New dance work to premiere at Belfast International Arts Festival

A new dance work from a Northern Ireland artist will get its premier at the Belfast International Arts Festival this month.

GUTTER, a dance theatre production from Eileen McClory, explores the public’s hunger for gossip and the world of modern broadcast journalism, drawing inspiration from programmes such as Succession, The Late Show and the BBC’s Question Time.

The solo work will be performed by Kevin Coquelard, with video design by Conan McIvor, original sound design by Garth McConaghie, dramaturgy by Hanna Slattne, and produced by Hannah Mullan.

Ms McClory said: “This production is a passionate exploration of the complex web we’ve woven between news, gossip and the constant quest for attention.”

Artistic director of the festival Richard Wakely said: “The festival is delighted to present this exciting new work by our former artist in resident Eileen McClory, one of our brightest local talents, whose ability to challenge and captivate audiences through dance theatre is truly remarkable.

“GUTTER is a timely exploration of our sensationalist, always-on, contemporary media landscape and the psychological toll it takes on all of us”.

The artist last year received an Arts Council Major Individual Artist award, supported by The National Lottery, to help create the work.

Alison McCrudden, head of literature, drama and dance at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: “These awards are given in recognition of an artist’s contribution to artistic life in the region and enables awardees to create a significant new work, in this case GUTTER, which examines the human hunger for gossip.”

The work will be performed at The MAC in Belfast on October 28 and 29. Ticket information is available at https://themaclive.com/event/gutter.