A House Of Play: 75 Years of The Lyric Players Belfast

75 YEARS OF THE LYRIC PLAYERS

To honour Mary and Pearse O’Malley’s legacy, we will transform our current theatre space into a recreation of the original theatre from their Derryvolgie home, bringing audiences back to the place where the Lyric first took shape. Opening week will feature a special programme on this intimate stage, with music, poetry, in-conversation events, documentary screenings and live performances.

Featured guests include Medbh McGuckian, Anne Devlin, Colin Davidson & Mark Carruthers, Conor O’Malley, Kim Mawhinney, along with performances by Neil Martin, Hive Choir, Rogue Encounters, John Anderson’s Voices of Ireland and more.

In Conversation: On Lyric Heritage | Fri 30 Jan - 13:00

Join Conor O'Malley in conversation with Barry Houlihan (University of Galway) & Samantha McCombe (The Linen Hall) In this engaging conversation we look back on the Lyric's legacy, discussing where it all began.

Performance: HIVEsplaining: The Bog! | Sat 31 Jan - 13:00

Join Hive Choir as they explain through song. This time, they take on the Bog! With a slew of original songs about Irish boglands inspired by the poetry of Seamus Heaney, together, we will navigate the morass of historical and mythological interpretations of bogs and peatlands.

Performance: Medbh McGuckian & Anne Devlin | Sun 1 Feb - 13:00

For almost fifty years, Medbh McGuckian's poems have dazzled and beguiled discerning readers. Join her as she explores her new book of Selected Poems, drawing on seventeen individual collections. She is joined by renowned playwright Anne Devlin who, like Medbh, had her early work published in the Lyric's Threshold magazine.

In Conversation: A Curators Talk | Wed 4 Feb - 13:00

A live in conversation event between curator Kim Mawhinney of the Ulster Museum and collector and art critic Eamonn Mallie. During this event the pair will discuss the themes of the exhibition A House of Play and the significance of the New Gallery as a vital arts space which formed part of the Lyric in the last century.

In Conversation: Art in Northern Ireland | Wed 4 Feb - 20:00

Join artist Colin Davidson and journalist Mark Carruthers in conversation with our Executive Director Jimmy Fay. Spend your evening exploring art, place and people in Northern Ireland as they discuss Colin and Mark’s acclaimed new book Twelve Paintings, while also touching on Colin’s wider body of work, including his portraits and Belfast paintings, one of which will be unveiled as part of our Lyric 75 celebrations. With Davidson a long-standing supporter and great friend of the Lyric and Carruthers’ role as a former Chair of the Lyric, together they will explore the power of human stories in art and the Lyric Theatre’s enduring place in Northern Ireland’s cultural life.

Performance: Music by Neil Martin | Thur 5 Feb - 20:00

Don't miss Belfast-born and acclaimed composer and musician Neil Martin for a night of music in the Lyric Theatre. With an international reputation, whose work has been performed worldwide from the Royal Albert Hall to the International Space Station, Neil Martin and Rod McVey will host a very special evening of music and memories.

Performance: A Poets' Theatre | Fri 6 Feb - 20:00

In partnership with the Seamus Heaney Centre and directed by Rhiann Jeffrey, A Poets' Theatre brings together works from some of most renowned writers on the Island of Ireland for an evening of literary harmony.

Performance: John Anderson's Voices of Ireland | Sat 7 Feb - 13:00

In tribute to John Anderson, a titan of music in Northern Ireland and with a long history as musical director at the Lyric in the 1970s and 1980s, members of John Anderson's choir Voices of Ireland will perform a medley of John's arrangements, directed by Edward Craig and Jonathan Ireland. Introduced by director and Lyric Player, Michael Poynor.

Performance: Mary O'Malley's Fighting The Waves: A Reading | Sat 7 Feb - 20:00

Written by Caroline Lynch, Fighting the Waves is a powerful play depicting the life of Mary O'Malley, the birth of the new Lyric Theatre, and the influence of W.B. Yeats, all based on the historical records from the Lyric Theatre archive at NUI Galway.

Performance: Don’t Fence Me In | Sun 8 Feb - 13:00

A Rogue Encounters Production for Brain Injury Matters, The Unusual Suspects present a personal story to highlight the support needs of brain injury sufferers in general. This work is a combination of intimate story-telling and vibrant ensemble messaging about the challenges of habituating to a life post brain injury, with emphasis on vital support needs.