BEACON Arts Centre has announced a packed end-of-year programme featuring top musicians and comedians and a triple bill of performances from Still Game’s Jane McCarry.
The Inverclyde venue will play host to comedy shows, musical tributes and gripping theatre performances in the coming months before rounding off 2023 with its pantomime – Beauty and the Beast.
McCarry will appear on stage with her Still Game friends Gavin Mitchell, Paul Riley, Sanjeev Kohli, and Mark Cox when they bring their show, People Huv Tae Know!, to the Beacon on 4 October.
Audiences will get to know the people behind the make-up and wigs as the cast get together to celebrate the award-winning comedy series.
It will be the first of three appearances for McCarry at the Beacon as she takes a starring role in the Beauty and the Beast panto, which runs from 9 to 31 December, and also takes to the stage on Saturday 21 October in family-fun show Misty’s Magical Adventure, which is aimed at those aged seven and over.
This month, there will be a stage adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s PORNO, which earned rave reviews during a sell-out Edinburgh Fringe run, and a night of laughter with Graham Mackie, Chris Forbes, Cubby, and Raymond Mearns as part of the Scottish Comedy Collective
The Beacon is co-producing Battery Park, which takes a deep dive into Britpop and working-class dreams, with performances planned for 22 and 23 September.
Eddi Reader’s sold-out show will take place on 14 September, with Marti Pellow following in October, as well as a charity concert featuring The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, with proceeds going to the Soldiers’ Charity and the Scottish Fire Brigades Heritage Trust.
Other highlights include the world premiere of visual theatre production Plinth, which will examine the role of statues, and is co-produced by Vanishing Point, on 12 October, and amateur productions of My Fair Lady and Jack and The Beanstalk in November.
There will also be music tributes to Abba, Tina Turner, and The Drifters, as well as Movies to Musicals On Tour.
Beacon Jazz Club will continue on the last Thursday of every month, with acclaimed singer Rachel Lightbody appearing on 28 September, and art exhibitions will be held in Beacon’s upstairs gallery space.
There will also be a programme of classical music with students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland putting on three lunchtime concerts between September and November.
And on 15 November the Dunedin Consort, with guest director Bojan Čičić, will visit to perform music composed by Vivaldi.
Lesley Davidson, acting joint director of Beacon Arts Centre, said: “We are thrilled to reveal our programme for the final few months of 2023 which includes a huge variety of performances covering music, comedy, theatre and tributes.
“At the Beacon, we strive to ensure that our programme is carefully curated to ensure there is something for everyone.
“Away from the main performances, we also have our year-round programme of exhibitions and a range of activities that people can get involved in like the Beacon Youth Theatre and Platinum Dance Classes.
“We hope our new programme has something to attract people to the Beacon from the local community and further afield.”
The Beacon box office can be contacted on 01475 723723.
