• Sara Pascoe w/ Diane Morgan @ Mandela Hall, Belfast

    October 1, 2015 - By 

    The Comedy Club at Mandela Hall is a fairly popular event, regardless of who is performing, but it seemed a testament of sorts to the forward-thinking nature of the NI comedy crowd that the place was packed and the bill consisted of two female comedians. One better known than the other but neither household names. Colin Murphy did his usual shtick, and while it’s not to my taste much of the audience seemed to enjoy. I was considering forgiving him his broadness, and then he fell at the only  hurdle a compere really must not fall at: he got Diane…

  • Preview: Feminist Film Festival

    September 30, 2015 - By 

    That there is such a thing as a Feminist Film Festival in Dublin, and that that festival is celebrating its second year will be both a surprise and an annoyance to some people. Probably the same people who ask why BBC Radio 4 still has a daily programme called Woman’s Hour. But to those people I say, consider this: currently there are 22 female presidents, prime ministers, and other heads of state in the world. That compares to 174 male world leaders. Odd that, considering that men only make up 50.4% of the planet’s population. Odder still is the fact…

  • Preview: Pick ‘n’ Mix Theatre Festival

    June 24, 2014 - By 

    Pick ‘n’ Mix. The phrase typically brings to mind the stale, sugary, empty promise of overpriced cinema confectionery. The Pick ‘n’ Mix Theatre Festival on the other hand promises to deliver something altogether more nourishing. Now in its seventh year the festival is named for the variety and scope of the shows it exhibits. In previous years the festival has played host to everything from high-energy dance shows set against computer generated backdrops to audio/visual pieces designed for infants. The point is very much “something for everyone”, something a bit unique for everyone with a sense of adventure that is.…