Association of Regional Theatres Northern Ireland

Last updated May 29, 2019

The Association of Regional Theatres, Northern Ireland (ART NI), founded in 2003, brings together five regional theatres in Northern Ireland to jointly develop productions touring Northern Ireland, and other theatres in the Republic of Ireland and England.^[1]

Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. In 2011, its population was 1,810,863, constituting about 30% of the island's total population and about 3% of the UK's population. Established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 as part of the Good Friday Agreement, the Northern Ireland Assembly holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the British government. Northern Ireland co-operates with the Republic of Ireland in several areas, and the Agreement granted the Republic the ability to "put forward views and proposals" with "determined efforts to resolve disagreements between the two governments".

Ireland, also known as the Republic of Ireland, is a country in north-western Europe occupying 26 of 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, which is located on the eastern side of the island. Around a third of the country's population of 4.8 million people resides in the greater Dublin area. The sovereign state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, St George's Channel to the south-east, and the Irish Sea to the east. It is a unitary, parliamentary republic. The legislature, the Oireachtas, consists of a lower house, Dáil Éireann, an upper house, Seanad Éireann, and an elected President who serves as the largely ceremonial head of state, but with some important powers and duties. The head of government is the Taoiseach, who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President; the Taoiseach in turn appoints other government ministers.

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

The Ardhowen Theatre, Enniskillen
The Burnavon Arts and Cultural Theatre, Cookstown
The Market Place Theatre, Armagh
Millennium Forum, L'Derry
The University of Ulster's Riverside Theatre, Coleraine

Enniskillen is a town and civil parish in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,823 in the 2011 census. It was the seat of local government for the former Fermanagh District Council, and is the county town of Fermanagh as well as its largest town.

Armagh is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All Ireland for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland. In ancient times, nearby Navan Fort was a pagan ceremonial site and one of the great royal capitals of Gaelic Ireland. Today, Armagh is home to two cathedrals and the Armagh Observatory, and is known for its Georgian architecture.

Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name Daire meaning "oak grove". In 1613, the city was granted a Royal Charter by King James I and gained the "London" prefix to reflect the funding of its construction by the London guilds. While the city is more usually known colloquially as Derry, Londonderry is also commonly used and remains the legal name.

Following the success of their first production, the Irish classic, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, ART NI plans to stage a "classic Irish play" at least once a year.^[2]

Productions

2003-2004 - Brian Friel's Philadelphia, Here I Come! ; Adrian Dunbar (director) and Andrea Montgomery (producer for ART NI)^[3]
2006-2007 - Hugh Leonard's Da (running at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast until February 2007)produced by Vincent McCann for Art NI

Brian Friel Irish dramatist, author and theatre director

Brian Patrick Friel, born in Omagh, Northern Ireland, was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. He had been considered one of the greatest living English-language dramatists. He has been likened to an "Irish Chekhov" and described as "the universally accented voice of Ireland". His plays have been compared favourably to those of contemporaries such as Samuel Beckett, Arthur Miller, Harold Pinter and Tennessee Williams.

Adrian Dunbar is an actor and director from Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, best known for his television and theatre work. Dunbar co-wrote and starred in the 1991 film, Hear My Song, nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the BAFTA awards.

Hugh Leonard was an Irish dramatist, television writer and essayist. In a career that spanned 50 years, Leonard wrote nearly 30 full-length plays, 10 one-act plays, three volumes of essays, two autobiographies, three novels and numerous screenplays and teleplays, as well as writing a regular newspaper column.

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References

↑ "Dunbar's Directing Debut Set for Riverside". University of Ulster. Archived from the original on 2006-01-15. Retrieved 2006-05-09.
↑ "Reviewed This Week: Da". The Sunday Business Post. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2006-05-09.
↑ "Riverside Director Plays Key Role In New Theatre Association". University of Ulster. Archived from the original on 2006-01-07. Retrieved 2006-05-09.

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[1] "Dunbar's Directing Debut Set for Riverside". University of Ulster. Archived from the original on 2006-01-15. Retrieved 2006-05-09.

[2] "Reviewed This Week: Da". The Sunday Business Post. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2006-05-09.

[3] "Riverside Director Plays Key Role In New Theatre Association". University of Ulster. Archived from the original on 2006-01-07. Retrieved 2006-05-09.