by Saoirse Anton

The magic of Christmas is a special sort of alchemy isn’t it? A dash of fairy lights, some mistletoe and tinsel, stir in some carols, roast potatoes and a sprinkling of arguments over monopoly...it’s hard to pin down an exact recipe! But read on for my best attempt at a recipe for a theatrical Christmas.

Food

What would Christmas be without a slap-up feed? Luckily, you can enjoy a feast of both the culinary and artistic variety at Project Arts Centre with Live Collision’s Winter Salon. Food artist and innovator Dee Maher, together with together with guest artists invite you to gather with them over a meal to explore and discuss the conditions needed to make live work now and in the future.

Christmas Carols

A staple of the festive season, there are carol services and concerts happening all over the country this month, from big productions like the National Concert Halls Candlelit Carols, to your local community choir. However, one caroling event stood out this year and caught my eye, The Journey Home for Christmas. Happening in several stations across the country, Iarnród Éireann have invited musicians to perform for people travelling by rail, bringing festive cheer to people’s journeys and raising money for Focus Ireland at the same time. Keep an eye out if you are travelling on the 22nd or 23rd December, I know I will be as I head home for Christmas!

A Christmas Carol

Whether you enjoy the original novel, or the Muppets’ surprisingly accurate adaptation, A Christmas Carol is undoubtedly a festive classic. And you can enjoy a brand new production of Charles Dickens’ memorable tale of ghosts, misers and kindness at the Viking Theatre in Clontarf. Promising a rich musical score and Victorian carols, alongside the brilliant storytelling of Charles Dickens brought to life by Michael James Ford, Sinead Murphy and Kyle Nixon, this is one to catch over the Christmas season.

Gifts

Give the gift of theatre this Christmas! It can sometimes be hard to buy tickets for someone if you don’t know their schedule, but luckily many theatres sell gift vouchers so drop in to your local venue and pick one up alongside a copy of their upcoming programme (or nab a Take Your Seats gift voucher for a choice of venues!) to surprise your loved ones with a theatrical delight under the tree on Christmas morning.

Love

Christmas is a time for kindness and care, and offering a hand to those who may be in more difficult situations than ours. As we settle down with the family to enjoy watching Love Actually over our seventeenth mince pie, there are people in Gaza who have lost their homes, loved ones and livelihoods in the ongoing siege. Across Ireland over the coming month, there are several events happening to raise much needed funds and support for Palestine, from Gaza: Film and Art Fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders at Dunamaise Arts Centre, to Poets for Palestine at Project Arts Centre and Chanuka for Ceasefire at Erskine House, Belfast. For a full list of events happening across the island, visit the Irish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign website.

However you choose to spend your Christmas, I hope it is a warm and loving time, filled with family, food, rest and maybe a bit of theatre. Nollaig Shona Daoibh!