Beacon Arts Centre Announce May - August Season

Beacon Arts Centre's May - Aug season is another cracker as, once again, we have something to suit all tastes.

This season celebrates the wealth of homegrown talent that we have in Inverclyde. Local (and non award-winning) playwright, Chris Patrick, makes his Beacon debut with his comedy, Fools on a Hill and Total Kayos bring you their unseasonal but enticing Summer Panto Sleeping Beauty. Greenock Players Youth stage Seussical Jr. and No Nonsense Productions return with Para Handy: The Wireless Show. It is ten years since Sideline Productions staged their very successful version of The Full Monty, they're back, hats and all, with most of the original cast!

Our theatre programme boasts a one-off, an exclusive preview of Vox Motus' Flight before it heads to the prestigious Edinburgh International Festival. Greenock comedian, Scott Gibson, performs his one-man show Life After Death and we welcome the award-winning musician, Mairi Campbell with Pulse. Other theatre treats includes Winchin - a tale of Scottish life and romance in the 1950s, and comedy show Top of their Game.

Our dance season kicks off with the return of Joan Clevillé Dance Company's The North and we have the Irish dance show Rhythm of the Dance featuring world cham-pion dancers, a traditional Irish band and some outstanding Irish tenors!

Our music programme is just getting bigger and better. We have many exceptional acts paying tribute to some of the world's greatest musicians - from David Bowie to Johnny Cash to jazz favourites Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson performed by leading jazz vocalist, Tina May and pianist, Brian Kellock. Euan Stevenson and Konrad Wiszniewski turn their jazz talents to pay homage to the great Duke Ellington together with some original work to emphasise the duo's outstanding gift for melody. Auld Hat, New Heids relive the halcyon days of the Scottish folk scene from the 60s and 70s and we also welcome Nordic Fiddlers Bloc - three master fiddlers steeped in Nordic tradition. Our music season also includes the 'Jimi Hendrix of the pipes', Fred Morrison. The Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra play a repertoire from jazz legends showcasing once again their endless amount of talent.

We have some fantastic comedy guaranteed to keep you smiling! After winning best newcomer at last year's Edinburgh Fringe, Scott Gibson returns with Dead Sheep Comedy and Scottish favourite, Fred MacAulay, will not be short of material to entertain you - Brexit, Trump and Indy Ref 2!

We are delighted to have Scottish Chamber Orchestra making its Beacon debut with a programme of work that is guaranteed to put a spring in your step and Opera Bohemia returns with Bizet's masterpiece, The Pearl Fishers.

Our family programme is a gem with something to capture the imagination of children of all ages from babies to pre-teen years. Early years specialists Starcatchers and Dance Company Curious Seed bring a playful piece MamaBabaMe made especially for infants and their grown ups. Edinburgh International Children's Festival on Tour presents Night Light by Danish company Teater Refleksion and Andy Man-ley. Our family programme also includes The Song of Fergus and Kate - a brand new interactive storytelling performance which uses music and animation to encour-age children to celebrate their differences. Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale The Little Mermaid makes for an entertaining family day out and we also have Goldi-locks and the Three Bears Singalong - a fun-filled musical production.

Our visual arts programme has exhibitions from Craigmarloch School, Greenock Tel-egraph cartoonist, Tom Johnstone, Ayr Sketch Club and Street Level Photoworks with Roscoe Thomson's, A Glasgow Fair, which recalls the city's traditional holiday fortnight. The Beacon is also starting a new creative initiative, Artchair, offering art-ists the opportunity to be resident for a month at a time to produce a new body of work inspired by our venue. First in the chair is local glass artist and Beacon sup-porter, Alec Galloway.

And finally, it's never too late to mention the P-word - oh no it's not! The cast has been announced for our 2017 panto Snow White and we are thrilled to welcome back Still Game's Mark Cox and Jane McCarry and our panto dame and sidekick - from last year - Jimmy Chisholm and Lee Samuel - return by popular demand.

Booking information for shows at Beacon Arts Centre can be found on their website.

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