Categories - productions and events

Hot stuff at the Lyric

Summer is nearly upon us and despite the rain, temperatures are rising. No more so than in rehearsals at the Lyric Theatre. The hottest ticket this season will be for new romantic comedy Can't Forget About You which premieres on 23 May.

The Seafarer from a 17-year-old perspective

My first experience of a play that wasn't either a pantomime or a musical was Conor McPherson's black comedy "The Seafarer" in the Lyric Theatre, Belfast. Having no previous theatre experiences to compare it to I was in the dark as to what to expect.

City Conversations review

The City Conversations have begun. On Sunday evening, 3rd March, award winning poet, Michael Longley, spoke about the full breadth of his work with BBC Arts presenter, Marie-Louise Muir, in the intimate setting of the Naughton Studio at the Lyric Theatre.

Child actors on stage in Macbeth

A group of budding child actors has been rubbing shoulders on stage with the professional cast of Macbeth.

Hallowe'en horrors

There are many frights about on Hallowe'en as people put on their most ghoulish make-up and dress up for the night. Get some tips from the experts at the Lyric.

WANTED: One Olympic Torch for Molly Wobbly

Requests at the Lyric are wide-ranging from publicity to props but never dull. This week our props team are appealing for a real Olympic Torch to use in Molly Wobbly.

Wilde about Lyric's new play

Andrew Devonshire, a Northern Bank employee, blogs about the forthcoming production of The Importance of Being Earnest.

Lady in red starts a riot

A lady arrived at the Lyric Theatre today who can certainly pack a punch…and was teaching our actors a trick or two.

Calling all scriptwriters

Are you an aspiring playwright? The Lyric Theatre's Write Night offers six writers the chance to produce short satirical and comic sketches to be performed by actors from the Lyric's Drama Studio this May.

Big Telly celebrate 25th birthday at Lyric

Big Theatre Company are all grown up and turning 25. To celebrate, their greatly anticipated first production of the year Melmoth the Wanderer runs at the Lyric from 21 to 25 March.

The Little Prince dress rehearsal

And so we rode on the stars, following the Little Prince and a pilot on their epic journey looking for friendship and the meaning of life. As the Little Prince looks for something to match his lost love the pilot seeks fulfilment.

Song from Lyric musical on soundcloud

We are very excited that a song from The Little Prince has been uploaded to soundcloud. Check out "Welcome to B-612" written by Nicholas Lloyd Webber and James D.Reid.

Perfect prescription for arts and business partnership

Local firm Clear Pharmacy is the first corporate sponsor of the new Lyric Theatre, supporting the production of The Painkiller starring Kenneth Branagh and Rob Brydon.

Artistic Director Richard Croxford on The Painkiller

When opening our beautiful new building in May of this year we promised an exciting programme of world class theatre and our production of The Painkiller certainly fits the bill.  As one of the leading cultural organisations of Northern Ireland, it is only fitting that we are bringing such a distinguished cast and creative team to work on this project.

Critics rave about Blackbird

Prime Cut's production of Blackbird, which runs in the Lyric Studio until 18 September, has been receiving rave press reviews and astounding audience reactions since it opened on 10 September.

Abbey Theatre brings award-winning play B for Baby to the Lyric

The Abbey Theatre, Ireland's national theatre, is delighted to announce the nationwide tour of Carmel Winters' much applauded production of B For Baby, from August to November of this year. The Lyric Theatre in Belfast is one of the first stops for the tour, where it will run for six performances only.

Mowgli and the Royal Python

Tony Hasnath, who plays Mowgli in the current production of The Jungle book met Samantha the Royal Python at Belfast Zoo yesterday. Visit www.facebook.com/lyrictheatrebelfast to check out the photos. For more information about Belfast Zoo visit www.belfastzoo.co.uk or www.facebook.com/BelfastZoo

Lyric Lead enjoys monkeying around in The Jungle Book

Lorraine Lauder, Service Manager at Northern Bank Limited watched the final dress rehearsal of The Jungle Book on 19 July.

Southbank Player participates in RSC Skills Exchange workshop

As a keen amateur actor and member of the Southbank Players I was really excited to take part in the RSC Open Stages performance workshops at the Lyric on Saturday 2 July.

First day of rehearsals for The Jungle Book

I arrived at The Lyric at 9.30am for the first read-through of The Jungle Book. I was shown into the cafe where the other Northern Bank Lyric Leads, the cast and crew were starting to gather for coffee and pastries. I thought this was a great way for everyone to meet in a relaxed setting.

Kenneth Branagh and Rob Brydon cast in opening season

Kenneth Branagh and Rob Brydon are to star together in the reopening season in new comedy The Painkiller. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Monday 24 January.

Pisz i bogac sie - Creative Writing Workshops for the Polish Community

As part of the Lyric's Creative Learning opportunities with the local community we are launching our first creative writing course for the Polish community.

Adrian Dunbar looks foward to directing Freedom of the City

It's always a privilege to engage with the mind and works of Brian Friel. A testament to this is the wonderful cast we have gathered for this Lyric theatre reading at the Elmwood Hall.

Update from The Miser's Richard Orr

The play is going down really well; it's great to hear the audience laughing so heartily every night. Andy Gray is a master at playing the audience and he has them eating out of his hand by the end of every show.

Irish Times review of The Absence of Women

You can take the man out of Belfast but you can't take Belfast out of the man. Iggy and Gerry are two living examples of that truism. They may have left home in their youth, but it remains the thing that defines them.

Belfast Telegraph review of The Absence of Women

Two men sit together, waiting. They pass the time bickering and bantering, waiting for something that never comes.  Owen McCafferty gives Beckett a nod in the opening scene of his new play, in which Gerry and Iggy look back at lives less lived as they plot their way to their final resting place.

Culture NI describes The Absence of Women as a perfectly formed mini masterpiece

Owen McCafferty is a playwright of the missing and the missed, the silent and the dispossessed. As a chronicler of Belfast, he has got under the pocked skin of his home city and created works of literature, of art, that compare with few other writers, a handful of early Brian Moore novels aside.

Chairman's Blog on NY Fundraising Dinner

Our recent fundraising dinner in New York has generated tremendous interest and those of us who were involved in putting the event together were delighted, of course, that it was so successful. I heard Paul Rankin chatting to Gerry Kelly on the radio and I think he summed up the whole thing perfectly: "It was held in a very cool penthouse near Broadway in New York. As we were sitting down, you could see Manhattan glittering in the background. It was an out of the world experience. It was just a stunning event".

Comedy duo will leave you 'howling' with laughter

Grimes and McKee's alternative Christmas story 'Howl!' is as outrageously funny as their previous performances, and offers up the kind of Northern Ireland humour you have come to expect from the talented duo.

The Tale of the Beauty and the Tail of the Beast

A Christmas entertainment with a difference, which children and adults will enjoy equally.

Grimes & McKee's comedy reviews

"Some things are made to go together at Christmas. Turkey and stuffing, holly and ivy…, Grimes and McKee. The funny pair's annual shows at the Lyric are as much a part of the festive season as tinsel and crackers." Belfast Telegraph

The Tale of the Beauty and the Tail of the Beast video trailer

Paul Boyd's enchanting adaption of the original French fairytale Beauty and the Beast. "Forget Disney...this is more magical" BBC Radio

The Lyric will have you HOWLING with laughter this Christmas

It's that time of year again when Christmas cheer and festive fun are brought to life on stage at the Lyric. This year's line up includes grown-up festive capers in a brand new comedy Howl! by Grimes and McKee and a fun-filled musical for the family in the Northern Ireland premiere of Paul Boyd's The Tale of the Beauty and the Tail of the Beast

Lyric Theatre's coverage from Threshold Ceremony

Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney, treats assembled guests to a reading of one of his poems at the unveiling of the Threshold Stone at the recently laid foundations of the new building.

RTE The View feature on The Home Place

Brian Friel's 'The Home Place' is the current production at the Grand Opera House in Belfast. Directed by Mick Gordon, it's a co-production between the Lyric Theatre and An Grianán in Letterkenny, with a cast including Ian McElhinney, Conleth Hill and Stuart Graham.

Theatre touring tale of unrest

Brian Friel's latest play was written in 2005 and performed that year in London and Dublin.

Blog

  • 14 June 2013
    Wedding Dress Wednesday
    Give your bridal gown another outing on Wednesday 26 June. Come see Weddins, Weeins and Wakes on 26 June in your wedding outfit just for fun.
  • 10 May 2013
    Hot stuff at the Lyric
    Summer is nearly upon us and despite the rain, temperatures are rising. No more so than in rehearsals at the Lyric Theatre. The hottest ticket this season will be for new romantic comedy Can't Forget About You which premieres on 23 May.
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