EMBRYONYX: Beyond Conception

Greetings Windermere Fans! Long time no type!

In her other life, as Synapsis Productions, Lady W has been keeping herself busy however, programming pop-up events and festival line-ups all around this isle of Ireland. This latest scheme is too good to keep to herself: introducing EMBRYONYX, a womb for nourishing novelty, a platform in the heart of the city where a black-box theatre is opened to blue-sky thinking. We're looking for a multi-media mish-mash of audiovisuals, storytellers, physical theatre, boundary-breaking novelty and uncategorizable performance experiences! Send your concepts to LadyW at lacatsalons [at] gmail [dot] com if you want to be a part of it.

Or, you can just pop round to the Hangar (just off Wicklow Street - St. Andrew's Lane Theatre to you traditionalists) for our unofficial launch knees-up, next Friday (27th February 2015, at 22:30). Whisper "Lady Windermere" to the lackeys at the door for a 50% discount if you arrive before 11. Delicious and affordable beverages will be on offer from the Hangar staff throughout the night, glamazonian DJ and Dublin Scene Legend Glamo Frowney will be spinning the decks and walking around making a living art installation with her mere presence, followed by a LIVE set from everybody's favourite disco-synth-pop-funksters Plutonic Dust.

Lady W hopes to see you there and cook up some conspiracies, concepts and culture clashes with you... The revolution is nigh, brethren and sistren!

Beyond Conception

Scene and Screen : Temple Bar

Lady Windermere ventures out of retirement, out of doors and completely out of the box on these warm summer nights, partnering with the good people of the Temple Bar Night Market and La Dolce Vita cinematic cafe to open an outdoor cinema of theatrical surprise!

The market will be brought alive on Thursday nights (at 7pm and 9.30pm - doors open 6.30pm) by two screenings of classic films based on the work of Dublin writers. Our vintage outdoor cinema - draped in velvet and ivy and
crammed with vagabonds, minstrels and bohemian souls - will be hosted in a lush and decadent gazebo on Copper Alley, where a penny at the gate grants you entrance to a timeless world of theatrical spectacle.
Each screening will feature a live performance - music, dance, monologues and readings - on the theme of the film to be screened, while homemade lemonades, popcorn and toffee apples spread good cheer.
Celebrate our greatest writers and the world's greatest directors all summer long, come costumed as your favourite characters, shout at the screen and scream at the thrills and chills...


June Screenings: 'Celtic Gothic'

12th June - "VAMPYR" - Dublin writer Joseph Sheridan LeFanu's classic tales of Gothic mystery 'Through a Glass Darkly' were never brought to more spine-tingling life than by the world-famous director Carl Theodor Dreyer in his eerie 'Vampyr'.  An atmospheric, vintage treat to sink your teeth into... Featuring live and atmospheric music and book readings...

Above: our vampiric flashmob at the 'Vampyr' screening

19th June - "NOSFERATU" - The most famous vampire of all, Dubliner Bram Stoker's Dracula, in his first and most frightening screen outing as F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu. Shiver! Shudder! Bring your own garlic! With live and atmospheric music and book readings...

Above: 'Noferatwo' a short film specially created for the screening by a young Dublin filmmaking collective

July Screenings: 'Celebrating Satirists'

3rd July - "GULLIVER'S TRAVELS" - Only the second animated feature film ever, Max Fleischer's charming technicolour celebration of the wit and imagination of Dublin's satirical genius Jonathan Swift is a treat for the whole family. Featuring live storytelling for all the little people!

10th July - "WILDE NIGHT" - Come costumed if you can, flutter those fans and let our hostess spread some wit and one-liners before a 7pm screening of Ernst Lubitsch's sumptuous silent version of Oscar Wilde's classic comedy 'Lady Windermere's Fan', while at 9.30pm we have a darker and more decadent delving into the imagination of Wilde with the original 1923 silent film of 'Salome'. Gasp at the beauty and cruelty of Alla Nazimova's classic, and let the dance of the seven veils seduce your senses... With live bellydance!

 

Upcoming Events

Greetings culture vultures! Behold our packed line-up for the forthcoming fortnight to entertain your brain and serenade your senses:-

THURSDAY 11th JULY - Va-va-VAMP NIGHT

BYOB

Celebrating all things camp and vamp, we present a silent film screening of 'Pandora's Box', the controversial erotic classic that tells of lusty showgirl Lulu's fiery fall from grace, ruining lovers both male and female before her own fateful encounter with Jack the Ripper in a seedy London back-alley. Oozing the doomed decadence of Weimar Germany and celebrated for the extraordinary magnetism of its star Louise Brooks, the original sinful siren of Hollywood, 'Pandora's Box' is a milestone of menacing but mesmerising moodiness which also features the first cinematic representation of lesbianism. With a musical background of the classic husky torch songs of Marlene Dietrich, this is a night for breaking out your feather boas, painting on your scarlet lips and nails and glamming it up! Note: normally dressed customers in search of caffeinated beverages are also welcome.

FRIDAY 12th JULY - WINDY'S WORD NIGHT

Welcoming the young performers of this city to Windy's for a night of variety in spoken word, there'll be manic monologues, poetic outbursts and unexpected moments of drama. So come down to laugh, listen and let your hair down.


SATURDAY 13th JULY - JOHNNY RAYGE NIGHT

Lady W's favourite songster is celebrating the return of his voice after singing himself hoarse to devoted fans in Glastonbury over the last weeks. He'll be bringing his own mellow musical stylings, poetic lyrics and wordly wisdom to a night of banter and balladry. Drop in and chill out!





FRIDAY 19th JULY - AOIFE NicCANNA & BRENDAN McCARTHY

The respected Near FM radio presenter and DJ Aoife NicCanna will be dropping in to Lady W's Culture Cafe to spin a few tunes, joined by her very special guest Brendan McCarthy all the way from Calcutta. McCarthy, a veteran social activist and poet, will be sharing some of his verses that are bound to give you food for thought, just as we at Lady W's are bound to give you food for munching.

Check out Aoife's exploration of the Irish dance scene, 'Folklore from the Dancefloor'.



SATURDAY 20th JULY - TARA 'T STAX' STACEY

A feisty festival darling and Galway songbird, Tara 'T Stax' Stacey mixes sharp wit and insight with a beautifully laid-back and lyrical voice. So come down to Lady W's Culture Cafe for a Saturday night session, and listen to the lady lull you and laugh with you at all life's ups and downs. It's cheaper than relationship therapy and twice as melodious!





If you like what you hear, why not like Windermere?! Become Lady Windermere's Fan on the Book of Faces by clicking HERE.

Cabaret Roses Bloom at Lady W's TONIGHT!

Greetings, Caffeinated Culture Fans!

For our very first Cabaret Saturday night, we are delighted to announce that Ms. Rose Lawless will be gracing us with her own brand of hilarious humour, bawdy balladry and banter. There may even be a sneak auction of some vintage goods which have passed through the finely sculpted hands of Ms. Lawless herself.

So pop by the cafe from 7pm for drinks and/or dinner, and catch the flawless Ms. Lawless in all of her rawness starting at half eight or 9, as the fancy takes her.

See you there! To become Lady Windermere's Fan, join our Facebook group 'Lady Windermere: Coffee Fan', and don't forget to follow this blog...

Love and biscuits,
Lady W

Lady Windermere's Incredible Edibles

Seasonal Salad Selection - €5 per plate

Citrus & Savoury Summer Salad - An appetizing avocado, orange, green pepper and coriander combination.

Sweet & Sour Summer Salad - A crunchy cucumber, pineapple, red pepper, jicama yam, cashew nut, red onion / scallion and mint medley.

Tangy Tomato Treat - A tasty tomato, garlic, strawberry, feta cheese and balsamic basil blend.

*Choose your Dressing: Lavender Mint , Royal Orange Thai or Piquant French Dressing *

Wrap it Up - €5 each

El Mariachi Munch - Gorgeous guacamole, fresh salsa and crunchy peppers, onions, mushrooms and courgettes combine in a mouthwatering Mexican mouthful.

Scrumptious Hummus - Smooth, creamy mashed chickpeas with fresh peppers, onions, mushrooms and courgettes.

Hey Pesto! - Tangy Italian feta cheese blended with fresh basil pesto and wrapped up with everybody's favourite veg - peppers, onions, mushrooms and courgettes.

*You can also request a wrap filled with the salad of your choice from our Seasonal Salad Selection*

Cakes GaLorLor's Delectable Diva Desserts - €3.50 each

Betty Blueberry - A deliciously decadent white chocolate and blueberry cupcake to bring out your sensual side...

Nina Colada - A tangy and exotic cocktail cupcake with a juicy pineapple heart. If you like piña coladas, and getting caught in the rain...

Penelope Peanut - A rich chocolate and crunchy peanut butter cupcake to drive you nuts...

Ruby Velvet - A slice of rich red sponge with cream cheese and mascarpone frosting. Lusciously lickable...

Rita Oreo - A slice of chocolate butter cream oreo cake. Crumbly and creamy...

Tantalising Teas (Hot or Cold) - €2.50 each

Lime & Lemongrass - Fresh lemongrass tea infused with kiefer lime & zest of orange peel.

Ginger Warmer - Ginger, lemon and honey tea. Ideal for the throat and digestion.

Classic Ice Tea - Lemon Ice - Tea with Mint. A nostalgic treat for the summer nights.

   * Regular Irish Tea and a Selection of Herbal Teas Also Available * 

Homemade Lemonades - €3 each

Pink Lady - Hibiscus Lemonade. A refreshing and reviving twist on the old classic.

Elderflower Power - A homemade cordial of elderflowers, aromatic and alluring.

Rhubarb-ade -  An unusual flavour to savour, our homemade rhubarb-ade is one to try!

Fantastically Fresh Orange Juice - squeezed for your pleasure every night.

Coffee Creations - small €2 , large €3

* Americano * Macchiato * Cappuccino * Espresso * Mocha * 
* Hot Chocolate *

- All available with either Soya or Normal Milk -

So, tell me Coffee Fans, with food and drink like this, can YOU resist? CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS OF WHERE TO FIND US. Drop in this Thursday from 7pm and you may find the wonderful Johnny Rayge tickling the ivories, or Marco Gutierrez working his trippy audiovisual magic. See you soon!

Lady Windermere Loves Lucy!

Greetings Coffee Fans! Lady Windermere is titillated to announce the triumphant return of the Cafe Salon, this time in the form of a Comical Cultural Cabaret Concert Cafe guaranteed to stimulate your interest and appetite all summer long! 

The good folk at Lucy's Lounge have offered Lady Windy a home for the long summer evenings, on condition that she serve up the very best in scrumptious entertainment and tastebud-tickling treats, and with your help this is what she has vowed to do!

So come on down, culture vultures, music maniacs and all lovers of caffeinated chillaxation, feast your eyes and your mouth on delectable confectionary, scrumptious savouries and delicious performers. An oasis of chill in the Temple Barminess of a night out in town, drop-in or hang-out, and bring your own sense of fun.

Lady Windermere's Menu of 

Caffeinated Comical Cultural Cabaret Concert Cafes 

THURSDAY - Culture Clash Cafe

Touring the world through food, visuals, poetry, song and performance, the 'Culture Clash Cafe' hosts a different culture every week and invites you to drop by and savour their flavours!

FRIDAY - Classy Concert Cafe

A night of melodic mood and harmonic sonic serenade, let our musical maestros nourish your soul as we nourish your stomach!

SATURDAY - Comical Cabaret Cafe

Sinful sirens seductively shimmy and sing, kooks caper comically, and all manner of madness is unleashed while we serve up our most scrumptious treats. It'll be darkly delicious!

OPENING TIMES:  8pm til the midnight hour. BYO with a modest corkage (and cannage) fee for each item brought of a boozy nature. 

The Lovely Lucy Season of Lady Windermere's Ongoing Adventures in Beverage, Biscuitry and Bohemian Rhapsody commences on 4th July. While our American cousins celebrate independence from tea taxation and Royal logo stampage, we are seeking to celebrate independence of mind and artistic spirit. Any and all artists interested in becoming part of the Windermere experience, email taramcdance [at] gmail . com Volunteers and backstage helpers are also welcome to apply, remembering of course the vital importance of being earnest.

Mamuska Dublin

Lady Windermere returns to Mamuska Dublin on Friday 30th November, brewing up a storm during a packed line-up of experimental video work and live performance to challenge and inspire. Titillate your tastebuds as audience and artists mingle in an atmosphere of play and discovery. Starts 7.30pm. 

EVENT LINE-UP

1. Carol Walsh - 'A Medley of Shakespeare' - CLOWNING

2. Hillary Williams - 'Scars' - VERBAL PERFORMANCE ART

3. Paco Torres - 'The Rattle of Benghazi' - FILM

4. Roisin Power Hackett 'The Roche Limit' - SPOKEN WORD

5. Peter Moran - INTERACTIVE MUSIC / VOCAL PERFORMANCE
6. Sandra Estrada - 'The Hand of the Inert' - FILM

7. Peter Duffy - A Political Movement - PERFORMANCE PIECE
8. Rose Lawless - 'The Virgin Mary rap' - PERFORMANCE

Mamuska Dublin is a free event supported by the Arts Council Small Festivals Scheme and curated by La Cat Salons inhouse programme of La Catedral Studios.

Corroboree Cafes - all the juicy details!

The grand line-up for La Cat Explore's Exploriment! Dance Fringe Weekend has been made public.  Click here for all the delicious details of daytime delights. Meanwhile, Lady W can reveal a few more scintillating snippets about the dynamic dancers and divas that will be packing her evening Corroboree Cafés from 8 til late (open to all with absolutely free entry, for we are nothing if not generous) -

Saturday 19th - a night of futuristical acoustical spontaneity, trance and trickery, we are thrilled to announce the participation of the masterful audiovisual maestro Marco Gutierrez and his trippy visions, and a chance to make your very own sonic and visual landscapes with a cutting edge, state of the art, motion sensor installation! The cult comic improv crew 'The Princes of Lagos' are also expected to pop by, along with the sinuous Apollonia tribal bellydance. Plus a jaw-dropping aerial acro-pole display by Lisette Krol to liven up your leisure and make you long to be limber. Drift, dance, discuss and dream - blow off steam with the crop of the cream!

Sunday 20th - Rounding out Exploriment with style, we offer another night of spontaneous performance and vintage visuals, this time with a dynamic cabaret twist: a ribald and risqué musical soirée with our favourite temptress Ms. Rose Lawless, and the full-throated jazzy blues of Delta O'Hara and ivory-tickler Johnny Rayge. We have even been promised a super-special and exclusive sneak preview of Mr. Rayge's upcoming album (sssssh!), at everyone's favourite decadent evening of beverage, biscuitry, vintage visuals, dance, discussion and dreaming...

See you there? Dress code- anything that teases, tickles or tantalises.

Lady Windermere's Corroboree Cafés are part of the La Cat Explore Exploriment weekend, supported by the good folks at the Arts Council.

Festival Fever: Body & Soul

Above: a tiny taster of Lady Tara McGuinness Windermere's programme for the 2010 EP Body & Soul Peace Pagoda

Summer is coming and Lady W is packing her bags and hitting the festival circuit with the bohemian crowd of the Body & Soul fest! Nestling in the hidden grounds of Ballinlough castle from June 22nd to 24th, the Body & Soul Fest, Ireland's Best Small Festival of 2011 (it's official) will be filling its stages with melodious music and its groves and nooks with delicious whimsy! Drop down to us and find out what surprises Lady Windermere has in store for revellers, visitors and all you connoisseurs of the finer things in life! Get your tickets here.

Lady Windermere Rides Again!

Despair no more, all those of you in the depths of post-salon withdrawal! Lady Windermere, everyone's favourite avant-garde adventurist, is delighted to announce that she will be celebrating the joy of summer, dance, drama and movement with her May weekend of Corroboree Cafes on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th May (may-hap you may join us for some may-hem?)

In celebration of the Dublin Dance Festival, we are converting the decadent Back Loft into a delicious den of dance-delirium, loosely inspired by the spirit of the northwest Australian aboriginal 'corroboree' of community, participatory dance drama (for we are nothing if not multicultural). We welcome dancers, enthusiasts, amateurs and aspiring artists alike, to chill out with our renowned herbal brews, caffeinated beverages and munchy nibbles, to discuss, dream, improvise, play and drift away for a night of inspiration. The usual unusual and trippy visuals, browsing matters and musical ambience will apply (bring your own acoustical musical instruments and dancing shoes).

Throwing open our doors absolutely free from 8 - 11pm, as part of La Cat Explore's packed weekend of shows and workshops. If you or a dancing friend would like to claim the spotlight for yourself, or assist in any way, please email lacatsalons@gmail.com , remembering as ever the vital importance of being earnest.

See you soon! La Cat Explore is supported by the Arts Council.

With Thanks to Everyone!

As we bid a tearful farewell to Lady Windermere's extravagant Christmas Caffeinated Salons, we offer this nostalgic picture show taster of all the joys that were, and our heartfelt thanks to all the special painters, poets, performers, pianists and personalities who made the salons possible. Merry Christmas one and all!

Don't forget to subscribe to the blog and be the first to know when and where our pop-in pop-up salons return in the New Year!

Windermere Art Auction!!

Announcing Lady Windermere's Grand Winter Solstice Art Auction!!

Wednesday 21st December from 6pm

For the winter solstice finale of Lady Windermere's Salons, there will be an auction of artwork by over 30 artists from Ireland to Vietnam, in all shapes, sizes, colours and styles, to suit every taste and wallet! Come one, come all, art-lovers and panicked Christmas shoppers alike, for creative Christmas presents and treasured masterpieces! Support our starving artists and our salon hostesses! Bringing down the hammer from 6pm, along with special performances by musicians and performers, and concluding with a cockle-warming screening of 'It's a Wonderful Life'. Beverages, mince pies and other treats supplied.

FEATURED ARTISTS: Caitriona Ni Threasaigh, Gavin O'Donoghue, Jaanika Talts, Imelda Reynolds, Sean Rushe, Carol O'Connor, Phan Van Duc, Angela Anderson, Denise French, Eleanore Nicolas, Andrew Carroll, Sue Rainsford, Sean Hillen, James Carroll, Nick Boon, Muriel Foxton, Nigel Holohan, Laura Ni Fhlaibhin, Joann O'Meara, Magda Nowacka, Shelly McDonnell, Lynne Mulville, Roisin Power Hackett, Bridget Ryan, Paola Catizone, Anthony Cullen, Leo Boyd, Olive Barrett, Tanya Turner, Amanda Doran and John McCann.

Line-up for the December Salons Special Attractions

Lady Windermere has been over-joyed and over-bowled by the explosion of creativity and Christmas generosity that is filling her inbox! As well as the coffee, artwork, silent cinema, browsing, chilling and chat that will be on offer every afternoon Wednesday to Sunday til the winter solstice, we also offer the following special attractions (with much more to be announced!):

Thursday 8th December

Lady W will be serving her brews as a special guest at the Libertango Smokin' Club, a night of decaying glamour, passion and heat, of song and dance and dramatic theatrical performance. Doors open 8pm, €10 ticket.

Friday 9th December

Throwing open her doors for her first full salon day at 4pm, Lady W's opening bash features song, dance and madness along with the traditional cuppa, with Paul Grant of PowerFM DJing live in the space (and on the web) and broadcasting in live sets from the PowerFM studios by Carl Bauer/Groovement Soul (taking Facebook requests). Live performances on the night include piano ditties and theatrical skits by Delta O'Hara and a set by Fathers of Western Thought.

Saturday 10th December

'Remember This', a night in aid of Alzheimer's research with music by quirky, soulful Dublin outfit Kellie and the Scruffs and theatrical performance by 'Playback As Soon As You Hear' along with special guests, featuring DJ Lurch and a skit by Enda 'Disco Pigs' Walsh! And another chance to get your hands on those tickets to Imelda May!

Sunday 11th December

A mellow musical Sunday afternoon, featuring hypnotic hang playing, sprightly piano tunes and Latin elegance from Arash Kazemi. Come and chill, and find out at the end of the night who gets those Imelda May tickets!

Wednesday 14th December

Slavonic song and cinema night, celebrating Eastern promise. Featuring bilingual Russian and Irish poetry, slavic song, classic silent film screenings (The Man with a Movie Camera) and finishing with the grand premiere of a new English subtitling of the madcap and subversive Bulgarian 60s satire of bureaucratic insanity 'Whale'

Thursday 15th December

A dance-themed night of movement, music and mystery, climaxing in AMOON's eclectic mix of bells, bass, bellydancers, darbuka and djembe.

Friday 16th December

Friday is a trippy night of music and audiovisual delight featuring Ben Turner (winner - Radio Nova 'Dublin's Best Busker' competition).

Saturday 17th December

A night of authentically gritty cabaret, 'Midnight in Paris', leads coffee-drinkers on a journey into the underworld with the dark spoken word of Kit Fryatt, the continental clowning of Carlo Jacucci and ends with a bang and a full evening in the company of the one-and-only, sultry and inimitable, rich-girl-gone-wrong Rose Lawless. Bring your bouquets to lay at her feet, dress in the style of the belle epoque and prepare for a heady evening's entertainment.

Sunday 18th December

Christmas Family Cracker. With only 7 days to Christmas, 'tis the season to be jolly (falalalalalala). Bringing the joyful beats of Philosophy of Sound together with games, clowns, jugglers, carol-singing, card-making, piano-playing, offbeat Czech and Russian cartoons, storytelling, mulled wine, mince pies, candy canes - this is an afternoon's delight for all ages. Discreetly slip our resident SugarPlum fairy a wrapped present (worth €5 or under) with your child's name clearly written on it for a magical surprise. The evening ends with a 7pm screening of the classic Wizard of Oz. We will also be raising funds for children's charity Barnardos.

BYOK (bring your own kids - or somebody else's*).

* Please ask permission before bringing other people's children. Lady W does not endorse kidnapping.

Wednesday 21st December

On the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, we say goodbye to Lady W's December salons in style: the legendary DJ Chuckleberry spins his homespun sounds while our madcap auctioneer will be bringing the hammer down on our fabulous art collection and we have live music from hang-player Roland Gomez and pianist Johnny Rayge.

We will also be raising money for FocusIreland through the night.

With special thanks to the Back Loft and La Catedral Studios, without whose support and sponsorship these evenings would not be possible.

Lady Windermere's Caffeinated Art and Literature Salon

Lady Tara McGuinness Windermere has great pleasure in announcing her upcoming Christmas pop-up caffeinated art and literature salon in the Back Loft venue from 9th - 21st December! Ho ho ho!

A haven of coffee, conversation and cookies set amidst chill-out zones, classic silent cinema, musicality, performance, paintings, browsable reading matter, vintage wares and holistic healings - 'Lady Windermere: Coffee Fan' offers you a cup of freshly ground, finely brewed happiness with a pastry, juice or fruit accompaniment, a bright smile and some impeccable banter with your delightfully eccentric hostess (smile and banter at no extra charge). Produced in association with the lovely folks at La Cat Salons and kindly sponsored by La Catedral Studios, Lady Windermere's Caffeinated Art and Literature Salon is looking for artists, musicians, performers and lunatics who would like a free performance space or a very reasonably priced wall-space (all sales 100% yours). Click here for more details. Also seeking volunteers, interns and anyone who'd like to help develop the Lady Windermere's concept for future collaborations, understanding, of course, the vital importance of being earnest.

Interested parties apply to lacatsalons@gmail.com

Located in the heart of the galleries, art colleges and cathedrals of the decadent Liberties district - or, more specifically, located in 'The Back Loft', La Catedral Studios, 7-11 St. Augustine Street, Dublin 8 - Lady Windermere: Coffee Fan will be at home to visitors and coffee-drinkers (and fans of the finer herbal infusions) from Wednesday to Sunday between the hours of 4pm and 9pm. Please ring the Back Loft bell for admittance - the most relaxed yet bohemian Christmas party in town.