Hi °C | Lo °C Lunch hour drama and a new push to help out women writers
If you're trying to dodge the Christmas shoppers (yes, already!) you might have found refuge in Belfast's Black Box this week, where Jigsaw Theatre Company has been staging some lunchtime drama.
Helen At Risk is a short, ferocious piece about a woman teaching art to prisoners. It stars Alexandra Ford and Lalor Roddy, and lasts just 10 minutes - the starting time is 1pm, so you can grab a sandwich on your way back to the office.
If you haven't managed to make it to the Black Box in Hill Street, the shows continue until tomorrow. Get down there and show your support for a great idea.
Elsewhere, it's women to the fore at Ransom Productions, which continues to develop its profile, both here in Northern Ireland and beyond.
The company has just announced that local TV presenter Lynda Bryans has joined the board. She was impressed with Ransom's Write On The Edge project, which began this year, and aims to develop female writers in Northern Ireland, to the point of getting their work commissioned.
So far, workshops have been led by a number of high-profile writers, including Nina Steiger of London's Soho Theatre.
The next workshop is in Omagh, on November 24, when writer and actor Rebecca Lenkiewicz will be passing on tips.
Write On The Edge has already produced offspring in the form of a new project Write Now which sees a group of women meeting once a month in Belfast to collaborate and work together to develop a series of scripts.
Ransom director Rachel O'Riordan was recently the only female to be nominated in the 'best director' category of the TMA theatre awards, which celebrate the very best in British theatre, opera and dance.
Not since the heady days of Charabanc Theatre Company have we seen such a concerted push to highlight the talents of women in theatre. Huzzah!
But back to the present, and the Old Museum Arts Centre is preparing to welcome back Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company this very evening.
Consequences is a combination of choreography, performance and live music which explores childhood memories.
World-famous director and choreographer, Wolfgang Hoffmann joins a cast of performers from Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Israel and England to offer a rare treat for dance fans.
The Grand Opera House remains a tinsel-free zone for a little longer as Terra Nova Productions' new show It's Not All Rain and Potatoes continues at the Baby Grand.
This sprint through the world of all things Irish (including donkeys, drink and death) promises plenty of laughs, from the arrival of the first potato to the call for last rounds.
Written by Nuala McKeever and Andrea Montgomery, the comedy offers some ideas for those of us who wonder what defines culture, on either side of the border.
Finally, audiences at the Riverside Theatre can sample a taste of lad culture, when Tinderbox's new production, The Duke of Hope, pulls up in Coleraine tonight.
Birds, booze and pub-room bores all feature in this black comedy from the pens of Alan McKee and Conor Grimes. The number of laughs you'll get may depend on the level of testosterone you're carrying, but the show has been a rip-roaring success since it opened during Belfast Festival at Queen's. You can check it out at the Riverside tonight and tomorrow.
