The Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen’s

The Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen’s

Taking place in Belfast 16 October to 1 November, this 17 day festival will see a high number of international premieres taking place in Northern Ireland for the first time. The Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen’s is Ireland’s biggest festival seeing over 60, 000 people attend from all over the world. Running for over 50 years this mix of music, dance, drama, poetry, literature, comedy and visual arts has attracted some of the most famous names in the arts including Laurence Olivier and Jimi Hendrix.

New this year is Festival Director, Richard Wakely who says“The Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen’s is one of only a handful of European arts festivals that can deliver such diversity, boasting an eclectic mix of world-class, high quality cultural events, providing a passport to the arts”

This year will see boundaries pushed in contemporary international arts practice with the Schaubühne Berlin Company presenting Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People for the first time in Ireland. Directed by the critically acclaimed director Thomas Ostermeier, this adaptation sets the piece against a global backdrop of spreading immigration panics, environmental and financial crises.

Known as the master of contemporary Flamenco Israel Galván will appear in La Edad De Oro (The Golden Age) bringing his Bessie Award Winning production to Ireland for the first time. Other dance highlights includes the work of Scotland’s Claire Cunningham bringing her interpretation of the reactions to disability of major religions and faiths in Guide Gods. Cunningham is the Festival Artist in Residence for 2014 and her work fuses the energetic and inventive use of her crutches, alongside her movement, acting and her vocal skills as a classically trained singer.

For more information about the event please go to www.belfastfestival.com

Credit:
1. Festival 2014 Artist in Residence, Claire Cunningham. Image copyright Sven Hagolani.