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The Arts Show: The Playhouse

The Playhouse

26/12/2017

BBC Radio Ulster - The Arts Show, The Playhouse

Michael Bradley uncovers the rich history of Derry's Playhouse theatre.

Michael Bradley uncovers the rich history of Derry's Playhouse theatre as it celebrates 25 years of showbusiness, drama, art and education.

Michael Bradley tells the remarkable story of the Playhouse theatre in Derry, which grew from founder Pauline Ross's vision of a 'house of play' for the people of the North West. They started out with just £300, and went on to become one of the leading arts organisations in the UK and Ireland. Along the way, they've created ground-breaking theatre projects, given a platform to innovative music and dance projects and introduced generation after generation of young people to the arts, surviving the odd eviction notice along the way. The world famous playwright, actor and director Sam Shepherd premiered 'Particle of Dread' here in 2013, SOAK played her first ever gig here, and it was home to the late Sister Aloysius McVeigh, recognised as one of the world's leading icon painters. In this Arts Show special, Michael Bradley tours the building from the front door right up to the attic - and everywhere in between. As he meets the huge cast of characters who work and play in every room of the Playhouse, from the caretaker (and playwright) Gregory Peck to the passionate and driven founder Pauline Ross, Michael also delves into the BBC radio archive to celebrate some key moments from the theatre's rich history. Michael hears stories of lives changed forever by a brush with the arts, and pays tribute to one of our great cultural success stories - The Playhouse theatre.

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