Dust off your hat and put a flower in your button hole, ‘Wedding Fever’ is coming to The Ardhowen this week with the return of Belvoir Players in the hilarious Sam Cree comedy.

WEDDING FEVER

Belvoir Players’ summer presentation has been a regular fixture on The Ardhowen calendar for many years and is always a very popular event. This year they bring the rip-roaring comedy, ‘Wedding Fever’ by Northern Irish playwright Sam Cree. ‘Wedding Fever’ is gripping the Galbraith household. Myra, daughter of football fanatic, Alec is due to marry canny countryman Dennis Hall. His farmer parents come to town to meet their prospective in-laws and, as if this was not enough, American relations descend on the household. To add further confusion, railway worker Alec is involved in a strike, son Davy has been in an accident and nosey neighbour Emily Beattie constantly gets in everyone's way. Expect the usual Sam Cree magic from start to end. Performances run from Thursday 18 to Saturday 20 July at 8pm.

MAGIC MONDAY WORKSHOPS

The final two Magic Monday Workshops take place over the next fortnight. Craft-it-Monday with Genevieve on 22nd July is a fun mask-making workshop, using the imagination to make bright carnival masks of favourite characters and in Dance-it-Monday with Vicky on 29th July the kids learn a fun high-energy dance routine with all the moves to their favourite hit songs.

These workshops run every Monday morning in July from 10am to 1pm, aimed at 8 to12 year olds and are a wonderful place to learn something new, make new friends and have fun along the way. Juice and a fruit snack will be provided during the session, and all materials and equipment will be provided.

HAPPY DAYS: ENNISKILLEN INTERNATIONAL BECKETT FESTIVAL 2019

The 7th Happy Days Beckett Festival runs from Thursday July 25 to Sunday July 28. Happy Days 2019 presents an amazing programme featuring some of the finest directors and actors of our time, in stunning locations around the county.

One of the many highlights of the festival will be the UK and Irish premier of acclaimed Italian theatre director, playwright, artist and designer, Romeo Castellucci’s production of ‘Schwanengesang (Swan Song)’ by Franz Schubert. This is a unique chance to experience Schubert’s late song cycle as never before through the dark creation of one of Europe’s most innovative and critically acclaimed theatre directors. Romeo Castellucci’s company will come straight to Enniskillen after opening this year’s Aix-en-Provence Opera Festival in early July with Mozart’s ‘Requiem’. ‘Schwanengesang (Swan Song)’ performances will take place at The Ardhowen on Saturday July 27 at 8pm and Sunday July 28 at 5pm.

This year’s programme also includes the world premiere of three new short plays developed by world-renowned New York choreographer Mark Morris; performances of ‘Come & Go’, ‘Quad’ and ‘Catastropheare’ will take place at Enniskillen Royal Grammar (formerly Portora) and The Regal.

To mark the 30th anniversary of Beckett’s death, the festival celebrates a selection of his late short plays with ‘Pas Moi & Not I’ and ‘Ohio Impromptu’ and also looks at the late work of other artists such as Schumann, Scriabin and Chopin in Saskia Giorgini’s piano recital in St. Macartan’s Cathedral, while writers Alannah Hopkin and Sally Phipps discuss late creativity in conversation with Carlo Gebler, with particular reference to the work of Alannah’s late husband, Aidan Higgins, and Sally’s mother, Molly Keane.

2ND A WILDE WEEKEND: WILDETOWN, HOME OF THE HAPPY PRINCE

The following weekend, August 2 to 5, Arts Over Borders delivers the 2nd A Wilde Weekend. The literary legend is to be theatrically, conversationally, musically and visually honoured over four days, with events such as ‘At Home with Oscar Wilde’, excerpts of Wilde’s plays performed at his old school, Portora (Enniskillen Royal Grammar); talks including Matthew Sturgis on his 2018 biography of Oscar Wilde, Franny Moyle (biographer of Constance Wilde) and Cate Haste (biographer of Alma Mahler) followed by performance of Gustav Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder song cycle with Ruby Philogene MBE.

Details of the full programme can be found at www.artsoverborders.com, tickets for Happy Days and The Wilde Weekend are available from The Ardhowen website and box office.

Tickets for all performances, workshops and vouchers can be purchased via the box office on 028 6632 5440 or on the website, www.ardhowen.com. You can keep up to date with all the latest news and offers on Facebook or sign up for The Ardhowen e-Newsletter.