Keep the arts alive

The biggest disruption this pandemic has brought to the Duncairn has been closing our doors to the public. This is true for the whole art&culture sector in Belfast and beyond.

With no events and no ticket sales artists are paying the highest price of being left with no gigs, and consequently no income, for the foreseeable future.

At the Duncairn we are committed to do our best to keep the arts alive and to keep artists in business, as well as to bring joy to people’s lives in the form of quality entertainment and arts provision. Our first effort has been the very successful “Virtual Cabaret”, which involved 120 artists and collected over £25k in donations that went straight into artists’ pockets.

This project really made us feel like we were contributing in line with the ethos of the organisation of helping the community, both the local community and the artistic community.

Everyone needs hope and some much needed light in these dark days and that is what Take 2 is all about.

Ray Giffen, Creative Director

We know how much the arts are important to the wellbeing of our community, and we wanted to come back bigger and better this autumn. We are known to showcase the best of new and upcoming talent this island has to offer, and we also know you love it! This is the mission at the core of our new “Take 2” innovative arts magazine. A fortnightly appointment that will keep us company in these dark and lonely pandemic evenings.

In the absence of live concerts, young musicians and poets are in most need of the exposure to help build their profiles, so we feel it is particularly important to support and nurture this future generation of emerging artists. The need for a dedicated platform for young talent is reflected in the overwhelming response to our recent Open Call for Young Artists. We were astounded by the number of local talent that remain undiscovered and we are confident that Take 2 will give them the perfect platform to reach audiences not just at home but all over the world.

Take 2 Episode 3 will feature stars of the trad scene Joseph McNulty & Cillian Doheny, RTE Folk Award nominees Alfi, local singer-songwriter Kat Little and spoken word by Abby Oliveira. It will be live-streamed this Saturday night 8pm on both our Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Our “Take 2” series is free to watch - just our way of shining a little light in your sitting room during this period. However, the future of the arts is in danger and unfortunately we are not immune to the pressures of losing all our box office revenue since March.

We really appreciate any and all donations, big and small, that are made to help keep the arts alive here in North Belfast, especially as we know that this is a difficult time for all. If you can afford to, please consider a donation through this link: Donate to the Duncairn.

All our virtual shows are available to watch at our YouTube Channel, including the previous Take 2 episodes.