The summer season at mac birmingham kicks off with an exciting outdoor programme of theatre, music, comedy and movies – suitable for families, young people and adults. 

Last year’s One Beat Saturday event

All the events take place in mac birmingham’s gladiator style Arena, from Friday 14 June until the end of August. To add to the audience experience the Arena has undergone a spring clean, with seating repaired and the surrounding area landscaped.

Theatre performances include a welcome return from Oddsocks with their irreverent interpretation of the Shakespeare classic: ’A Comedy of Errors’ (11/12 July) alongside all-male cast of The Festival Players: ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ (22 June). Families can enjoy ‘Pirates of Cannon Hill Park’ (14-16 June), which features storytelling, song, dance and physical theatre and Scarabeus Aerial Theatre’s production of ‘La Tempesta’ (14 July), which combines stylish puppetry with exciting aerial skills.

Following on from the success of last years ‘One Beat Sunday’, young festival goers can enjoy, ‘One Beat Saturday’ (20 July), featuring the best of the regions new music, DJs and unsigned acts – this year’s confimed headline act is the folk collective ‘Boat to Row’.  Jazz lovers can enjoy the ‘Grand Union Orchestra’ (29 June) Orchestra’, which boasts internationally reknowned musicians, who will fuse music from their native countries, including reggae baselines, township music, bhangra and samba sounds.

Comedy comes from the ‘superstar housewife’ Barbara Nice. Her ‘Summer Special’ will include her observational comic nuggets alongside special guest performances.

Cinema screenings under the stars will complete the season, offering a selection of epic and independent film classics and silent films with live music accompaniment. The cinema programme will be announced shortly.

Here’s the current programme (at time of going to ‘print’)

Theatre

22 June             The Festival Players – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

11/12 July          Oddsocks: A Comedy of Errors

28 July              Pif Paf: Something to Hold – FREE (Cannon Hill Park)

 

Family and Young People

14-16 June        Pirates of Cannon Hill Park

14 July              Scarabeus Aerial Threatre: La Tempesta

25 Aug              Handmade Theatre: The Flying Machine – An interactive adventure with music, dance and song.

 

Music

29 June             Grand Union Orchestra

19 July              The Spooky Men’s Chorale – Macho, male, pitch perfect choir, off the wall, and comic!

 

20 July              One Beat Saturday

22 August          Eliza Carthy & Jim Moray: The Wayward Tour – A celebratory folk reunion with an all star band

 

Comedy

26 July           Barbara Nice Summer Special

For further information please visit http://www.macarts.co.uk/