SEVERAL of the directors, actors, producers and facilitators of work for Limerick Unfringed 2012 rolled up to Belltable Arts Centre for the festival launch. Artistic director Gerry Barnes and festival curator Duncan Molloy welcomed Ciarda Tobin, Marie Boylan, Angie Smalis, Pius McGrath, Maria Larkin, Shannon Development’s Eoghan Prendergast, city hall’s Sheila Deegan, communications executive Laura Ryan, and Colm O’Brien and Meave McGrath of Savoy Theatre, there for the real skinny on Unfringed’s theme, ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’.
The focus is on “looking at the fringes of this city, its darkness and ourselves”, a city for which Molloy declared his passionate love. It is about animating and giving weight to creatives and works originating here as well as to welcome imports of quality.
“Essentially the programme for the two weeks October 16 to Sunday 28 is designed so that people can attend everything,” this Ballina man told Arts page. “We are using different sites around town, ourselves the Belltable along with Savoy Hotel, The Loft at Locke Bar and street sites such as Mallow Street for ‘Day Zero’, commissioned by Belltable. ‘Day Zero’ is a sort of live game with zombies moving through the city, actors hidden here and there and a dynamic about abandoning the city or rebuilding it”. It will pulse from the arts centre in waves.
‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’ opens on Tuesday 16 with ‘Seige’, a play written by Ciarda Tobin and directed by Marie Boylan. Expect “a fast-paced and physical production which swings from karaoke to chaos and from comedy to tragedy”.
Duncan highlights the award-winning shows secured for the run. ‘Silent’ on Friday 19 won at Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year and took the Argus Angel at Brighton Festival 2012. Beckett’s ‘Act Without Words 11’ has more gongs and producers at Savoy Theatre are housing two Fringe Wildcard shows, one of these being ‘The Bandit’ on October 18 and 19. Savoy is also home to ‘The Wheelchair on My Face’, which took Fringe First this year at Edinbugh and is “a really warm, fun, family friendly show”.
There’s plenty more in the mix. Hark to Scullion and jazz musician Tigran for music, Pat Shortt and Mike Finn for comedy in ‘Under the Influence’, a revised Mass at Limerick City Gallery of Art and 10 years after his death, a celebration of Richard Harris on Oct. 25.
Sinead O’Riordan (to play Carol Oleanna) with curator Duncan Molloy and Raymond Keane of Act Without Words 11, at the launch of ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’.
