Masculinity under spotlight, and an NI spin on the Odd Couple

Questions of A Man Lyric Theatre, Belfast Saturday and Sunday, 8pm

What does it mean to be a man in 2018? What impact does masculinity have on our society? What are the things that we as men are blind to and how do we change this? These are just some of the issues raised in Dylan Quinn’s new dance piece. The production allows the dancers and the audience to explore these questions in a performance and experience that is both engaging and emotionally powerful.

For details, contact the box office on tel: 028 9038 1081.

Edgefest, Every Day I Wake Up Hopeful MAC, Belfast Thursday, 8pm

Prime Cut and Tinderbox continue their three week festival of new theatre with John Patrick Higgins’ story of Malachy, who has made a decision, perhaps for the first time in his life. And he really wants to talk about it in a poignant, funny and desperate confessional.

Hot on its heels comes East Belfast Boy, featuring sharp, street-savvy Davy. In a play that pumps techno and shimmers with poetry, his story — about his streets, his mates and his girls, is a cliché-free zone. For details, contact the box office on tel: 028 9023 5053.

The Bog Couple Playhouse, Londonderry Tuesday, February 17, 8pm

Fate and a couple of failed marriages have crashed two men together under the same roof in Rossville Street flats during the Troubles. Inspired by The Odd Couple, this new comedy follows Oscar Meenan and Felix Young, both “Bogside men” — one a Catholic and one a Protestant. One is an easy-going slob and one an obsessive perfectionist preoccupied with neatness. Is friendship possible?

For details, tel: 028 7126 8027.

The Time Machine

Down Arts Centre, Downpatrick Sunday, 8pm

How much time do we have left in this age of uncertainty, where tyranny, intolerance and war threaten the path into tomorrow? In this radical interpretation of the HG Wells classic, a Victorian time traveller transcends across the ages from 1900 to our own far future — from the fall of man to the end of the world — discovering the fate of our endeavours and uncovering our darkest fears. Can we change the future or has the end already begun?

For details, contact the box office on tel: 028 4461 0747.