Northern Ireland Opera and the Belfast Buildings Trust are working together on a special creative skills expo for people of all ages to come and explore their interests in theatre-making skills. Come along, find out more and try out a few skills at the Black and White Hall at the Crumlin Road Gaol on Thursday 10th and Saturday 12th November: it’s free!

We’ll be showcasing four different areas of interest demonstrated by leading professionals in their fields of music and movement, set and costume design, make-up and wigs and technical management.

This free skills expo is designed for you to come and explore in a fun and welcoming environment what might be possible as a career in the arts: or if you’ve ever just wondered about how theatre and opera is made, then this is the event for you.

Skills Table 1 – Storytelling through Music and Movement

Learn about melodies and harmonies through song
Learn how the voice and other instruments work together
Learn about matching movement to a style of music
How to build a toolbox of physicality to embody your character
Skills Table 2 – Building a Character with Costume

Look at costumes throughout history
Learn colours, textures and different types of costume that tell different stories
Try on different costumes and accessories to discover how these affect your character’s physicality
Skills Table 3 – Designing a look through Stage Hair and Makeup

Learn about different make-up for different characters
Learn about why it is necessary to wear make-up on stage, and what you gain by highlighting or diminishing your own facial features to create a new character’s face
Skills Table 4 – Creating and Designing a Set

Learn what goes into designing a set that communicates the world your character lives in
Learn about the different kinds of sets that can be built in theatres, specific sites, indoors, outdoors etc. and what skills you need to build them
Learn about the different technical components of a box set; flats, french braces, floors, practical entries
More about the Belfast Buildings Trust/Carlisle Memorial Church plans.

Belfast Buildings Trust is working with Northern Ireland Opera and other partners to explore what happens in Carlisle Memorial Church. The building’s future must play a creative role in Belfast’s future. We want the ideas for what it can be to come from working with you and others across Belfast. It means that this work is about the places you know and love. If you want to know more about this or to make a suggestion, contact Shane Quinn at [email protected]