The autumn season at Solstice
As the evenings start to shorten and the unmistakeable signs of autumn creep in, Solstice Arts Centre has launched a new season of events to keep you entertained throughout the autumn/winter season with a programme packed full of award-winning theatre, nationally acclaimed musicians, laugh-out-loud comedy, exciting children's theatre and workshops, an eclectic mix of films and documentaries, and much more.
Highlights include visits from national touring companies – Irish National Opera present a premiere performance of Griselda by Vivaldi for the first time ever on Irish stages, while Ballet Ireland will spend two nights performing the quintessential Christmas ballet Swan Lake in the build up to the festive season. National music acts such as Mary Black (sold out), Declan O’Rourke, The Lost Brothers, The Fureys, Eimear Quinn, Abba Forever, The Bon Jovi Story (National tour led by Meath’s award-winning singer Kevin Fagan), Finghin Collins and This is How we Fly with special guest Iarla Ó Lionáird will take to the Solstice stage, alongside comedians The Dirtbirds (sold out) and the infamous Faulty Towers Dining Experience, which travels back to Trim and Slane this year.
Theatre lovers can look forward to a varied mix of performances with comedic twists as Isobel Mahon (Glenroe, The Clinic) and Rose Henderson (Fair City, Father Ted) perform Weighing In, a fast paced comedy play about life, love and the modern obsession with dieting. Shane Casey of The Young Offenders brings us back to 2005 to a day-in-the-life of two painter/decorators and their boss during the Celtic Tiger Ireland when anything was possible in Wet Paint. Eggsistentialism by Joanne Ryan is one woman’s funny, tender and moving exploration of reproduction in 21st century Ireland, exploring the ifs, hows and whys of reproducing her genes. Leitrim based Acorn Players present the hilariously funny Loophole, and a parent-teacher meeting goes very wrong in CLASS – a new play by Iseult Golden and David Horan about learning difficulties in school. Navan Theatre Group will round off a buoyant theatre season with John B Keane’s The Chastitute directed by Séamus McMenamin. Almost forty years after its first production it remains as relevant as ever and is funny, sad and thoughtful in equal measure.
Solstice is proud home to a state-of-the-art 4K cinema system with the latest in Dolby Surround Sound technology, and the team have programmed the biggest film season ever with a mix of art house and new release films, documentaries and special screenings. Films include Gloria Bell, Blinded by the Light, Float Like a Butterfly, Transit, One Upon a Time in Hollywood and Downton Abbey. Special screenings include On The Basis of Sex with Navan Rotary Club, a Q&A with special guests following a screening of The Man Who Wanted To Fly, and documentary screenings of Apollo 11 and Pavarotti.
There will also be plenty to do for families and schools with numerous art workshops, Halloween and Christmas themed craft workshops (with some adult ones too!), and children’s theatre events Baby’s First Xmas, The Bockety World of Henry and Bucket, The Dig, and Heart of Winter. St. Mary’s Musical Society are back with another smash-hit panto telling the story of Aladdin as he makes his journey from the ‘diamond in the rough’ to the prince he longs to be!
As if all that wasn’t enough, September – December also sees a solo exhibition of video, painting, and sculpture by Bassam Al-Sabah, one of Ireland’s hottest contemporary artists at the moment, called Dissolving Beyond The Worm Moon, and SURVEYOR 2019 will present an overview of contemporary visual arts practice from artists living in, or from, County Meath with the winner receiving the Solstice Visual Arts Award worth €2,000.
Solstice looks forward to welcoming back all our regular users of the centre after the summer break. Children's Speech & Drama Classes with Penelope Moorhead, Lamha Beag Parent & Toddler Group, Act Out Youth Theatre, Children’s Musical Theatre Classes with Caithriona Mongey and Aisling Rountree, and ballet classes for both youngsters and those aged 55+ with Butterfly Ballet School all return for their weekly classes this September.
For more information on any of these events visit www.solsticeartscentre.ie or simply pop into the busy café to peruse a brochure with a coffee and treat.