Des Bishop

Solstice Arts Centre celebrates the new season this September with an evening of free events as part of Culture Night 2012. On 21st September from 6.30pm onward, renowned photographer Mike Bunn will give a gallery talk on his exhibition Talking Heads. The talk will be followed by a performance from the superb Meath Harp Ensemble directed by Dearbhail Finn.

This month sees Christy Moore perform with Declan Sinnott at Solstice. Due to popular demand the show has sold out. Traditional music includes Folk the Recession with performances from Eleanor Shanley, Seamus Begley, Frankie Lane, Mick Hanly and Paul Kelly, while Comhaltas Cealtoiri Eireann Craobh na hUaimhe present the best of traditional song and dance from Co. Meath with A Mighty Session on 26 October. In November, Jan Muyllaert will host a charity concert featuring a range of music professionals including Helen Davies and Pat Coldrick in Jan is Forty...Years in Navan (16 Nov) with all proceeds going to local charities. Classical music acts include Korean pianist and child-prodigy, Young-Choon Park (22 Sept), Slovak sensation Vladimir (18 Oct), and Navan Silver Band (30 Nov). In November, multi-award winning singer-composer Julie Feeney (17 Nov) will perform an eclectic mix of classical and electronic music, part-accompanied by the choir from St Joseph's Mercy Secondary School! Des Bishop will provide for comedy-lovers with his side-splitting show Des Bishop Likes to Bang on 29 November.

Solstice is thrilled to stage Deirdre Kinahan's poignant new comic drama HALCYON DAYS starring Anita Reeves and Stephen Brennan this October (4-6 Oct). Local audiences will have a unique chance to preview this much-anticipated production before it premieres at the Dublin Theatre Festival 2012. Other strong performances to look out for this season include Sonya Kelly's wonderfully humorous, award-winning play The Wheelchair on My Face (3 Nov) and the touching Tuesdays with Morrie (16 Oct) starring Terry Byrne and Andrew Murray. Musicals include the wildly popular Les Miserables (25-30 Sept) by Meath Youth Musical Society, OMG Broadway (19-20 Oct) directed and produced by RTE Broadcaster Joan Larkin, and song and dance with DanceForce Academy Back to the 80s & 90s (10-11 Nov).

The third season of the Solstice Film Club sees well-loved modern and classic movies take to the screen. The programme includes popular documentary John Ford: Dreaming of the Quiet Man (19 Sept), silent film sensation The Artist (24 Oct), Halloween cult movie A Nightmare Before Christmas (30 Oct), gripping WWII French film Free Men (28 Nov) and the old Christmas Classic Meet Me in St Louis (18 Dec).

Festive fun kicks off in October with Jackula (26-27 October), the trick or treat Halloween magic show for families and school groups! Solstice will also host a 2 day Halloween Craft & Costume workshop (30-31 Oct) during the mid-term, these classes are limited so book early to avoid disappointment! The wicked week will feature Tim Burton's animated cult classic The Nightmare Before Christmas on 30 October! Coming up to Christmas, there's lots to choose from with Eastwick Productions' Merry Christmas (1-3 Dec), The Wizard of Oz (7-8 Dec) performed by Loreto School Navan and The Nutcracker (21-22 Dec) from Ballet Ireland. This year's Pantomime is Cinderella (1-3 Dec & 3-6 Jan) performed by St Mary's Musical Society. Comedian Susannah de Wrixon will embrace the season with festive exerts from Maeve Binchy, John B Keane and Dylan Thomas, accompanied by Christmas melodies from Jim Doherty on piano in Away in a Major (19 Dec).

The season is jammed with activities for children and families! In November, Theatre Lovett present The House that Jack Filled (13-14 Nov), an engaging performance by award-winning actor Louis Lovett suitable for children of 7+ years and adults of all ages! The Solstice Visual Arts Programme offers a range of activities for children, families and aspiring artists. Get involved with Gallery Talks, Tours, Family Workshops and Active Age Art for the over 55s! The season's exciting exhibitions include- Talking Heads (7 Sept-7 Oct), featuring photographic portraits from Mike Bunn, Hall of Mirrors (19 Oct -23 Nov) by Cleary and Connolly, the Desmond Kenny exhibition (19 Oct - 23 Nov), and the Going Solo Award exhibition (30 Nov -5 Jan) from this year's winner Evelyn Broderick. Jan Muyllaert will also have an exhibition of his instruments and drawings from over the last 35 years from 26-30 of November.

For information on any of these events at Solstice see www.solsticeartscentre.ie.