Just over 20 years ago I was part of the newly formed “Good Relations Steering Panel” within Belfast City Council, made up of councillors and representatives from different parts of civic society. Early on one thing that was noted was the lack of representation of both women and nationalists in the artwork within and around City Hall. In response the group quickly settled on Mary Ann McCracken as a suitable person to honour who would “tick both boxes” and so the bust of her pictured here was commissioned and unveiled in late 2004 (the clay model for it is in Clifton House, the former Belfast Poorhouse, where she was actively involved for many years). But I confess I didn’t really know much about this woman at that time and, unwilling to reveal my ignorance, in those pre-easy access internet days, I had to draw on the resources of the Linen Hall Library across the road from City Hall. My only previous encounter with her was in Stewart Parker’s “Northern Star” staged by the Lyric 20 year
STOP THE FRONT PAGE: DAVID CAMPTON GOT ON HIS FEET TO APPLAUD A SHOW IN BELFAST! It really does take a lot to get me out of my seat to give a play a standing ovation, yet it seems to be expected here these days. I’ve discussed this a number of times online and in person with fellow thespian curmudgeon Trevor Gill, so I suspect he was surprised, to say the least, when yesterday afternoon he saw me lifting my backside off the pew in the Sanctuary Theatre and loudly applauding Bright Umbrella's “Stuck in the Middle with You”, the play written by Sam Robinson and Trevor himself, who also directed the show… Actually it was an even bigger surprise to me, because after sitting on those pews for 2 hours I wasn’t entirely sure that my legs would work! I had agreed to chair a Q&A for the audience afterwards, which is always a dangerous thing to promise without seeing the show first… an actress friend of mine says that when I meet her after one of her shows, despite my background as an a