Life

Mixing it up at the Mac

THIS weekend sees a host of music, theatre and dance shows taking over The Mac in Belfast during the Pick 'n' Mix festival.The venue will see almost 30 performances from 14 companies staged between tomorrow and Sunday, with the festival closing on Sunday night with a Cathedral Quarter Quarterly Quiz hosted by Leonie McDonagh from dance company Ponydance.One of the festival highlights will be two rehearsed readings of David Ireland's play Summertime, which will open in The Mac for a three-week run in October.The Tinderbox production centres on Jonathan, a minister in a working-class east Belfast parish struggling to establish himself in the face of local suspicion.Also on the menu is Stitching Time, a play by Lucy Caldwell.It centres on Fay, a young widow yearning for a new start but haunted by a past that she can't let go. When she takes advice to look into internet dating, her life begins to spiral out of control.Pick 'n' Mix also features a rock-pop musical, an Irish-language play, a dance mix where you can see two shows for the price of one and a number of short plays.Shows take place during the day and evening and last from 30 to 90 minutes.Gillian Mitchell, director of programming at The Mac, says the festival offers something for everyone."People can stay for the day or dip in and out for the events that suit them," she says."We would also like to invite people to stay around for some free post-show celebrations on Friday night at 10pm to help us to kick off the festival weekend in style."Tickets for all Pick 'n' Mix events are £6, while an 'ultimate compilation ticket' for £30 will cover any six shows. ? For tickets see TheMacLive.com or call 028 9023 5053.