Culture of Belfast - Performance Arts and Film

Performance Arts and Film

Belfast has one major theatre, The Lyric. It is the only full-time producing theatre in the country. The Lyric theatre is where film star Liam Neeson began his career and local playwrights Martin Lynch and Marie Jones have both written plays for the theatre. Kenneth Branagh, another British film actor, was also born in Belfast. The Old Museum Arts Centre is a 19th-century building in the city centre which runs a programme of music, theatre, comedy, dance workshops, and a ground floor art gallery with regular exhibitions.

Belfast has several venues for performing arts. The Grand Opera House, completed in 1895, was bombed several times during the Troubles but has been restored to its former glory. The Ulster Hall (1859–1862) was originally designed for grand dances but is now used primarily as a concert and sporting venue. Lloyd George, Parnell and Patrick Pearse all attended political rallies there. It holds 13 paintings of Belfast History. The Mulholland organ costing 3000 guineas was donated and named after a local wealthy industrialist. The Waterfront Hall was opened in 1997 as part of the redevelopment of the Laganside and already has become an icon of modern Belfast.

The Belfast Film Festival is a growing annual film festival in the city which started in the mid 1990s. Belfast has been taking full advantage of a new tax deal which makes Northern Ireland more attractive as a film location. Hollywood actress, Heather Graham was recently in the city shooting a new film.

Parts of the recent film "Closing the Ring" were shot in Belfast, namely on Cave Hill.