Arts and fun for the family at roolaboola
LOOKING for things to do over the bank holiday weekend? Then look no further than the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar, which is hosting its annual RoolaBoola Arts Festival for young people and their families this Friday to Monday, October 24 to 27.
And with low, low ticket prices and loads of free events too, RoolaBoola offers arts activities and events tailor-made for children (aged from two to 12 years) and families that are not only top quality but also great value.
One of the highlights is Slingsby’s The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy, a five-star show from Australia that has already been wowing audiences and critics alike at the Dublin Theatre Festival. It’s a truly exquisite piece of theatrical storytelling that takes place in its very own tent, and is suitable for young teens and children aged nine upwards - and adults too! With shows on Saturday and Sunday (October 25 and 26), don’t miss this unforgettable experience.
For film lovers young and old, The King and the Mockingbird is a rarely seen masterpiece of animation for children aged five years and up that is guaranteed to delight. Regarded as one of the best animated features of all time, it’s a witty and imaginative retelling of a Hans Christian Andersen tale about a wicked king, paintings that come to life and a rebellious mockingbird. See it on Monday (October 27) at 4 p.m. Entry costs €5.
Other theatrical highlights include a lively show of nursery rhymes and sing-along songs for young ones aged three years and up with The Speks, and The Way Back Home, adapted from the popular Oliver Jeffers book by Galway-based Branar Téatar do Pháistí and Danish company Teater Refleksion.
But RoolaBoola features much more than theatre. Pictiúr, an exhibition of children's book illustrations by some of Ireland's finest illustrators, is on show throughout the festival weekend, complete with free family readings. And two of those illustrious illustrators, Michael Emberly and Marie Louise Fitzpatrick, will be doing show-and-tell demonstrations of how they work on Monday, with tickets at just €2.
There will also be a free performance by the fabulous Wesport Children's Choir on Saturday, and of course there’s a whole load of hands-on (and even feet-on!) workshops and the ever-popular drop-in events, from stick-on Lonely Beast Window Designs for five- to seven-year-olds as well as puppeteering, visual art, dance, badge-making, and lots more. The workshops cost just €7 or even less.
Don’t be blue this October bank holiday - come on down to the lively Linenhall Arts Centre and see what you can do at Halloween!
Full details of the RoolaBoola programme are available from the Linenhall Arts Centre. For information and bookings, call (094) 9023733 or visit www.thelinenhall.com.