7 Things to do this week...
1 THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO: A rising star of the Irish contemporary opera scene who has also starred in productions in New York will perform in the National Opera House in Wexford this week.
Mezzo soprano Tara Erraught will form part of the Irish National Opera company’s (INO) cast for Mozart’s ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ which will be staged in the Wexford venue on Friday, April 13, at 8 p.m. The full-scale production will present one of the greatest and most celebrated comic operas ever written and is directed by Tony award winner Patrick Mason, who is a former director of the Abbey Theatre. Ms Erraught will perform the role of ‘Susanna’ and her appearance follows on from her successful debut at New York’s Metropolitan Opera last year – when she appeared in two separate operas. In some ways the performance of Mozart’s classic tale of mayhem and mischief is timely as it overlays serious issues of sexual politics which are likely to resonate with people in light of the recent #MeToo campaign. Tickets are available through the Opera House box office at 053 9122144 or at nationaloperahouse.ie. 2 DISCOVERING DRAMA: ‘Removing The Mask’ will be staged at the National Opera House on April 15. There will be two performances on the day, one at 5 p.m. and one at 8 p.m. The senior students of Olga Conway’s Discovering Drama school will perform Removing the Mask. The show will explore three one-act plays at each performance that are humorous, touching, thoughtprovoking and challenging. Some of the plays are modern and touch on social issues that affect students themselves and one is a Greek play which has provided the students with a window into the birthplace of drama. Tickets are €12 or €10 concession. 3 SWIM FOR A MILE COURTOWN: ‘Swim for a Mile’ is an initiative aiming to encourage people to get back into the pool and become confident like-long swimmers. The initiative will take place on Sunday, April 15, in Courtown Adventure Centre from 10 a.m., until 17.45 p.m. The programme progresses participants from being able to swim two lengths of a swimming pool to completing a full mile at one of the Swim for a Mile event days. Registration can be found at www.swimforamile.com
Swim Ireland coaches have written swimming programmes that will enable those who can swim a little to swim a mile in just 10 weeks. Choose to follow the programme on your own or join one of the organised training session in Courtown Adventure Centre. 4 THE 2 JOHNNIES: The countdown has been well and truly on in Oylegate for some time as the community centre gets set to welcome comedians, singers and all around heartbreakers The 2 Johnnies for a night of fun.
The Tipp lads need very little introduction with their sketch videos having racked up thousands and thousands of views on YouTube. A whirlwind of a show, the lads will not fail to entertain as they tell a few jokes, do a few impressions and sing a few songs. A fundraiser for Oylegate-Glenbrien GAA, it looks set to be successful as tickets, priced at €15, at this stage are scarce. The fun will get under way at the Community Centre from 8 p.m. and for details you can visit Oylegate-Glenbrien GAA on Facebook. 5 BLINDBOY PODCAST: The Limerick wordsmith, broadcaster, musician and social commentator Blindboy Boatclub arrives in Enniscorthy this Saturday night to record his live podcast. Any listeners to Blindboy’s podcast will know that he discusses any range of things from art history, mental health and colonialism to the behaviour of otters. His live podcasts see him interview a special guest on stage and a lot of speculation has been circulating as to who will be joining him in Enniscorthy. Demand for tickets was huge and it was a sell-out. 6 KEVIN LAWLOR: Wexford Jazz drummer Kevin Lawlor will be showcasing new material in the town later this month. The talented musician will be joined by Pat Molitor (drums), Alex O’Keeffe (guitar), Adam Nolan (tenor sax) and Jack Rufus Kelly (bass) for what could prove to be one of the musical highlights of the year. The quintet will perform in Wexford Arts Centre on Saturday, April 14, at 8.30 p.m. and the set will be eclectic and the gig will give fans a rare chance to witness his group live. For information or to book tickets contact the Arts Centre box office AT 053 9123764 or wexfordartscentre.ie. 7 MASTER STORYTELLER FÉLIM Ó FLAITHULACH: This is a new one-man show by Eamonn Colfer which explores the Seanchaí tradition. The show, which runs at Wexford Arts Centre on April 12 and 13, tells three stories: ‘Jaco the Dancer’, ‘The Degenerate Producer’ and ‘The Completionist’, while also ruminating on the function of story and its place in the modern world. Félim is portrayed by Gary Lombard, best known for his work in Gorey Little Theatre, of which he is a founder and director. He has been involved in over 100 production, winning All Ireland awards for numerous plays. Tickets are available from Wexford Arts Centre through wexfordartscentre.ie and 053 91 23764. Have you an event for our What’s On pages? email the details (with a picture, if possible) to: whatson@peoplenews.ie