACCESSIBILITY

Riverbank Arts Centre aims to make our patrons visit as enjoyable as possible.

The building is accessible via a ramp to the right of the building.

Our lower levels including McKenna Gallery and Auditorium are accessible via lift.

YOUR COVID SAFETY

As part of our ongoing efforts to assist our community to prevent the spread of Covid-19, we have implemented enhanced protocols and procedures which you will notice during your visit. Please see our Covid safety information on our website in advance of your visit.

FUNDING

Riverbank Arts Centre is funded by Kildare County Council and The Arts Council.

Our cinema screenings are in association with AccessCinema, IFI and DIFF.

SOCIAL

Keep up to date with everything we do across

WELCOME!

Welcome to our bumper Spring programme of visual arts, music, theatre, comedy, cinema, family events, schools’ events and workshops.

We begin the year, as always, with our First Fortnight programme which is filled with theatre, talks, workshops and family events. We have several wonderful visual art exhibitions this season, including a collaborative exhibition curated by Clodagh Kelly - Freedom of Choice , a solo exhibition by Brenda Brady - A Cast of Paintings and a rare opportunity to see works from the Kildare Municipal Art Collection - Taking Care

Our family programme includes two world premieres: Theatre Lovett’s The Teddy Bears’ Picnic and our artist-in-residence Dan Colley’s new theatre show The Wrens . We have two exciting exhibitions in our Children’s Gallery, Chris Judge’s A Daily Cloud and Maeve Clancy’s exhibition on the life and work of Newbridge-born crystallographer, Kathleen Lonsdale

Whether you are joining us for comedy, theatre or music, we hope you enjoy the thrill of a live performance at Riverbank this season.

Caroline, Alex, Theresa, Helen and the Riverbank team

MEET THE COVER ILLUSTRATOR

Following an open call, we commissioned artist Shams Asgarzade to create this season’s beautiful cover illustration. Shams is an independent digital artist from Baku, Azerbaijan and living in Kildare. She loves to express her feelings, thoughts and ideas through art and filming everything around her and mixing it into her colourful universe. Illustration and animation are her passion in this world. Personally, she loves to eat, watch movies (especially animated ones), 90s music, and meet new people from all over the world.

JANUARY AT A GLANCE

VISUAL ART Freedom of Choice

VISUAL ART Freedom of Choice Official Opening

VISUAL ART A Daily Cloud by Chris Judge

THEATRE Pure Mental- Keith Walsh

7/01 - 28/01 FREE 8

Sat 14th 5pm FREE 8

16/01 - 18/03 FREE 9

13/01-14/01 8pm €15 / €12 10

WORKSHOP Mark Making with Martina McDonald Mon 16th 7:30pm €10 11

CINEMA The Banshees of Inisherin Mon 16th 8pm €7 / €9 11

SCHOOLS KYT Presents - A Doll's House

LOCAL ARTS KYT Presents - A Doll's House

17/01-18/01 11am €6 48

17/01-18/01 7pm €10 / €6 12

ARTIST TALK Freedom of Choice Panel Discussion & Workshop Thurs 19th 7pm FREE 12

WORKSHOP The Ballad of Freaked Out Freddy - Paul Timoney Sat 21st 10:30am €5 13

FAMILY CINEMA Onward Sat 21st 2pm €4 13

SPECIAL SCREENING Preview - Lakelands

Sat 21st 8pm €7 / €9 14

CINEMA The Lost King Mon 23rd 8pm €7 / €9 14

EARLY YEARS Music & Sensory Play with Catherine Hartnett

LOCAL ARTS MAC Productions Presents - Nunsense

Wed 25th 10:30am €10 15

25/01-28/01 8pm €20 15

CINEMA The Woman King Mon 30th 8pm €7 / €9 16

FEBRUARY

WORKSHOP

Make a Flipbook Animation Workshop

Sat 4th 10:30am €12 16

WORKSHOP Carding with Keith Thurs 9th 7pm €15 17

SCHOOLS Theatre Lovett Presents - The Teddy Bears' Picnic Fri 10th 12pm €6 45

FAMILY Theatre Lovett Presents - The Teddy Bears' Picnic Sat 11th 2pm €8 / €28 17

CINEMA Corsage Mon 13th 8pm €7 / €9 18

WORKSHOP BrickFlicks Stop Motion Animation Camp 15/02-17/02 10am-2pm €90 18

WORKSHOP BrickFlicks Level Up Camp 15/02-17/02 10am-2pm €90 19

THEATRE Livin' Dred Presents - Danti-Dan by Gina Moxley Wed 15th 8pm €18 / €16 19

COMEDY Jason Byrne - Unblocked Thurs 16th 8pm €24 20

WORKSHOP Children’s Yoga and Storytelling Fun with Johnny Magory

WORKSHOP

Sat 18th 10am €10 20

Creative Writing Workshop with Children's Author Emma-Jane Leeson Sat 18th 11:30am €10 21

MUSIC Iarla Ó Lionáird with Cormac McCarthy & Matthew Berrill Sat 18th 8pm €25 / €22 21

CINEMA Alcarràs Mon 20th 8pm €7 / €9 22

EARLY YEARS Music & Sensory Play with Catherine Hartnett Wed 22nd 10:30am €10 15

SCHOOLS Michael Collins: Ireland's Rebel Son Thurs 23rd 10am FREE 48

VISUAL ART A Cast of Paintings - Brenda Brady 24/02-01/04 FREE 23

THEATRE Paddy Cullivan's The Murder of Wolfe Tone

Fri 24th 8pm €15 22

VISUAL ART Official Opening: A Cast of Paintings - Brenda Brady Sat 25th 6pm FREE 23

MUSIC Jack Lukeman Echo On - 25 Years

Sat 25th 8pm €28 24

CINEMA DIFF - The Ordinaries & Q&A Mon 27th 8pm €7 / €9 24

SCHOOLS IFI Screening: King Tues 28th 10am €6 (teachers free) 49

AT A GLANCE

MARCH

THEATRE Blue Raincoat Theatre Company Presents - Happy Days

MUSIC The Fureys

WORKSHOP

Daily Cloud Illustration Workshop for Children with Chris Judge

Thurs 2nd 8pm €18 / €16 25

Fri 3rd 8pm €32 25

Sat 4th 10am €8 26

WORKSHOP Daily Cloud Illustration Workshop for Children with Chris Judge Sat 4th 11:30am €10 26

FAMILY CINEMA Alice in Wonderland

Sat 4th 2pm €4 26

CINEMA Aftersun Mon 6th 8pm €7 / €9 27

SCHOOLS Illustrated Talk with Chris Judge

SCHOOLS Jess Rowell - Making Waves

FAMILY Jess Rowell - Making Waves

COMEDY David O'Doherty - Whoa is me

Tues 7th 10am FREE 46

09/03-10/03 10:15am & 12:15pm €8 46

Sat 11th 12.30pm & 2pm €8 27

Sat 11th 8pm €22 28

ARTIST TALK Panel Discussion with Brenda Brady - A Cast of Paintings Sat 11th 6.30pm FREE 23

CINEMA Utama Mon 13th 8pm €7 / €9 28

LOCAL ARTS Curragh Community College Presents Grease

EARLY YEARS Music & Sensory Play with Catherine Hartnett

SCHOOLS IFI Screening: An Cailín Ciúin

14/03-15/03 8pm €15 / €10 29

Wed 15th 10:30am €10 15

Thurs 16th 10am €6 (teachers free) 49

Kyle Riley - Little Folk On The Road Sat 18th 12pm €10 / €36 29 COMEDY DirtBirds #NoFilters

Sat 18th 8pm €28 30

Aisha Mon 20th 8pm €7 / €9 30 SCHOOLS Adoleta!

Wed 22nd 10am & 12pm €6 per student 47 COMEDY Gearóid Farrelly: Glamour Hammer Thurs 23rd 8pm €20 31 VISUAL

32 MUSIC Vanbrugh

OUR OTHER WORK

RESIDENCIES

Hosting residencies and supporting artists to create new work is central to our activities at Riverbank Arts Centre. We are thrilled to have theatre-maker Dan Colley continue as artist-in-residence and premiere The Wrens (see page 43). In addition, renowned company Theatre Lovett will return to Riverbank to present the very first performance of The Teddy Bears’ Picnic (see page 17).

SOUND ON!

In February, a two-week residency will take place in our McKenna Gallery led by artists Sinead McCann and AlanJames Burns along with a group of collaborators supported by Saint John of God Liffey Services. Together they will generate ideas for a new inclusive multi-sensory exhibition. The planned Sound On! exhibition (McKenna Gallery, July 2023) will explore the themes of human rights, happiness and public space for adults with intellectual disabilities. For more information see soundon.ie Sound On! residency is supported by the Arts Council's Artist in the Community Scheme managed by Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts, Kildare County Council Arts Service and Riverbank Arts Centre.

MEITHEAL

We are delighted to be a supporting partner of Meitheal, an initiative by Branar: Téatar do Pháistí. Meitheal is committed to the development, creation and presentation of performing arts for young audiences across Ireland. Throughout 2023, Riverbank Arts Centre will present and support several artists on the Meitheal programme (including Jess Rowell and Selma Daniel this season) and in addition we will host a year-long residency for a producer, supported by a Meitheal bursary.  Devised and initiated by Branar, Meitheal is a pilot scheme funded by the Arts Council.

OUR OTHER WORK

OUTREACH ACTIVITIES

FIGHTING WORDS

Riverbank Arts Centre is the Kildare Partner of Fighting Words. We present creative writing workshops for primary and secondary schools. We are happy to say we are now presenting workshops in the venue once again, led by Peirina Campbell and new Irish language workshops hosted by Seirce Mhac Conghaile. Fighting Words workshops are always free of charge to the participants.

LIVE NETWORK

Riverbank Arts Centre is a member of the LIVE Networka literary network that was established in 2018. The LIVE venues work together to develop literature and audiences for literature through programmed events, collaborations, tours and workshops. This spring Riverbank will deliver several literary projects in association with LIVE Network including a schools’ outreach programme Give a Poem, Get a Poem and a Poetry Day event.

WORKSHOP FACILITATION WITH SUPER PAUA

In January, Riverbank Arts Centre and Super Paua will invite applications for workshop facilitation training, led by Mark Ball. Are you interested in learning about Super Paua’s innovative programme of theatre-based workshops with young people, which explore science and art? This programme will begin with an introductory session on improvisation and theatre facilitation skills in a playful and welcoming environment. For more information, contact alex@riverbank.ie

FREEDOM OF CHOICE

Saturday 7 th January – Saturday 28 th January McKenna Gallery Admission Free

VISUAL ARTS

In 2022 artist Clodagh Kelly led an artist residence programme at Riverbank Arts Centre, supported by the Kildare County Council Arts Service First Fortnight Award, in partnership with First Fortnight. Women of diverse ages, arts experiences and social backgrounds participated in the residency which resulted in Freedom of Choice - a body of work which gives a glimpse into these women’s lives. The artwork created shows their personalised take on health/wellbeing and journeys of healing whilst world politics, Covid and environmental issues impacted global health, families and communities. During a week-long artist residency, women processed ideas and held discussions on healing connections through nature, unseen homelessness in Ireland, the human body, recovery from trauma, communication between patient and medical staff, women and violence, gender, patriarchal systems, fertility, sexuality, women’s working rights in the arts industry and the role of feminism. These along with other concerns were processed through drawing and mixed media, with a creative oversight by exhibition curator Clodagh Kelly.

Freedom of Choice and its many themes will be further explored through a public participatory discussion panel and workshop.

Official Opening - Saturday 14 January, 5pm. All welcome.

Panel Discussion - Thursday 19 January, 7pm – see p.12

Creative Response Workshop - Thursday 19 January, 8.15pm - see p.12

First Fortnight is a charity-based organisation with the express aim of challenging mental health prejudice through the creative arts.

A DAILY CLOUD

BY CHRIS JUDGE

Thursday 12 th January – Saturday 18 th March

Children’s Gallery Admission Free

VISUAL ARTS

A Daily Cloud is an interactive exhibition created by artist Chris Judge, based on his online cloud drawings. Chris started making the cloud drawings during the first Covid-19 lockdown in the Summer of 2020. He was spending a lot of time in the garden with his wife and young children, turning the garden into a little sanctuary for them to hang out in. Like many people, they were properly focusing on all the wonderful nature that surrounds us for the first time in years. Chris's 8-year-old daughter had commandeered his old Canon Camera and was taking hundreds of lovely photos of the flowers in bloom, bugs, birds and lots of things in the garden. One very quiet and calm evening Chris spotted some beautiful pink clouds that looked like a monkey and a bear. He took photos of them and on a whim drew very simple pencil lines on them and posted them on Twitter and Instagram. There was a wonderful, positive reaction to them so Chris decided to keep making new ones every day.

This exhibition will include Chris’s original Cloud prints, images from Cloud Babies his new book with Eoin Colfer (Walker Books) and a response area for you to create your own cloud drawingswe’re very excited about this part like the sky itself, every time you enter the Children’s Gallery it will look different!

About the Artist

Chris Judge is an illustrator, artist, and children's picture book author from Dublin, Ireland. Since 2011 Chris has written and illustrated over 35 children's books, many of which are in collaboration with authors like Roddy Doyle, David O'Doherty and Eoin Colfer. His first book, The Lonely Beast won the Specsavers Irish Children's Book of the Year 2011 in the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards.

JANUARY

RIVERBANK ARTS CENTRE PRESENTS PURE MENTAL

Friday 13 th & Saturday 14 th January, 8pm

Tickets €15 / €12

Following a 16-venue tour in 2021, Pure Mental returns to Riverbank Arts Centre for two special performances, as part of First Fortnight Festival.

Having finished up a 5-year stint presenting on National Radio, in the pressure cooker that is a breakfast show, Keith Walsh found a bit of time for himself. More importantly, he found time to check in with his mental health. Midlife Crisis? Midlife awakening? Breakdown? Join him on a journey of introspection and exploration, as he locates his demons and traumas in order to try and find the real person underneath the fuzzy mess of stress.

Pure Mental is a live theatre show put together with the help of acclaimed performer, writer and director Janet Moran (A Holy Show, Swing and Looking for América) in the strangest of Covid times – sometimes working in different rooms, often in different counties.

“Walsh has an engaging personality & a fine stage presence…an inspiring piece of positive thinking laced with humour... Director & co-writer Janet Moran has a sharp eye for the comic potential in small details” Irish Mail on Sunday

Credits:

Keith Walsh – Writer/Performer

Janet Moran – Director/Co-Writer

Phil Jennings – Production Designer

Each performance will be followed by a Q&A session with Keith Walsh and a special guest.

Pure Mental was originally produced by Riverbank Arts Centre with the support of the Arts Council, Creative Ireland and Kildare County Council, with additional support by Mermaid Arts Centre in 2021.

Photo: Ger Holland

JANUARY

MARK MAKING WITH MARTINA MCDONALD

Monday 16 th January, 7.30pm

Tickets €10

Join visual artist Martina McDonald for an evening of mark making. In the workshop, you will be encouraged to create a mess with art materials!

The practice of mark making is simple, fun and often calming. Martina will guide you through a range of ways to create different marks and textures on paper. These elements can then be collaged together, or simply just created for the fun of it. Zero experience necessary, curiosity is encouraged.

Martina is a visual artist based in Clane, Co. Kildare. Martina creates tactile, mixed media works that draw the viewer in with colour, layering and a sense of playfulness. Created through an intuitive, mark making process, Martina’s work is inspired by themes of human connection. For more information about the artist, visit www.martinamcdonald.com

Duration 90 minutes

Set during the Irish Civil War, on a coastal Island, lifelong friends Pádraic and Colm suddenly find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly ends their friendship. A stunned Pádraic endeavours to repair the relationship, refusing to take no for an answer. But when Colm delivers a desperate ultimatum, the whole village become involved in the standoff, with events swiftly escalating with shocking consequences. With his latest film offering Martin McDonagh brings us a gentle and brutal tale of a broken friendship, a rich and soulful journey full of agony, laughter and big haunting questions.

JANUARY

KILDARE YOUTH THEATRE PRESENTS A DOLL’S HOUSE

BY HENRIK IBSEN

Tuesday 17th & Wednesday 18th January, 7pm Tickets €10 / €6

Ibsen's classic play was greeted with shock in 1879, with both its style and subject matter being seen as subversive. It premiered in Copenhagen at the dawn of the suffragette movement and continues to be one of the world's most performed plays. It ushered modern drama onto centre stage, banishing aristocratic comedy and melodrama to the sideline. The ending of the play, a slammed door, sent shockwaves around the world that still echo today. Kildare Youth Theatre present a new spin on this classic, featuring actors drawn from all over Europe, Russia, Ukraine and beyond.

Kildare Youth Theatre's production is directed by Mary Linehan and features a multicultural, international cast. Especially made for schoolsthe play is on the Ordinary and Higher Leaving Cert English syllabus.

TALK

PANEL DISCUSSION & WORKSHOP

WITH CLODAGH KELLY & INVITED GUESTS

Thursday 19 th January, 7pm Free event, booking essential

Join curator Clodagh Kelly and the artists for a panel discussion (7pm) prompted by Freedom of Choice, chaired by Dr. Brid Connolly (writer and former Tutor with the Department of Adult & Community Education, NUIM). All welcome.

The themes from the exhibition will be explored further in a workshop at 8:15pm. Clodagh Kelly will invite participants to create a visual statement in response to the exhibition. No art experience needed, and all materials provided. As workshop places are limited, booking is required.

Freedom of Choice exhibition and events are supported by the Kildare County Council Arts Service First Fortnight Award, in partnership with First Fortnight and Riverbank Arts Centre

Image credit: Lucy O’Sullivan

ages 7-10

JANUARY WORKSHOP

THE BALLAD OF FREAKED OUT FREDDY

STORYTELLING WITH PAUL TIMONEY Saturday 21st January, 10:30am Tickets €5

The Ballad Of Freaked Out Freddy begins with a little story about a normally happy-go-lucky lad named Freddy who gets some rather spiky thoughts from time. He tries a couple of tricks to smooth out those spiky thoughts, but it's not always easy to come up with ways to do so by oneself, so it might be handy if twenty or so children, aged between 7 to 10, would come along and give Freddy a hand. This performance/workshop will use methods derived from therapeutic storytelling and story making to address feelings using metaphor in ways that are creative, playful, empowering and fun.

Duration 90 mins

FAMILY CINEMA

ONWARD

Saturday 21 st January, 2pm Tickets €4

Set in a suburban fantasy world, Disney & Pixar’s Onward introduces two teenage elf brothers who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there.

Ian and Barley Lightfoot (voices of Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) get an unexpected opportunity to spend one more day with their late dad and embark on an extraordinary quest aboard Barley’s epic van Guinevere.

Like many good quests their journey is filled with magic spells, cryptic maps, impossible obstacles and unimaginable discoveries.

Directed

107 mins | Cert PG

by Dan Scanlon

Image: Onward © 2020 Disney Enterprises, INC. & Pixar. All rights reserved.

- LAKELANDS

Lakelands is the debut feature from Robert Higgins and Patrick McGivney whose short film Drifting, starring the BAFTA-winning Paul Mescal, premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh last year to critical acclaim. After an attack on a night out, a young Gaelic footballer, Cian, struggles to comes to terms with a career-ending injury. Lakelands follows him as he undertakes a search for his own identity in a small town in the midlands, where Gaelic football is a religion and identity is defined by what you can do on the pitch.

Followed by Q&A

Directed by Robert Higgins & Patrick McGivney 98 mins | Cert TBC

In 2012, having been lost for over 500 years, the remains of King Richard III were discovered beneath a carpark in Leicester. The search had been orchestrated by an amateur historian, Philippa Langley, whose unrelenting research had been met with incomprehension by her friends and family and with scepticism by experts and academics.

THE LOST KING is the life-affirming true story of a woman who refused to be ignored and who took on the country's most eminent historians, forcing them to think again about one of the most controversial kings in England's history.

ages 1-3

JANUARY

EARLY YEARS

MUSIC & SENSORY PLAY WITH CATHERINE HARTNETT

Wednesday 25 th January, 10:30am

Wednesday 22 nd February, 10:30am

Wednesday 15 th March, 10:30am

Wednesday 19 th April, 10:30am Tickets €10 (adult & toddler)

Music and sensory play session for toddlers aged 1 to 3 years and parents/guardians, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Toddlers will be given the opportunity to learn through music, movement and play, and explore different textures and sounds. This class led by music teacher Catherine Hartnett promotes adult-child interaction as well as interactions between children. Dance, sing, listen, learn and play with musical instruments, scarves, mirrors, parachutes and more!

Catherine Hartnett is a music teacher with experience of working with children of all ages.

Duration 60 minutes

LOCAL ARTS

MAC PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS NUNSENSE

Wednesday 25th – Saturday 28th January, 8pm Tickets €20

Nunsense is the hilarious musical comedy about a convent of Nuns staging a fundraiser to help bury the last four nuns of their order who died in an unfortunate convent cooking accident (and who are temporarily being stored in the freezer!).

With catchy songs and irreverent comedy, Nunsense by Kildare’s MAC Productions is sure to keep audiences rolling with laughter!

FEBRUARY

THE WOMAN KING

Monday 30 th January, 8pm Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

The African kingdom of Dahomey, 1823. General Nanisca leads the Agojie, an all-female group of warriors. A young woman named Nawi is taken in as a recruit, and it soon becomes clear Nanisca has a surprise connection with the new arrival. Meanwhile, Dahomey’s king looks to makes sweeping changes to the way the kingdom does business, but war is brewing with a rival empire…

The Woman King is an epic historical action film that harks back to films like Gladiator and Braveheart, albeit with a very welcome change in setting and perspective. Starring Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, & John Boyega

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood 129 mins | Cert 15

MAKE A FLIPBOOK ANIMATION WORKSHOP

Saturday 4 th February, 10:30am Tickets €12

Join us for this 90-minute workshop where you will learn to create your own Flipbook animation.

Flipbooks are ideal for those interested in drawing and animation. You will learn how to use the basic principles of hand drawn animation to make your own creations come to life.

The workshop is a mixture of live demonstrations, easy to follow drawing guides and practical hands-on creativity. All materials are provided and you get to take your flipbook home with you.

Joseph Orr is an award-winning stop motion animator with over 8 years of experience producing short films and delivering animation workshops around the country.

FEBRUARY ADULT WORKSHOP

CARDING WITH KEITH

Thursday 9 th February, 7pm Tickets €15

Join Keith Walsh for a workshop of card-making and mindfulness.

Rediscover the joy and fun of drawing, colouring and writing, while creating original cards for yourself and for loved ones.

Over this 90-minute workshop, you can take time out to think about yourself and your life, and meet new people in a friendly environment.

Suitable for grown-ups of all ages, no art or drawing experience is necessary. All art materials provided.  Keith Walsh is a Radio & TV Broadcaster and writer.  Previously the lead anchor on RTÉ 2FM’s Early Morning Breakfast Show Breakfast Republic, Keith wrote his first play Pure Mental, which toured to 16 venues over 4 weeks in 2021 produced by Riverbank Arts Centre.

THEATRE LOVETT PRESENTS THE TEDDY BEARS' PICNIC

BY

LOUIS LOVETT

Saturday 11 th February, 2pm Tickets €8 / €28

If you go down to the woods today you’re in for a big surprise…

The teddy bears’ picnic! Where can we find it? What’s the address? Are we invited? Do teddies eat food? Is the tea they drink real? It’s hard to digest, this mythical meal.

Theodor is a detective who found Timbuktu and a two headed llama that lives in Peru. Now Theo's hot on the trail of the famous teddy bears’ picnic… a tricky puzzle to pick. Come join us and together, we’ll try our best to help Theo on this cuddly quest.

The Teddy Bears’ Picnic is a theatrical treat for children aged 5+ and everyone else is welcome too. (Teddy bears are especially welcome!)

The Teddy Bears’ Picnic is funded by The Arts Council and supported by Riverbank Arts Centre and RTÉ Supporting the Arts.

Duration: 60 minutes

FEBRUARY

CORSAGE

Monday 13 th February, 8pm Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

Vienna 1877: Empress Elizabeth of Austria turns 40. Always famed for her beauty, Elizabeth is also a curious and intelligent woman, with a keen passion for life. But under increased public scrutiny, she finds herself battling between conforming as a mere “trophy” figure with a tiny waist (maintained by her tight corsets), or rebelling against expectations and pursuing the freedom she craves.

Actress Vicky Krieps not only stars as Elizabeth, but also originated the idea for Corsage, making it a very personal project for her. She worked closely with director Kreutzer on this stunning retelling of the life of the real empress, and the result is an unconventional costume drama, which presents an alternative, feminist view of this historical figure.

Directed by Marie Kreutzer 113 mins | Cert 15A

BRICKFLICKS STOP MOTION ANIMATION CAMP

Wednesday 15 th – Friday 17 th February, 10am-2pm Tickets €90

In this special BrickFlicks Stop Motion Animation Camp, learn all the basics of how to animate in stop motion using your favourite LEGO character.

Shoot spells, fight superheroes, blast rockets or fall through portals, use your imagination to make your very own movies.

With plenty of hands-on learning and simple demonstrations, Createschool will take you on a journey from having a cool idea to making it into an awesome movie. You will learn the different elements of stop motion animation as well as how to create a set, storyboard and plan for your movie, which you will then film, edit, and record.

Please bring a packed lunch!

ages 8-12

FEBRUARY

WORKSHOP

BRICKFLICKS LEVEL- UP

Wednesday 15th – Friday 17th February, 10am-2pm

Tickets €90

Have you already become a BrickFlicks animator? Then it’s time to level up!

Bring your animating skills to the next level by learning what it is like to make your very own movie from start to finish.

Build on the skills you have already made by learning about lighting and animating special effects as well as how to storyboard a short movie, create camera angles and how to create bigger and better sets. All you need is your imagination!

This camp is designed for participants who have already attended a BrickFlicks Stop Motion Animation camp.

Please bring a packed lunch!

LIVIN’ DRED PRESENTS

DANTI - DAN BY GINA MOXLEY

Wednesday 15 th February, 8pm

Tickets €18 / €16

“Listen girl, this is the kind of place that if you lost your virginity, somebody would find it and bring it home to your mother”

Gina Moxley’s Danti-Dan is the shamelessly funny tale of the sexual-awakening of five innocent youngsters in a small dead-end town. Bursting with hormones-in-bloom, sentimental nostalgia and brash young cynicism, it is an hilarious exploration of puberty blues, and a sharp-shock teenage comedy with tragic undertones.

Directed by award-winning actor Aaron Monaghan, Livin’ Dred reunites the creative team behind the recent sell-out success of Tarry Flynn, to bring Gina Moxley’s persistently funny, sharp-tongued and tragic Danti-Dan back to life for a major Irish tour.

Suitable for 15+ years - contains strong language and scenes of an adult nature

JASON BYRNE UNBLOCKED

Thursday 16 th February, 8pm Tickets €24

Jason Byrne has had an upgrade. In his brand-new show  Unblocked Jason 2.0 talks about his new lease of life following heart surgery. The Six Million Dollar Byrne has cleared his arteries, his mind and his schedule to bring you an evening of pure unadulterated old-fashioned fun. This is the ultimate celebration of life and never giving up brought to you by “The Outright King of Live Comedy”

WORKSHOP

CHILDREN’S YOGA AND STORYTELLING FUN

WITH JOHNNY MAGORY

Saturday 18 th February, 10am Tickets €10

Join the author of the popular Adventures of Johnny Magory series, Emma-Jane Leeson, and renowned children’s yoga teacher Sarah Cahill from Play Like Apes for storytelling, music and yoga fun.

Suitable for up to 8 years, the interactive, movement-based workshop will revolve around Johnny Magory’s outdoor adventures with the children recreating the wildlife yoga poses from the story. There’ll be music, dancing and lots and lots of fun, playful movement. Please bring your own yoga mat!

ages 8-12

FEBRUARY

WORKSHOP

CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP

WITH CHILDREN'S AUTHOR EMMA -JANE LEESON

Saturday 18 th February, 11:30am Tickets €10

Join the author of the popular Adventures of Johnny Magory series, Emma-Jane Leeson for a 90-minute creative writing workshop suitable for young writers aged 8-12 years.

This fun, engaging workshop will help the children to stretch their imaginations and develop characters and plots.

MUSIC IARLA Ó LIONÁIRD

WITH CORMAC MCCARTHY & MATTHEW BERRILL

Saturday 18 th February, 8pm Tickets €25 / €22

Iarla Ó Lionáird has carved a long and unique career in music both internationally and in Ireland. From his iconic early recording of the vision song Aisling Gheal as a young boy to his ground-breaking recordings with Dublin's Crash Ensemble and New York’s Alarm Will Sound, he has shown a breadth of artistic ambition that sets him apart in the Irish Music fraternity.

Cormac McCarthy is a pianist, composer, arranger and conductor from Cork, Ireland. Noted for a diverse stylistic palette, and equally at home in a variety of genres, his music is said to "defy categorisation" (Lyric FM). In 2010, having completed his Masters degree in composition at the MTU Cork School of Music, Cormac received the prestigious Bill Whelan International Music Bursary, an award earmarked for young Irish composers studying abroad.

Matthew Berrill is a sought after musician and is a member of many ensembles in the jazz, improvised and traditional Irish worlds, including Ensemble Ériu and the Irish Memory Orchestra.

ALCARRAS

Monday 20 th February, 8pm Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

For over eighty years the Solé family has farmed in Alcarràs, a small village in Spain’s Catalonia region. But as they prepare to spend the summer picking this year’s crop of peaches, they find themselves facing eviction and an uncertain future. Carla Simón’s follow-up to her stunning debut Summer 1993 won the top prize at the 2022 Berlin Film Festival.

Directed by Carla Simón 120 mins | Cert 15A

THEATRE

PADDY CULLIVAN PRESENTS THE MURDER OF WOLFE TONE

Friday 24 th February, 8pm Tickets €15

Historical Entertainer Paddy Cullivan brings you the incredible story of the mysterious death of Theobald Wolfe Tone, the founding father of Irish Republicanism. An audio-visual spectacular featuring hundreds of images, shocking new research and incredible songs, Paddy dares to unravel the secrets and lies around what happened that fateful week in the Provost’s Prison in November 1798.

No less complex or mysterious than the death of Jeffrey Epstein and with as many twists and turns, The Murder of Wolfe Tone is a fascinating rollercoaster ride that will change your perceptions of Irish history forever…

A CAST OF PAINTINGS

AN EXHIBITION

BY BRENDA BRADY

Friday 24 th February – Saturday 1 st April McKenna Gallery Admission Free

VISUAL ARTS

The most familiar space, the one that has been the stimulus for much artistic enquiry, be it visual or otherwise, has been the domestic. Our earliest and most formative experiences are shaped or re-framed at different times and for different reasons as a kind of ‘visual laboratory’. A Cast of Paintings features small works on canvas made within a typical domestic atmosphere. The making process is imbued with a contemplative sensibility, looking and finding subtle variations, built up surfaces, layers added or painted over. For Brady, painting is not just a visual phenomenon but a bodily and haptic experience. Her work does not look outwards but concentrates on the interior and intimate engagement with plant forms, collected objects and the built environment

About the Artist

Brenda Brady lives and works in Kildare.

MA Art and Research Collaboration (ARC) IADT Dun Laoghaire (2020)

Group shows include - Unassembled, The Lab Gallery Dublin (2020) and 190th RHA Annual Exhibition

Official Opening - Saturday 25th February, 6pm - All Welcome

Panel Discussion - Saturday 11th March, 6:30pm

FEBRUARY

MUSIC

JACK LUKEMAN ECHO ON – 25 YEARS

Saturday 25 th February, 8pm Tickets €28

Jack Lukeman, one of Ireland's most enigmatic and magnificent performers, has just announced a new regional tour following the success of his headline show at Dublin's 3Arena.

With a career spanning 25 years, fans can expect a spectacular live performance with Jack L performing his greatest hits alongside live favourites and tracks from his new album Echo On.

THE ORDINARIES

FOLLOWED BY Q&A

Monday 27 th February, 8pm Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

Have you ever felt like a supporting character in your own life? Sophie Linnenbaum’s daring and original film imagines what it would be like if you really were one. It tells of Paula - a supporting character in a movie - who dreams of having her own storyline by attending Main Character School and becoming a lead.

A clever satire about identity and exclusion, The Ordinaries sees a woman battling these themes playfully in a filmic meta world.

The Ordinaries is touring to Riverbank Arts Centre as part of Dublin International Film Festival, in association with access>CINEMA, and with the support of the Arts Council.

Directed by

120 mins | Cert TBC

Sophie Linnenbaum

MARCH

BLUE RAINCOAT THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS HAPPY DAYS BY

SAMUEL BECKETT

Thursday 2 nd March, 8pm Tickets €18 / €16

In Happy Days we find Winnie, a woman in her 50s, buried waist-deep in the centre of a mound of scorched earth, with little else around other than a large black bag and a collapsed parasol. Behind her and hidden from view sleeps Willie. A piercing bell rings, stops, rings again, and Winnie wakes and looks at the sky.

Blue Raincoat Theatre Company have been touring their work throughout Ireland for over three decades with shows such as Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Third Policeman, The Bald Soprano and Shackleton. Starring Sandra O Malley and John Carty. Directed by Niall Henry.

This production was first performed at the company's theatre in Sligo, The Factory, in the Spring of 2022

MUSIC

THE FUREYS

Friday 3 rd March, 8pm Tickets €32

When  The Fureys make their first appearance on our stage they will treat their audience to one of popular music’s richest legacies.

They are one of Ireland’s all-time most acclaimed and influential middle of the road, folk and traditional bands. Fureys classics like  I Will Love You, When You Were Sweet 16, Red Rose Café, Leaving Nancy, The Old Man, From Clare to Here and The Green Fields of France have become the soundtrack to the lives of fans all over the world.

The Fureys indelible musical footprint is rivalled only by their vast collection of personal stories of their musical experiences and friendships, gathered by Eddie and George Furey along an amazing 45-year journey which shows no signs of reaching a final destination.

Photo Credit: Peter Martin

A DAILY CLOUD

DRAWING AND ILLUSTRATION WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN WITH CHRIS JUDGE Saturday 4 th March, 10am & 11:30am Tickets €8 / €10

Join author/ illustrator Chris Judge and create your own ‘A Daily Cloud’ illustrations. A Daily Cloud is a series of illustrations created by Chris based on his online cloud drawings. Let your imagination wonder in the clouds, observe and draw the fantastical friendly creatures hiding in the clouds and discover their exciting stories in a relaxed and fun environment.

All materials provided.

10am - 6-8 year olds, €8, duration 45 mins. 11:30am - 9-12 year olds, €10, duration 60 mins.

A Daily Cloud by Chris Judge exhibition runs in the Children’s Gallery 12 th January – 18 th March. For more information see p.9

FAMILY CINEMA

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Saturday 4 th March, 2pm Tickets €4

Join Alice as she chases the White Rabbit into a topsyturvy world that gets ‘curiouser and curiouser’ as her fantastical adventures unfold. Meet the Mad Hatter, March Hair, Tweedledum & Tweedledee, the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts and more unforgettable characters, all set against a back drop of awe-inspiring splendour.

Directed by Clyde Geronimi & Wilfred Jackson 75 mins | Cert G

Images Courtesy of Park Circus/Walt Disney Studios

MARCH

AFTERSUN

Monday 6 th March, 8pm

Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

11-year-old Sophie and her father Calum travel to a holiday resort in Turkey for a relaxing sunshine break. As they lounge by the pool and explore the tourist sights, they record their trip on a camcorder. Twenty years later, an adult Sophie looks back on the holiday and her relationship with her fatherboth the fond memories and the things that have been lost forever.

The extraordinary debut feature from Scottish writer/director Charlotte Wells is an achingly tender portrait of a father-daughter relationship. Driven by magnificent performances from young Frankie Corio and Ireland’s own Paul Mescal, Aftersun dives deep and unearths the unspoken emotional truths that exceedingly few films manage to capture.

Directed by Charlotte Wells 102 mins | Cert 15A

JESS ROWELL – MAKING WAVES

Saturday 11 th March, 12.30 & 2pm Tickets €8

Making Waves is an immersive multi-sensory dance theatre performance, designed specifically for children aged 8 to 13 years with mild to more complex needs. In this magical sea voyage the audience and performers set sail in search of hidden treasure and along the way encounter rolling waves, sparkling fish and swooping gulls.

In this inclusive and interactive family performance, audience members are seated in pods representing boats on stage, which enables everyone to become part of the adventure. Each pod fits up to six family members and the specially designed boats are suitable for wheelchair users.

Funded by The Arts Council with support by Draíocht, Blanchardstown, Axis Ballymun, Riverbank Arts Centre & Mermaid Arts Centre, with additional support from Kildare County Council Arts Service. Jess Rowell is supported by Branar Meitheal 2022-2023.

FAMILY

MARCH

DAVID O’DOHERTY WHOA IS ME

Saturday 11 th March, 8pm Tickets €22

Here he comes again, trotting onto the stage with all of the misplaced confidence of a waiter with no pad. Is he going to remember it? HOPEFULLY! There’ll be lots of talking, some apologising and some songs on a glued together plastic keyboard from 1986.

As seen on BBC’s Live at The Apollo and Channel 4’s 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

CINEMA

UTAMA

Monday 13 th March, 8pm Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

Winner of the World Dramatic prize at the Sundance Film Festival, Utama, ‘our home’ in Quechuan dialect, is a beautifully observed film set in the Bolivian highlands, during an uncommonly long drought. Elderly Quechua couple, Virginio and his wife Sisa, are experiencing the devastating erosion of their land and their traditional ways of life. Like so many before them, they must choose to either endure or to leave, letting go of their Quechua culture, and move to the city with their grandson Clever, who arrives to convince them to do so. Emotionally understated performances, belie a powerful and elegant story of survival in a dying world. Utama distinctly capturing the plight of communities deeply affected by the climate crisis.

Directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi 87 mins | Cert TBC

CURRAGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESENTS GREASE

Tuesday 14 th & Wednesday 15 th March, 8pm Tickets €15 / €10

It's 1959 in California, greaser Danny Zuko and Aussie Sandy Olsson are in love. They hang out at the beach during summer but when they go back to school, the two are unaware that they are both students at Rydell High. Danny's the leader of the T-Birds, a group of black leather jacket-wearing greasers, while Sandy hangs out with the Pink Ladies, a group of pink-wearing girls led by Rizzo. When they reunite unexpectedly at Rydell's first pep rally, Danny isn't the same guy as he was in the summer. They try to be like each other so they can be together but meet many complications along the way.

Grab your leather or pink jackets, slick back that hair and we hope to see you there!

LOCAL ARTS FAMILY

KYLE RILEY LITTLE FOLK – ON THE ROAD

Saturday 18 th March, 12pm Tickets €10 / €36 (family ticket)

Little Folk- On The Road is a fun family concert perfectly suited for 2-8 year olds and their adults. Kyle has been writing and performing children’s music for over 10 years, touring Ireland and abroad. Little Folk features his award-winning original children’s music, catchy kids tunes and some proper sing-along songs. It’s a foot stomping, hand clapping and jumping good time. The fun doesn’t stop when the show ends, each child gets a little musical goody bag so they can join in during the show and take the music home with them.

Bring your rock toddlers, your little boppers, and cool kids to Kyle’s one of a kind family concert.

MARCH

DIRTBIRDS #NOFILTERS

Saturday 18 th March, 8pm Tickets €28

In a world where women are expected to have the patience of Mother Teresa, the arse of Jennifer Lopez, the social media profile of Kim Kardashian and the BMI of Elle McPherson the pressure is relentless. Dirtbirds the comedy duo and internet sensation present their hilarious new show #NoFilters which takes a close look at the barrage of bullshit we are subjected to on a daily basis and reminds us that despite what we’re told there is NO SUCH THING AS PERFECT… (except maybe Jamie Dornan’s arse in Fifty Shades Darker.)

AISHA

Monday 20 th March, 8pm Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

Aisha Osagie is a young woman who fled Nigeria after members of her family were killed. Ending up in Ireland, she is placed in the direct provision system while seeking asylum. She tries her best to eke out a living, but is frustrated by the unstable nature of her accommodation situation. In one centre, she befriends local security guard Conor. But as the two grow closer, Aisha struggles with the increasing precariousness of her life in Ireland.

The excellent new film from director Frank Berry (Michael Inside) is a probing look at Ireland’s direct provision system, drawing on the realworld experiences of asylum seekers. Angry and compassionate in equal measure, Aisha features two exceptional lead performances from Letitia Wright (Black Panther) and Josh O’Connor (God’s Own Country).

94 mins | Cert 12A

Directed by Frank Berry

MARCH

GEARÓID FARRELLY: GLAMOUR HAMMER

Thursday 23 rd March, 8pm

Tickets €20

After some time sitting on the couch we are back to real life. Trousers instead of tracksuit bottoms and coffee and a biscuit instead of four gin and tonics and half a cheese cake. In this show Gearóid takes a look at the litany of things in our lives that just don’t measure up. Everything from his generic-looking cat to Shania Twain.

He will also be examining the big issues that really sell tickets like mental health (INSERT SOMETHING SEARINGLY HONEST), Masculinity (grrrr) and relationships (sexy stuff as opposed to splitting bills) and how we’re living in a time when we can say anything we like and it becomes the truth.

MUSIC

VANBRUGH QUARTET & GUESTS

Friday 24 th March, 8pm Tickets €18 / €15

The Vanbrugh and their guests present two of the greats from the extended chamber music repertoire. Beethoven's Op.29 string quintet, nicknamed 'The Storm', was written in 1801, shortly after his Op.18 string quartets and combines his mastery of quartet writing with the expansive richness of texture offered by the addition of a second viola. Brahms’ magnificent 1890 string quintet Op.111 started life in the composer’s sketches for a fifth symphony and its final form retains an orchestral grandeur, both in structure and in texture. This is truly one of the finest works in the chamber music repertoire, exuberant, elegant, subtle, original and unmistakably Brahms.

Featuring Keith Pascoe and Marja Gaynor on violin, Simon Aspell and Ed Creedon on viola, and Christopher Marwood on cello.

Supported by the National String Quartet Foundation, the Arts Council and RTÉ Lyric FM.

KATHLEEN LONSDALE

24 th March – 1 st July Children’s Gallery Admission Free

AN EXHIBITION BY MAEVE CLANCY

VISUAL ARTS

Artist Maeve Clancy presents the working life of Newbridge-born scientist Kathleen Lonsdale (1903-1971) through an immersive cut paper installation. The paper is combined with drawings, lighting and animation designed to take the visitor out of their world and into the extraordinary mind of Kathleen Lonsdale.

The installation will allow audiences to follow this pioneer’s thought process, discoveries and scientific process, while looking at Lonsdale’s education, working life and achievements in science.

Kathleen Lonsdale was an eminent scientist who helped to develop the science of crystallography, with many important discoveries along the way. One of those discoveries, and probably what is considered her best known find, was conclusive proof that the Benzene ring had a flat planar structure.

In addition to the exhibition, Maeve Clancy will create a graphic novel charting the remarkable life and achievements of Kathleen Lonsdale. This will be available free from Riverbank Arts Centre, or through Kildare County Council Library Service.

About the artist Maeve Clancy is an artist who works in cut paper, drawing and story. She creates immersive exhibitions, writes and draws comic books and designs sets for theatre and TV. Her current work includes a graphic novel documenting the journey of Rouba & Noura Merzah from Syria to Ireland.

Commissioned by Riverbank Arts Centre and Kildare County Council Library Service

ADULT WORKSHOP

WET FELTING A FUNKY FELINE

WITH TAMZEN LUNDY

Saturday 25 th March, 10am-4pm Tickets €35

In this full day course, participants will learn the basics of wet-felting, the world's oldest form of textile making. This is a fabulous introduction to a very sensory craft, suitable for complete beginners and/or intermediate felt-makers who wish to explore 3D felting around a resist template.

Tamzen (former chairperson Felt-makers Ireland and textile professional of 20yrs+ experience) will introduce the group to the basics of wet-felting, then move on to felting around a resist to produce a 3D item, you will also learn some interesting techniques such as making a bobble or rope.

Each participant will go away with their own pet cat & plenty of skills to use in your own work. Come and make a funky feline and find out what the oldest form of textile making has to offer!

GOMBEAN

BY NIAMH MCGRATH

Saturday 25 th March, 8pm Tickets €15 / €12

Set in a sleepy town in Sligo, Grace O'Malley - the Warrior Queen is reincarnated as a coffee horsebox entrepreneur, high on debt and low on self-esteem. When a blast from her past wrestling rival Ruby Stephens arrives in town, decades after making it big, Grace’s world is literally turned upside down. When a chance at a cash prize comes her way so does a shot at an unforeseen redemption, as she contends to win back her title which she lost at the U18’s Community Games in ’94.

Some dreams can’t be stomped on!

Directed by Seamus O’Rourke

ADULT WORKSHOP

THE SPEKS

Sunday 26 th March, 2pm Tickets €10

The Speks present a lively show of nursery rhymes and sing-along songs set to acoustic Irish music which will have adults and kids jumping in their seats! Their hand-clapping, toe-tapping, hearty-laughing show is all about life on Glasses Island – a magical island off the coast of Co. Clare where everybody wears glasses!  The Speks have won a Parents’ Choice music award in the US where their music has been described as “Riverdance for kids” and they encourage everyone to sing, scream, clap and dance along during their performances. This will be a great, fun event for kids aged 2 to 92!

Band members are Ed on guitar and vocals, Rafferty on banjo and vocals, Pete on accordion and vocals, Naymon on fiddle and vocals, and Quince on flute and vocals.

MRS HARRIS GOES TO PARIS

Monday 27 th March, 8pm Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

In 1957 London, Ada Harris (Lesley Manville), a widowed cleaning lady, becomes obsessed with one client's haute couture Dior dress; inspiring a dream to buy her own.

After working to raise the funds to pursue her dream, she embarks on an adventure to Paris that will change not only her own outlook -- but the very future of the House of Dior.

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris is a charming feel-good pure escape from reality from start to finish.

Illustrations by David Fortune.

THEATRE

BROKENTALKERS PRESENTS THE EXAMINATION

Wednesday 29 th March, 8pm Tickets €18 / €16

‘I’d like the people to know I’m not an animal. Did I cause harm? Yes. Should I be punished? Of course. But do I deserve my human rights? Absolutely I do.’

The Examination is the award-winning production by Brokentalkers exploring mental health and human rights in the prison system. Performed by Brokentalkers’ Gary Keegan and stand-up comedian and former prisoner Willie White.

The Examination Leinster Tour is funded by The Arts Council Touring Award.

CILL DARA DRAMA GROUP PRESENTS I DO NOT LIKE THEE DR. FELL BY

BERNARD FARRELL

Thursday 30 th March, 8pm €15 / €12

During a group therapy session six people are taking part with hope to better their lives and get more out of life. They get more than what they paid for as Dr Fell exposes their secrets of sexual encounters and social problems in front of the entire group.

Cill Dara Drama Group was set up in 2018 by our founding member and director Cait Cusack. Cait has appeared in The Plough and the Stars, Sive, The Field and Philadelphia Here I Come. This is her second play to direct, her first being The Real McCoy with Ballymore Drama Society.

NT CONNECTIONS

Saturday 1 st April, 7.30pm & 9pm

Sunday 2 nd April, 6pm & 7.30pm

Tickets €5

Riverbank Arts Centre is delighted to host the National Theatre Connection Festival in 2023 Connections is the National Theatre's annual, UK and Ireland youth theatre festival. The programme has been established for 27 years with a celebrated history of championing the talent of young people from across the UK and Ireland.

Every year, NT Connections commission ten new plays for young people to perform, bringing together some of the UK's most exciting writers with the theatre-makers of tomorrow. They work with 300 youth companies and over 6,000 young people annually from every corner of the UK and Ireland.

This year Riverbank Arts Centre will welcome young people from the Straffan Drama Club, Waterford Youth Arts, County Limerick Youth Theatre, and Mr. Sands Youth Theatre.

NT Connections is supported by The Arts Council of England.

RETURN TO DUST

Monday 3 rd April, 8pm Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

In the rural Gansu region of China, Ma and Cao are two people seen only as inconveniences by their respective families. They are cast off and forced into an arranged marriage. Living a simple but challenging farming life, the couple gradually fall in love. Together, they decide to build their own house. However, a state-ordered demolition process threatens their very way of life.

The latest film from director Li Ruijun is a patient, tender story of survival and love against the odds. Elegantly shot and beautifully acted, it shows a side of Chinese society rarely seen on cinema screens. It has struck a chord with audiences in China, recently topping the local box office months after its initial release.

Directed

Li Ruijun 131 mins | Cert TBC

EASTER ART CAMP

WITH MARTA GOLUBOWSKA

Monday 3 rd April – Friday 7th April, 10am-2pm Tickets €120 (sibling discount available)

Join us for an adventure with Arts this Easter!  In this camp children will have a chance to experience working with artists and art educators from County Kildare. Under the lead of visual artist Marta Golubowska we will get creative with drawing, designing, clay, paper, painting and more. Each day a guest artist will join us to inspire participants to get creative!

Please bring a packed lunch each day.

by

EARLY YEARS

ANNA NEWELL THEATRE ADVENTURES PRESENTS BABYGROOVE

Tuesday 4 th & Wednesday 5 th April,

Times: Various, see website for details

Tickets €10

A chilled out 1970s-inspired adventure for babies under 12 months.

This live performance is full of gorgeous harmony singing and immersive video created by Anna Newell Theatre Adventures, one of Ireland’s leading theatre makers for young audiences whose work for early years has been seen on six continents.

babyGROOVE is part of the 2023 programme from The Network For Extraordinary Audiences and is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland. Co-produced by The Civic

COMEDY

NEIL DELAMERE – DELAMERIUM

Thursday 6 th April, 8pm

Tickets €23

Neil Delamere is back with a brand-new show, Delamerium.

Expect the usual hilarious stories, wry observations and quick-witted improvisation as our comedy hero tries to makes sense of the world around him.

"No TV camera could accurately measure the lightning speed of Delamere's wit" - The Irish Times

APRIL

APRIL

FAMILY CINEMA

CINDERELLA

Saturday 8 th April, 2pm Tickets €4

When Cinderella's cruel stepmother prevents her from attending the Royal Ball, she gets some unexpected help from the lovable mice Gus and Jaq, and from her Fairy Godmother.

Featuring music and magic, this classic film is sure to enchant audiences

MUSIC

THE CELTIC TENORS

Saturday 8 th April, 8pm Tickets €28 / €25

Over 20 years together, The Celtic Tenors are marking their return to Riverbank Arts Centre with this ever-popular show featuring snippets from their 9th studio album, An Irish Songbook. Their show will present a selection of some of the best of Irish songs with Rocky Road to Dublin, Red is the Rose and Sweet Sixteen and a healthy dose of the tenor classics like Nessun Dorma and La Donna e Mobile. The Celtic Tenors are delighted to be back doing what they do best – bringing some musical magic in their contagiously charming way.

Directed by Clyde Geronimi & Wilfred Jackson 74 mins | Cert G

Images Courtesy of Park Circus/Walt Disney Studios

DIGI- CREATORS CAMP

Tuesday 11th - Friday 14th April, 10am-2pm Tickets €120

Welcome to a world of storytelling using technology!

VIDEO: Lights, camera, action! Think of an idea, build a story and script a short film.  Learn how to film, create & edit footage on mobile devices, add credits & music and how to share & showcase their film.

PODCAST: What do you want to say? Learn how to generate ideas & script a short podcast, how to find & record their voice & other sounds, how to edit on mobile devices, add music & create a logo for their podcast.

STOP MOTION ANIMATION: Learn how to make characters move, build sets, and create simple effects using everyday items and LEGO mini-figures. Create your own short stop motion animation movie.

MICHAEL HARDING

ALL THE THINGS LEFT UNSAID

Thursday 13 th & Friday 14 th April, 8pm Tickets €22

For almost fifty years, Michael Harding has been crafting words in a bid to express himself and to explore truths about the human condition. But even still he found himself unable to say certain things he really wanted to.

Then, while in recovery from surgery, he travelled to a cottage on the Atlantic coast and he wrote letters, with an intimacy not previously risked. Letters that would never be posted but that feature in his latest book All the Things Left Unsaid.

Join Ireland’s master-storyteller for a return to the stage that that is greatly anticipated by his legion of fans across the country, telling his stories with great humour, warmth and honesty.

APRIL

MUSIC

KARAN CASEY

Saturday 15 th April, 8pm Tickets €20

Irish singer songwriter Karan Casey celebrates the release of her new album  Nine Apples of Gold. The album is an ode to the natural world featuring the songbirds of Portglenone, the moon, conversations from the grave, returning to the wild, listening for the cuckoo as she sleeps. Joined by Sean Óg Graham and Niamh Dunne she will be singing songs from the new album as well as from her extensive back catalogue.

Karan’s new album, Nine Apples of Gold, will be released in February 2023.

“The most soulful singer to emerge in Irish traditional music in the past decade." - The Glasgow Herald

VENGEANCE

Monday 17 th April, 8pm Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

Vengeance, the directorial debut from writer and star B.J. Novak (The Office), is a darkly comic thriller about Ben Manalowitz, a journalist and podcaster who travels from New York City to West Texas to investigate the death of a girl he was hooking up with. With an ensemble cast that includes Issa Rae, Ashton Kutcher, Boyd Holbrook, J. Smith-Cameron and Dove Cameron.

Director: B.J. Novak 108 mins | Cert 15A

TAKING CARE: KILDARE MUNICIPAL ART COLLECTION

Friday 21 st April – Thursday 27 th May McKenna Gallery Admission Free

VISUAL ARTS

Come along and explore artwork from Kildare’s Municipal Art Collection (MAC). The collection normally displayed in public buildings across the county, has been revisited, and a selection of work has been especially curated for this exhibition. A series of accompanying talks are planned to offer insights into the artworks and their makers, as together we investigate our county’s Municipal Art Collection.

Kildare’s MAC was established through the Architects Department in the 1970s. Since that time, the Arts Service have continued to extend and enhance the collection which features work from artists including Evie Hone, Patrick Pye, Patrick Collins, Charlie Brady, Sean McSweeney, Robert Ballagh, Norah McGuinness and Niamh O’Malley.

Image: Aftermath of Bog Fire by Shane Hynan, 2020

APRIL

THE WRENS BY DAN COLLEY

Saturday 22nd April, 7pm Tickets €8 / €28 (family of 4)

An odd collection of tricksters live in the gorse bushes at the edge of the town. They're best left alone, the townsfolk say. We've nothing to do with them. What they don't say is; except the odd healing spell, love cure, hair-cut, or to burn them out of their nests once a year.

This magic-realist piece for audiences aged 8+ is a poignant, funny, and wildly speculative interpretation of history and myths.

A new piece from Riverbank Artist in Residence, Dan Colley (A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, Lost Lear) is bound to captivate and inspire.

Co-commissioned by Draoicht and co-produced by Riverbank Arts Centre. Funded by the Arts Council of Ireland

CINEMA

THE ROSE MAKER

Monday 24 th April, 8pm Tickets €7 (early bird) / €9 (on door)

Eve was once a champion rose grower, but after years without a big success her business is on the verge of collapse. She reluctantly starts to consider selling to a successful competitor. In a last-ditch effort to save their livelihoods, Eve’s secretary Rosa brings on three inexperienced workers to help out. Despite her initial hostility to the idea, the new arrivals soon inspire Eve to give rose-designing one last shot…

Presented with the support of the French Embassy and the Institut Français

Director: Pierre Pinaud 95 mins | Cert TBC

€24

The Illegals return to Riverbank with their ever-popular, classic-rock revue.

Every year, The Illegals delve deeper into the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac back-catalogues to keep their dynamic live show fresh but familiar to packed venues throughout Ireland. This year sees Niamh and the band belting out a superb set from the Big Two and ‘connected’ others from the West Coast sound.

Led by Niamh Kavanagh, she of the mesmerizing voice and mischievous spirit, The Illegals will take you on a journey for three hours of soulful harmonies, exciting riffs, blistering guitars and unforgettable songs.

Audiences really love The Illegals live – an entertaining night of vocal harmony, superb musicianship and great fun - served up by a band at the top of its game.

The best of two legendary bands in one night? It’s almost too good to be true.

SCHOOL EVENTS SCHOOL EVENTS

BRING YOUR CLASS TO RIVERBANK, OR HOST RIVERBANK AT YOUR SCHOOL!

Riverbank Arts Centre works closely with Irish and international theatre companies, artists and coproducing partners, to present work particularly suited to schools. We are happy to welcome 6000 pupils to our venue each year for performances, screenings, gallery tours and workshops.

We offer tours of our exhibitions for primary and post-primary students, and engagement materials for all ages. This Spring, we are offering Primary School gallery tours for A Daily Cloud by Chris Judge (p. 9) and Kathleen Lonsdale by Maeve Clancy (p. 32)

For post primary we are offering TY & LC gallery visits for Brenda Brady: A Cast of Paintings (p. 23) and Taking Care: Kildare Municipal Art Collection (p. 42).

Gallery tours are free - booking is essential.

If you are a teacher and interested in engaging more with the arts, please get in touch.

THEATRE LOVETT PRESENTS THE TEDDY BEARS' PICNIC

BY LOUIS LOVETT

Friday 10 th February, 12pm

Tickets: €6 (teachers free)

If you go down to the woods today you’re in for a big surprise…

The teddy bears’ picnic! Where can we find it? What’s the address? Are we invited? Do teddies eat food? Is the tea they drink real? It’s hard to digest, this mythical meal.

Theodor is a detective who found Timbuktu and a two headed llama that lives in Peru. Now Theo's hot on the trail of the famous teddy bears’ picnic… a tricky puzzle to pick. Come join us and together, we’ll try our best to help Theo on this cuddly quest.

The Teddy Bears’ Picnic is a theatrical treat for children aged 5+ and everyone else is welcome too. (Teddy bears are especially welcome!)

The Teddy Bears’ Picnic is funded by The Arts Council and supported by Riverbank Arts Centre and RTÉ Supporting the Arts.

Image credit: Ros Kavanagh

Duration: 60 minutes

SCHOOL EVENTS SCHOOL EVENTS

Jess Rowell in association with Draíocht, Blanchardstown present Making Waves. An immersive multi-sensory dance theatre performance designed specifically for children aged 8 to 13 years with mild to more complex needs. A magical sea voyage in which the audience and performers set sail in search of hidden treasure. Along the way they encounter rolling waves, sparkling fish and swooping gulls. Duration: 30mins + 15mins sensory play The Making Waves 2023 tour is supported by The Arts Council with additional support provided by Draíocht, Blanchardstown, Axis Ballymun, Riverbank Arts Centre & Mermaid Arts Centre. Jess Rowell’s Making Waves at Riverbank Arts Centre received additional support from Kildare County Council Arts Service.

LITTLELION DANCE THEATRE

Joy loves running, spinning and flying in nature. Sky loves reading, singing and gaming indoors.

AdoleTA! is a dance theatre piece that joyously explores friendship and play. Come into a world with Joy and Sky where anything is possible - a tent can be a crab, an umbrella can be a cloud, and the moon can sing!

Through play, two friends overcome differences and together imagine, create and expand their reality and yours.

Choreography by Selma Daniel. Selma Daniel is supported by Branar Meitheal 2022-2023.

Recommended for Junior Infants to First Class

FIGHTING WORDS WORKSHOPS

Free event

WORKSHOP

Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge is the Kildare Partner of Fighting Words. We present creative writing workshops for primary and secondary schools. Fighting Words Workshops are always free of charge to the participants.

These workshops will be conducted in our venue, or in your classroom by an experienced Fighting Words tutor, Pierina Campbell, and supported by 2-3 volunteers from Riverbank’s Fighting Words team. The workshop will last 2 hours and we request that the teacher is present throughout. We can also offer Fighting Words workshops as gaeilge, led by tutor Seirce Mhac Conghaile.

Please contact theresa@riverbank.ie to enquire about workshop availability for Primary & Secondary Schools.

SCHOOL EVENTS SCHOOL EVENTS

KILDARE YOUTH THEATRE PRESENTS A DOLL’S HOUSE

BY HENRIK IBSEN

Tuesday 17th & Wednesday 18th January, 11am Tickets €6

Ibsen's classic play was greeted with shock in 1879, with both its style and subject matter being seen as subversive. It premiered in Copenhagen at the dawn of the suffragette movement and continues to be one of the world's most performed plays. It ushered modern drama onto centre stage, banishing aristocratic comedy and melodrama to the side-line. The ending of the play, a slammed door, sent shockwaves around the world that still echo today. Kildare Youth Theatre present a new spin on this classic, featuring actors drawn from all over Europe, Russia, Ukraine and beyond.

Kildare Youth Theatre's production is directed by Mary Linehan and features a multicultural, international cast. Especially made for schools- the play is on the Ordinary and Higher Leaving Cert English syllabus.

MICHAEL COLLINS: IRELAND'S REBEL SON

Thursday 23 February, 10am Free event

Michael Collins: Ireland's Rebel Son (O’Brien Press, 2022) tells a thrilling tale of passion, courage and determination. Michael Collins became a hero: a soldier, a freedom-fighter, a ghost: Ireland’s Rebel Son. In life, in death, a legend.

Join author Mario Corrigan and illustrator David Butler to find out all about their creative process and of course, the legendary Michael Collins. In this illustrated talk, the authors will discuss what made them create a graphic novel? Why Michael Collins? There will be plenty of room for questions and interaction in this lively session, which explores one of the most dramatic periods in Irish history and how to write about it!

SECONDARY SCHOOLS

SCHOOL EVENTS SCHOOL EVENTS

KING

JUNIOR CYCLE FRENCH

Tuesday 28 th February, 10am €6 students (teachers free)

When King, a trafficked lion cub, escapes from the airport in mid-transit, the frightened animal ends up in the home of Inès and Alex. Instant friends, the siblings come up with a plan to bring King back to a nature reserve in Africa. With the customs agents on their tail, the pair enlist the help of their quirky grandfather Max to join their unconventional road trip.

2022 | France | 105 min | French | Drama | Dir: David Moreau | Cert TBC

AN CAILÍN CIÚIN

SENIOR CYCLE IRISH Thursday 16 th March, 10am €6 students (teachers free) CINEMA

Nine-year-old Cáit (Catherine Clinch) is sent by her dysfunctional family to spend the summer with an Aunt and Uncle she has never met before. Through the tender care of her aunt Eibhlín (Carrie Crowley) Cáit finally feels loved and safe. Despite himself, her uncle Sean (Andrew Bennett) forges a bond and for the first time, Cáit experiences the warmth of a loving home. The once quiet Cáit blossoms in their care, but in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one.

2021 | Ireland | Drama | 94 mins | Dir: Colm Bairéad | Cert 12A

MEDITERRANEO: THE LAW OF THE SEA / MEDITERRÁNEO

SENIOR CYCLE SPANISH Thursday 27 th April, 10am €6 students (teachers free)

As he learns of the growing humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Mediterranean Sea, Spanish lifeguard Òscar Camps decides to head to the Greek island of Lesbos along with his reluctant colleague Gerard. Once on the island, they’re faced with the enormity of the situation. With limited resources, the pair struggle to do what they can to help the continued stream of people arriving, working against determined people smugglers and inert local coastguards.

Contains dramatised scenes of rescue from refugee crisis and one scene of childbirth.

2021 | Spain/Greece | Drama | 109 mins | Dir: Marcel Barrena | Cert TBC in association with IFI Education

Welcome to The Strand Café!

The Strand Café opened at Riverbank Arts Centre in November and has created quite a buzz!

Café visitors can expect freshly-baked sweet offerings, warming soups, flavour-packed sandwiches, hearty porridge and home baked breads, as well as delicious coffee and specially sourced leaf teas. Relying on fresh ingredients, locally sourced and grown where possible, the chefs will produce food items from scratch.

Kildare County Council issued an open call last year seeking a café provider and following a competitive process, Kildare company Catering 365 were awarded the contract. Café owners Deiric Walsh and Davis Zhang work alongside café Head Chef Fiona (Flo) Byrne at The Strand Café. Deiric Walsh has over 30 years’ experience in all aspects of catering management, having worked with accomplished chef Davis Zhang for 20 of those years. Davis has created an exciting menu for the cafe, with tempting fresh lunch options each day. Head chef Flo has over 30 years’ experience and she also has worked with Deiric and Davis for over 20 years. This dream team are delighted to venture out into the world of café food and look forward to meeting you at The Strand Café.

The café is open from 10am –3pm Monday to Saturday, and one hour before evening events at Riverbank Arts Centre. Intervals drinks available too, to add to a great night out!

For more details about The Strand Cafe menu, visit instagram.com/strandcafe_newbridge

HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST SEASON

Riverbank Arts Centre is hugely proud to have been a co-producer of Lost Lear, by our artist in residence Dan Colley. This remarkable production previewed at Riverbank before opening at Dublin Theatre Festival in Oct 2022.

'Lost Lear is about two people trying to connect over a gradually widening chasm that dementia opens up. It uses innovative theatre technology to distort our perceptions of reality and explore 'King Lear's' themes of reconciliation and the mercurial nature of the truth..’ Dan Colley, director

Dan Colley is a multi-annual artist-in-residence at Riverbank Arts Centre, funded by the Arts Council and Kildare County Council.

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, W12 D962 PHONE: 045 448327 EMAIL: info@riverbank.ie BOOK ONLINE: www.riverbank.ie Riverbank Arts Centre is kindly supported by Cover Illustration by Shams Asgarzade Design by DoodleMoose Designs www.doodlemoosedesigns.com