Live shows are set to return to Renfrewshire's public venues for the first time after a two year covid-enforced absence.
Renfrewshire's new leisure agency OneRen is behind a programme of arts, theatre and music events which will see live acts return to council-owned venues for the first time since the pandemic exploded.
A series of shows in venues across the area are planned as part of the Watch This sPACe event, which will run from March to July.
It will see a host of shows at locations set to stand in for Paisley Arts Centre, the area's usual arts hub, which is closed for refurbishment as part of Renfrewshire Council's cultural capital infrastructure programme.
The theatre programme includes Company of Wolves' spectacular physical take on Shakespeare's Julius Caesar at Renfrew Town Hall and Vanishing Point's The Metamorphosis Unplugged, a theatre show with live music, based on Franz Kafka's seminal work.
Folk music also takes centre stage at Renfew Town Hall with founding member of Battlefield Band, Alan Reid's solo concert, as well as edgy new duo Mama's Broke, who visit the area as part of an international tour.
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The Bungalow in Paisley will host a performance by Roddy Woomble, frontman of Scottish band Idlewild, with an announcement also pending on a special event in partnership with the Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMAs).
An in-person workshop for theatre and performance artists Green Room Sessions will also take place, alongside a planned visual arts meet-up - both part of creative network run by OneRen Arts Project Producers to provide opportunities to collaborate and create.
Watch This sPACe is part of Future Paisley – the radical and wide-ranging programme of economic, social and physical regeneration using Paisley’s unique and internationally-significant cultural and heritage story to transform its future.
OneRen performance programmer Janis Marshall Reilly said: "It’s great to be back with live, in-person performances.
"It’s uplifting and liberating to welcome artists and audiences safely back to venues after almost two years of the COVID19 restrictions being in place."
She added: "We’ve lined up an eclectic mix of shows and events, with something for everyone to enjoy – and, with our beloved Paisley Arts Centre and Town Hall closed for refurbishment, it’s a great opportunity to work in some of the other superb spaces across Renfrewshire."
OneRen, the new name for Renfrewshire Leisure, is the local charitable trust providing culture, leisure and sporting opportunities to help people enjoy active and healthy lives.
More shows and events are still to be announced and tickets can be booked by going to www.oneren.org/culture/arts
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