THE evenings may be closing in, but summer is by no means over in the north west, where the 12th Sligo Arts Festival opened last night with fire works and pageantry. Now extended to two weeks, the festival aims to include all the arts disciplines, with a programme that caters for children as well as adults and encourages as much local involvement as possible.
Highlights of the next fortnights events include:
. The Reduced Shakespeare Company, performing at the new extended and refurbished Hawk's Well Theatre from Tuesday September 3rd to Thursday, September 5th. Having whizzed through the complete works of Shakespeare, this high energy company now tackles another seminal text: The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged).
. The Abbey Theatre's production of Tom McIntyre's Good Evening, Mr Collins, visits the Hawk's Well from Tuesday, September 10th to Saturday September 14th.
. Graeae Theatre, a London based theatre company for people with disabilities, presents Play Back 2U from Friday, September 13th at Sligo Grammar School. Using techniques developed by a Brazilian drama theorist, Augusto Boal, the audience is invited to participate in a series of improvisational exercises.
. TITCH (The International Theatre for Children), an English educational theatre group, presents daytime shows of The Bypass at the Hawk's Well Theatre, on Tuesday, September 10th.
. Marat Bisengaliev, the 34 year old violinist from Kazakhstan and founder member of the Cossack Chamber Orchestra, recently appeared as a soloist with the NSO. He will perform on the festival's closing night, September 15th, at the Hawk's Well Theatre.
. Cor Chuil Aodha, the all male ensemble founded by Sean O Riada and including his son Peadar, combines classical forms with the traditions of the Sliabh Luachra gaeltacht. Hawk's Well Theatre, Saturday, September 17th.
. A Visual ArtTrail, featuring the work of Sligo painters, sculptors and print makers, makes use of shops, offices and public buildings throughout the Patrick Heron, a Leeds born artist whose paintings and gouaches have been exhibited internationally, is also an art selection of his work is on show at the Sligo Art Gallery until September 13th.
. Hyun Hye Sung is a Korean stone sculptor whose work is a synthesis of Italian Renaissance influences and her native Buddhist heritage. Model Arts Centre, until September 28th.
. Transcriptions is a series of installations by Belfast based English artist Barbara Freeman, in while she tries to find visual analogues for musical forms, combining paintings and prints with a soundtrack performed by a contemporary music ensemble, Concorde. Model Arts Centre, until September 28th.
There will also be a poetry workshop involving women's writing groups from both sides of the Border, popular music gigs at the Willow Room, including Honor Heffernan and Mike Nielson, and nightly pub fringe events, featuring late night appearances by The Nualas and Tommy Tiernan.