Derry theatre on the 'back foot financially' as roadworks scupper shows
The 1,000-seat Millennium Forum will close for seven weeks later this year to facilitate ongoing public realm works in Derry city centre.
The work will block the area used by large-scale productions to unload equipment and stage sets, meaning the theatre cannot put on shows or gigs between 27 June and 18 August.
Chief executive David McLaughlin said the theatre will have no income over the summer and has lost out on "a number of large-scale productions".
"It is going to cause us problems," he told a Derry City and Strabane Council committee on Tuesday.
"We don't know where we will stand from a profit and loss point of view.
"We have a wage bill, which across the year works out about £26,000 per week – for those six or seven weeks we won't have any income coming in, we need to try to balance that off."
Mr McLaughlin said a number of shows had been interested in coming to Derry during the period of closure.
"You can look at what is going on in Belfast (over the summer) and see what might have been coming to the city," he said.
The theatre intends on continuing with its summer project programme, Mr McLaughlin said, during the temporary closure but would do "a lot of that within the community".
The biggest theatre in Northern Ireland's north west, the Forum opened in 2001.
In the decades since Van Morrison, Joan Armatrading, Christy Moore and Jools Holland are among the international acts to grace its stage.
It is also a key venue for the annual City of Derry Jazz festival and Derry Feis.
Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme, Judith O'Hare of the Londonderry Musical Society said the summer closure is "very disappointing".
"It is a wonderful venue and we are very fortunate to have it here in the city. It is very disappointing for people who come, maybe on holidays or visiting, that there is no local entertainment," she said.
Work on Derry's £5m public realm scheme got under way last year and is due to continue for 18 months.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Putting the jazz in jazz festival: Genre's influence focus of Halifax music fest
Jazz festivals across North America regularly feature artists whose music falls outside the genre, but some musicians at this year's Halifax Jazz Festival are highlighting jazz's influence on the rest of pop music. Headliners for this year's festival stretch across various genres such as folk, rock and hip-hop. Jazz can be heard in each one of those styles of music, according to one musician who specializes in the genre. "Jazz inspires pop music and pop music inspires jazz," said Quebec jazz bassist Carl Mayotte, whose band the Carl Mayotte Quintet performed at the festival this year. Mayotte, who completed a master's degree in jazz performance at McGill University, hosted one of several "jazz labs" that are part of the festival's year-round educational programming. The labs offer the public an interactive look at how a musician works on their craft and produces music. Despite peaking in the 1920s, Mayotte said jazz has had a lasting effect on different types of music that have been popular throughout the decades since. Folk, prog-rock, R&B and hip-hop are just some examples of types of music that have borrowed elements of jazz, he said. "Rap is like the [child] of jazz," Mayotte said. 'Jazz is for everyone' The Halifax festival's mandate has always included an educational component, said one organizer. "We like to do a lot of our workshops prior to the concert so people can come and learn from the artists and then go see them perform later in the day," said Andrew Jackson, the festival's artistic director. "That's a really special way to just get more out of the music as well." Several jazz musicians are part of the festival every year but typically perform at venues away from the main stage on the Halifax waterfront. Jazz is not as represented as other genres, Jackson said, which is why it's important to have education be part of the annual event. "[Jazz] music is for everyone. And so being able to, like, unlock some of those mysteries is really important to us," he said. For Mayotte, an event that has the word jazz in its name should be promoting jazz music in some way. There are a lot of talented young jazz musicians in Canada who just want the opportunity to perform live and events like the Halifax festival should be making space for them alongside the larger mainstream acts, he said. Mayotte, who also teaches music in schools, said there will always be an interest in jazz because young people are naturally drawn to it. "Because there's this kind of child play in jazz and there's this kind of feeling to be free in it, like how this concept of liberty is really implied in jazz," he said. MORE TOP STORIES
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Woman Feels ‘Sick' Planning a Bachelorette Weekend for Her Friend Whose Been Hiding an Affair
The woman is afraid that she'll raise too many questions if she backs out of the eventNEED TO KNOW After learning that her friend was having an affair, a woman is feeling "sick" about planning her bachelorette party She said that the bride-to-be has a history of cheating, but the groom is "clueless" Conflicted, she asked for advice and got a variety of responsesA woman is feeling conflicted about hosting a bachelorette party for her friend after learning that she's having an affair, and she turned online for advice about how to proceed. On the U.K. forum Mumsnet, the woman explained that she is in charge of putting together the celebratory weekend-long outing. However, she learned from a mutual friend who "swore her to secrecy" that the bride-to-be was being unfaithful. Writing that the bride has "had previous incidents of cheating" on the "clueless" groom, she said that she "feel[s] sick planning the hen [bachelorette party], making all of our friends (working class mums) fork out for this weekend away, take time off work, sort childcare AND cover the cost of the bride knowing this." The bachelorette party comes on top of the cost of traveling to the wedding, which is taking place "abroad." She wrote that none of the women who are going on the trip are aware of the affair. However, "quite a few random friends know ... and even a couple of her relatives." Saying that she feels "so sorry" for the groom, she added that she doesn't "think I've got it in me to sit through the ceremony." "But if I pull out of everything it will raise so many questions, including from the bride," she explained. The friend said that she would not tell the groom herself what was happening. Ultimately, she wrote, "I'm kind of hoping it all comes to a head and he either finds out or she calls it off but it doesn't look like that's happening." A multitude of other Mumsnetters replied in the comments, and they had varied advice. Some of them encouraged the woman to reach out to her friend to find out if she was really cheating. "Everyone is gossiping about her, clearly she's a close friend of yours, so you'll know by her response whether she is or isn't having an affair," one person pointed out. Many users agreed that they would not be able to host the event and encouraged the woman to drop out. They also said that she should have an honest conversation with her friend about why she wasn't comfortable doing the event. "Tell her you're stepping down from bridesmaid and hen planning duty. Do you still even want to attend her wedding? You don't have to!" someone pointed out. Another said that they would hope that backing out of the role would "raise questions," explaining, "I couldn't be friends with someone cheating regularly especially while planning her own wedding." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. There was some discussion of the woman telling the groom "anonymously." While the idea was popular with some, one Mumsnetter called the idea "a s--- thing to do," adding, "If you're telling him, then tell him, if you're going to do it anonymously then don't bother at all." One woman was able to relate to the situation, saying that she went through "this exact situation." How did she proceed? "I said nothing and carried on and got through it all. Then I started low contact with the couple then full on no contact. Last I heard he found out about all her cheating and stayed with her 🤷♀️" Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
Hypebeast
16-07-2025
- Hypebeast
Take a First Look at Nick Frost as Hagrid in HBO's 'Harry Potter' Series
Summary HBOhas debuted a first look atNick Frostas Rubeus Hagrid in the upcomingHarry Potterseries. The adaptation sees Frost take over the role of the half-giant, Hogwarts groundskeeper and loyal friend from the late Robbie Coltrane, who played Hagrid in all eight of the originalHarry Potterfilms. Frost sports a similar look to Coltrane with the long beard and rugged hair, as well as the earth-toned clothing. This image of Frost arrives shortly after HBO gave fans an exciting glimpse atDominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter. He's shown in the memorable Gryffindor uniform, as well as the iconic round glasses. Joining Frost and McLaughlin in the cast are Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout as Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, respectively. The rest of the cast includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge, Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander. Check out the photo above. TheHarry Potterseries debuts in 2027.
