Galway Advertiser 2000/2000_10_12/GA_12102000_E1_061.pdf 

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A b b e y p l a y is h i g h l i g h t o f t h i s year's B a b o r o Arts Festival

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h e f o u r t h B a b o r o I n t e r n a t i o n a l A r t s Festival for Children t a k e s place in Galway f r o m O c t o b e r 17-22. F o u n d e d in 1997 B a b o r o is Ireland's l e a d i n g a r t s festival d e v o t e d e x c l u s i v e l y t o children, a n d it p r e s e n t s a n e x c i t i n g a n d d y n a m i c p r o g r a m m e o f e v e n t s t h r o u g h o u t v e n u e s a n d s c h o o l s all o v e r G a l w a y city a n d c o u n t y . W I N A FAMILYTICKET

One of the most eagerly-anticipated shows this year is the specially- commissioned play which will be per formed by The Abbey. Ireland's national theatre, entitled Harold and Sophie. And Baboro, in association with That's Entertainment, this week offers you the chance to win a family ticket (two adults, four children) to see Harold and Sophie at the Town Hall Theatre (Studio) on Saturday October 21 at 1.30pm. Follow the adven tures of Harold and Sophie, two best friends who just happen to be snails. Harold loves to bake cakes and Sophie's favourite past-time is blowing bubbles. Following their silver trail, we accompany them on a jour ney into the unknown. It is a gentle tale of friendship, colour, and wonder from the Abbey Theatre Outreach/Education Programme. Baboro. in association with That's Entertainment, asks vou to simply answer this question to be in with a chance to win a family ticket:

7 W h a t are Harold and Sophie's favourite past-times?
Send your answers, with your name, address and telephone number to "Harold and Sophie", Baboro Competition, Galway Advertiser, Church Lane, Galway, no later than Monday October 16. Winners will be notified by telephone. Compaq is the main sponsor of Baboro. For full programme information and booking contact the Baboro Box Office, Black Box Theatre, Dyke Road, Galway. Phone: 566 577/8. Bookings can also be made for shows taking place at the Town Hall Theatre on 091 569 777. Full details can also be found on the Baboro Website www.baboro.ie

T O P S O U T H A M E R I C A N PERFORMER FOR B A B O R O
Leading Peruvian performer Hugo Suarez is scheduled to appear at this year's Baboro International Arts Festival for Children, October 17 to October 22. His company, Teatro Hugo & Ines, was founded with his partner Ines Pasic in 1986. Since then they have won rave reviews for their performances all over the world, including Short Stories, the show they will be performing during this year's Baboro. They have performed at more than 100 major children's and international arts festivals including The London Mime Festival, The New York International Festival of the Arts, The Jerusalem International Festival of Puppet Theatre, and Festival Tarador de Barcelona, to name but a few. Short Stories is a beautiful and evocative piece of theatre where Suarez uses various body parts including his elbows, knees, hands and feet to create a whole host of magical and amusing characters. These characters reveal their dreams and frustrations, their successes and failures in this most impressive of shows which was recently described by the Toronto Star as "the most innovative show you will find anywhere" and of which the New York Times described as "amazing". Short Stories runs at the An Taibhdhearc Theatre from Friday October 20 to Sunday October 22 and is suit able for children aged eight and upwards. Family weekend Ticket available for Baboro

This year Baboro has introduced a special family weekend ticket which allows two adults and four chil dren entry to three of the weekend performances. There are a wide range of events taking place over the weekend of October 20 to 22 including the premier of The Abbey Theatre's new show for three to five year olds Harold and Sophie, two best friends who happen to be snails! The show follows their adventures on a journey into the unknown. Harold and Sophie is at the Town Hall Studio on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22. The masters of marionettes from Germany, Puppentheater der Stadt Halle with their multi-award winning show Can You Whistle Johanna?, which tells the story of the humour and friendship shared by an adopted grandfa ther and a little boy and can be seen at the Town Hall Studio, Thursday October 19 to Sunday October 22. From South America come the world renowned Teatro Hugo & Ines from Peru who make their first visit to Ireland with the beautiful spell-binding show Short Stories with Hugo Suarez Flores. Hailed throughout the world Hugo promises to be one the hits of the festival. Short Stories takes place at An Taibhdhearc Friday October 20 to Sunday October 22. The award winning Little Red Kettle, the children's company from Waterford, visit Baboro for the first time with their new show The Four Euclids of Squid & The Festival of Imagination & Wild Fancy fresh from their success at the Toyama World Festival of Children's Theatre in Japan. The show, which is written and directed by Ben Hennessy and Liam Meagher, runs at the Town Hall Theatre on Friday October 20 and Saturday October 21. Welsh storyteller Catherine Aran's unique and wacky show A Tickle and a Tale, with stories from all over the world featuring goblins and giants, fairies and frights, good and evil, will be performed at Galway Arts Centre on Saturday October 21 and Sunday October 22. The weekend family ticket and tickets for all Baboro shows are available from the Baboro box office, located at the Black Box Theatre, Dyke Road, Galway (091 566 577 or 566 578).

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THE ONLY Professor Higgins we had come across previously w a s Professor Henry Higgins, the witty teacher of Cockney Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. But now there's another Professor Higgins - Galway poet Rita Ann Higgins! ;So how did Rita Ann, author of Goddess and Witch. Philomena's Revenge, Face Licker Come Home and God-of-the-Hatch-Man, find herself elevated to the heights of academe? Well, Rita Ann has been invited to Texas Christian University where, for the duration of her stay, she will bear the august title of Cecil and Ida Green Honors Professor. It's actually an

award, but with it goes the splendid title. It seems that Cecil and Ida Green were a Jewish couple who generously left a considerable financial legacy to the university with the aim of bringing to the university people of various backgrounds and interests - writers, poets, musi cians, etc. - from far and wide to the Texas cam pus. In his letter to Rita Ann, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs William H Kochlcr, explained the purpose of the award: 'We invite a number of distinguished persons to be with us each year to share their experience and knowledge with our students and faculty."

The university decided to associate the award with an honorary professorship, hence. Professor Rita Ann Higgins, Cecil and Ida Green Honors Professor. Rita Ann Higgins leaves Ireland on October 21, and - practical as always - she's going to visit her sister in Florida while she's in the US. It's a bit of whirlwind as she'll be back home again by November 5. Wonder what all those Texans will make of this punchy, no-nonsense poet with a fine line in irony? We await her return with baited breath and look forward to some charac teristically mordant observations on life and learning in the Lone Star state.