Day 7: Arts in Belfast

Sorry I haven’t posted in a couple of days. We have been getting home late and getting up early so I have gotten behind on posts. Thursday was a day about the Arts. Ciara, Maddie and I all love the arts in different ways and have very strong interests in the arts so we really enjoyed Thursday. We started off the day by going to Lyric Theatre in Belfast. Paul Crawford is in charge of the Creative Learning Programs. As a Theatre Education major this is one of the many job opportunities that I am qualified for. I was really excited to see the projects that the theatre is working on and how the world of theatre education worked here in Northern Ireland. He told us about some of the programs he is currently working on. He is doing acting training programs for pre-professional actors, as well as classes for younger students that are interested in theatre. He is also working on some really amazing projects, he is doing a workshop/ performances with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre where students could work with the company in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He is also working on expanding the group of people or the population that come to the theatre. The theatre has brought different groups to come learn about the theatre and what they do there. One of the groups that they brought to the theater was from a prison they taught them about how a theatre worked the jobs and others things. I thought that was incredibly creative. They also bring school groups, students with disabilities, and children from tough circumstances. We also went on a tour of the theatre. One of the huge sponsors of this theatre is Liam Neeson, he worked here for years. Another well-known actor to have worked with this theatre is Kenneth Branagh.

 

After The Lyric we went shopping in the City Centre in Belfast for a little bit. After that we went to the Belfast City Hall and saw the Belfast City Charter. We looked at the beautiful architecture and learned a little bit more about the city. The stain windows were incredible.

After that we went to the Linen Hall Library. It is an incredibly old library. In had tons of information on Theatre and Performing History in Northern Ireland which I found incredibly interesting.

 

After that we stopped by the Crown Pub in Belfast. It is an incredibly historical building (like most buildings in Northern Ireland). It is owned by the National Trust. One of the things that makes this place cool is the fact that the booths are actually little rooms with a door that closes, back in the day this was a common place for politicians to come because they could shut the door.

 

After that we went to meet up with an artist by the name if Dee Craig. We went on a Late Night Art Tour. We had the opportunity to see a bunch of different kinds of art that is happening in Belfast. During the tour we also saw an exhibit at Queens University. That campus is so incredibly beautiful. It was a really awesome day. We did a lot and had a ton of fun!