News

Big Telly Theatre Company will open the doors to one of its pop-up Creative Shop projects in Enniskillen for six weeks.

If you haven’t heard about Creative Shops yet, you are about to. Enniskillen BID have teamed up with NI’s longest established theatre company, Big Telly, to bring all kinds of art and performance to the town for six weeks.

Project House on Townhall Street, formerly FrouFrou, is the venue, and will host all kinds of activity, and something for everyone.

Creative Shops was dreamt up by Big Telly over four years ago to bring creativity to high streets all over Northern Ireland. The main aim is local people participating and high streets getting a buzz from lots of arts that don’t normally happen on a shopping street. The three-year programme is funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and each shop has a local partner, and in Enniskillen it is the BID.

In Enniskillen, Big Telly have teamed up with the Noelle and the BID team, who are partnering on a Creative Shop there. The shop on Townhall Street opened its doors on the 25^thFebruary with six weeks of mixed performance and arts activity for everybody. Some artists scheduled are Derry based dancer, Janie Doherty, Dublin based artist Julie Sharkey, drama facilitator Holly Conlan, who will run drama classed for kids and co-ordinate the shop, and Big Telly are hoping to bring local artist Dylan Quinn’s Fulcrum ‘Breath’ to the shop for a special performance. Connect Youth Theatre Group will use the shop on Saturdays to rehearse and perform.

The shop will celebrate all things Enniskillen, so Holly and the artists welcome anyone with a story, a tall tale or an idea. There are days available for local artists to showcase their work too. This project is open to ALL ages and anyone interested should visit the shop at Project House, 37 Townhall Street, Enniskillen.

To keep up to date with what is happening at the Creative Shop,is to pass by and pop in. Activities and times will also be displayed in the window. The shop will set up a facebook page, is on twitter @creativeshopsni and an Instagram account big_tellyni

The weekly menu of activity will be on our Facebook page: “Big Telly Enniskillen Creative Shop”

The shop will be open most days and some evenings.

Big Telly’s general manager, Fran Porter said; “we’re really happy to be working with withthe Enniskillen BID team. All too often, these things happen in and around Belfast or Derry – and the shops project is all about spreading a creative buzz all over the place! We have two more years of the project to run, so with any luck, if Enniskillen loves this shop, we’ll be able to come back. Absolutely everybody is welcome to get in touch, find out what they can get involved in or just pop in.”

Noelle Enniskillen BID Manager commented “this is something so new for Enniskillen and it is great that we can energise a vacant unit in town.  BID worked with the Big Telly company last year on Operation Elsewhere, which was an amazing success – we have booked it to return to Enniskillen this August!  So, when I heard about Creative Shops, I wanted it to come to Enniskillen!”

Big Telly is Northern Ireland’s longest established independent theatre company. It began its first Creative Shops programme back in 2014, setting up arts residencies in empty shops in high streets all over the province.

Big Telly was established in 1987 by Zoe Seaton. As well as producing professional theatre shows, the company is passionate about bringing arts and theatre to people all over Northern Ireland. For more information about Big Telly and the upcoming Creative Shops 2 Project visit www.big-telly.com or facebook/bigtellyni @BigTellyNI