1Hello, and welcome to "Focus on the Arts".
2I'm your host - Dave Green -
3and this is your very own local radio programme.
4Every Friday evening we put the spotlight on different arts and culture facilities,
5and look at the shows and events that are on offer in the coming week.
6And today the focus is on The National Arts Centre.
7Now, if you don't already know it yourself,
8I'm sure you've all heard of it.
9It's famous throughout the world as one of the major venues for classical music.
10But did you know that it is actually much more than just a place to hear concerts?
11The Centre itself is a huge complex that caters for a great range of arts.
12Under a single roof it houses concert rooms, theatres, cinemas, art galleries
13and a wonderful public library,
14as well as service facilities including three restaurants and a bookshop.
15So at any one time, the choice of entertainment there is simply enormous.
16So, how did they manage to build such a big arts complex right in the heart of the city?
17Well, the area was completely destroyed by bombs during the war in 1940.
18So the opportunity was taken to create a cultural centre that would be...
19what they called: 'The City's gift to the Nation'.
20Of course, it took a while for such a big project to get started,
21but it was planned in the 60s, built in the 70s
22and eventually opened to the public in 1983.
23Ever since then, it has proved to be a great success.
24It is not privately owned, like many arts centres,
25but is still in public hands - it's run by the City Council.
26Both our National Symphony Orchestra and National Theater Company were involved in the planning of the project,
27and they are now based there - giving regular performances every week -
28and as the Centre is open 363 days of the year,
29there are plenty of performances to choose from.
30So, to give you some idea of what's on,
31and to help you choose from the many possibilities,
32we've made a selection of the star attractions.
33If you're interested in classical music,
34then we recommend you go along to the National on either Monday or Tuesday evening at 7.30
35for a spectacular production of 'The Magic Flute' -
36probably the most popular of all Mozart's operas.
37It's in the Garden Hall and tickets start at only £8,
38but you'll have to be early if you want to get them that cheap!
39And remember, it's only on for those two evenings.
40For those more interested in the cinema,
41you might like to see the new Canadian film
42which is showing on Wednesday evening at 8 pm in Cinema 2.
43And that's called 'Three Lives'.
44It's had fantastic reviews
45and tickets cost just £4.50,
46which is a reduction on the usual price of £5.50.
47So, it's really good value, especially for such a great movie.
48But you can see the centre's main attraction at the weekend,
49because on Saturday and Sunday, 11 am to 10 pm,
50they're showing a wonderful new exhibition that hasn't been seen anywhere else in Europe yet.
51It's a collection of Chinese Art called 'Faces of China' - that's in Gallery 1 -
52and it has some really fascinating paintings and sculptures by leading artists from all over China -
53and the good news is that it's completely free, so don't miss it!
54So why not go along to the National Art Centre next week for one - or all - of these great events -
55and you can always pick up a programme
56and check out all the other performances and exhibitions on offer, or coming soon,
57on almost every day of the year.
58Next week, we'll be looking at the new Museum of Science...