Newport - Culture and Arts

Culture and Arts

See also Category:Culture in Newport and Category:Music venues in Newport

Newport Transporter Bridge is one of the few remaining working bridges of its type in the world and featured in the film Tiger Bay. Visitors can travel on the suspended cradle most days and can walk over the top of the steel framework on bank holidays. The only other British example is Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge. Open days are occasionally held to view the renovation of the historically important Newport ship.

Newport has a modern purpose-built theatre and arts venue, the Riverfront Arts Centre and regular productions at the Dolman Theatre. People born in Newport include film director Peter Greenaway CBE, author Leslie Thomas OBE, actors Michael Sheen OBE, Desmond Llewelyn, and musicians Grant Nicholas and Jon Lee of the rock band Feeder.

The city's works of civic art include the giant steel Wave on the banks of the River Usk, tiled murals at the Civic Centre, Old Green Interchange and John Frost Square plus a number of statues dotted around the city centre including one in Commercial Street commemorating the work of poet W. H. Davies who was born in Newport. Davies is best known for his poem Leisure; "What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare".

Newport has three major museums: Newport Museum in the city centre and at Caerleon the National Roman Legion Museum and Roman Baths Museum. Newport Central Library is located within Newport Museum. In July each year an Arts festival is held in Caerleon and Roman Military re-enactment in the amphitheatre, the largest restored amphitheatre in Britain. The remains of the Roman baths, barracks and fortress walls of Isca Augusta can be seen at Caerleon. Caerleon also has literary associations to the legend of King Arthur through Geoffrey of Monmouth and later Arthur Machen (who was born in Caerleon) and Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote his Idylls of the King in Caerleon.

The Newport Festival runs throughout the summer months with a large number of events being staged in the city centre and elsewhere in the city.

Set in a 90 acre (360,000 m²) park, Tredegar House is an example of a 17th century Charles II mansion. The earliest surviving part of the building dates back to the late 15th century. For over five hundred years, it was home to the Morgans – later Lords Tredegar – until they left in 1951. The house was then bought by the Catholic Church and used as a girls' school until it was bought by the council in 1974, which led to it being described as the "grandest council house in Britain".

The city has many pubs, bars and nightclubs. The most famous of these was probably T. J.'s, an alternative music club where it is claimed that Kurt Cobain of Nirvana proposed to Courtney Love, which closed in 2010. T. J.'s was voted one of the top 50 'Big Nights Out' in the world by FHM in December 1997 Newport Centre and the Riverfront Arts Centre are popular concert venues. Other live music venues in the city centre include Six Feet Under, Le Pub, Riverside Tavern, 200 Club, Warehouse 54, Kama lounge and The Potters. Outdoor music events are held in the summer months at Beechwood Park, Belle Vue Park, Newport Stadium and the Pillgwenlly carnival.

Newport hosted the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 1897, 1988 and 2004.

City of Newport Male Choir is one of the leading male voice choirs in the region.

Newport is the subject of a 2010 song "Newport (Ymerodraeth State of Mind)", a parody of the Alicia Keys song "Empire State of Mind." The video went viral, was featured on BBC News, and by August 2010, nearly 2.5 million people had watched it on YouTube. YouTube removed the video due to a copyright claim by music publishers. Newport-based rap group Goldie Lookin Chain released a 'parody of a parody' video in response, alleging that their rivals lacked local knowledge.

As part of the city's "Big Splash" festival, on 30 August 2010, 45 year-old French circus star Olivier Roustan from Toulouse, performed the highest ever wirewalk in Europe, along the top cable of the Newport City Footbridge.

Newport hosted an outdoor art exhibition called "SuperDragons" in 2010 which displayed 60 large dragons decorated by local community groups.