Hello,and welcome to Focus on the Arts.I'm yourhost - Dave Green - and this is your very own localradio programme.Every Friday evening we put thespotlight on different arts and culture facilities,andlook at the shows and events that are on offer in thecoming week.
And today the focus is on The National ArtsCentre.Now,if you don't already know it yourself,I'msure you've all heard of it.It's famous throughoutthe world as one of the major venues for classicalmusic.
But did you know that it is actually much more than just a place to hear concerts?The Centreitself is a huge complex that caters for a great range of arts.Under a single roof it housesconcert rooms,theatres,cinemas,art galleries and a wonderful public library,as well as servicefacilities including three restaurants and a boodshop.So at any one time,the choice ofentertainment there is simply enormous.
So,how did they manage to build such a big arts complex right in the heart of the city?Well,thearea was completely destroyed by bombs during the war in 1940.So the opportunity wastaken to create a cultural centre that would be,what they called:'the City's gift to the Nation'.Ofcourse it took a while for such a big project to get started,but it was planned in the 60s,built inthe 70s and eventually opened to the public in 1983.Ever since then it has proved to be agreat success.It's run by the City Council.Both our National Symphony Orchestra and NationalTheatre Company were involved in the planning of the project,and they are now based there -giving regular performances every week - and as the Centre is open 363 days of the year,thereare plenty of performances to choose from.