The Death of Theatre

By Joanne Simpson (20, Headliners)
“Ban all cinemas around the world.”


The movie industry grosses around $7billion a year in cinema ticket sales alone, with many people visiting the cinema as often as once a week and with modern movie-going trends veering towards the surreal and fantasy genre. Can more classic past times like going to the theatre, or even reading a book really compete?

With the Cathedral Quarter arts festival been and gone, it becomes apparent that the theatre has lost at least one generation of young people. Surprisingly few young people have heard of the festival, let alone actually taken the time to attend a play! It is much easier and inevitably cheaper to simply “wait for the movie.” Many of my friends would love to attend the theatre more often, but find this increasingly hard as wages from a part time job, no matter how well paying, will not extend to a night out at the theatre.

The marked decline in Theatregoers is probably most painfully apparent in the loss of one of our national theatres a few years ago, and in the shabby, almost decrepit state of our other national theatre. A couple months ago during a rendition of “Macbeth” the roof proceeded to leak rather spectacularly causing the actors to perform an obscure little side step to avoid the ever-growing patches of water on the stage floor.

It is however true that slowly and somewhat painfully the theatre is beginning to cater for younger tastes, it began with crude attempts to modernise Shakespeare, and has progressed to the more enlightened plays like “Falaraki,” Phillip Pullmans “Dark Materials” and even “Blood Brothers.” Which although getting on a bit now, is still a hilarious and witty play no matter how many times you see it.

It is nevertheless an unfortunate by-product of this modernisation that cinemas are plagued with the film industries attempt to gain ever more ticket sales by modernising and subsequently murdering Shakespeare’s greatest plays. Bass Lurmans version of “Romeo and Juliet” was particularly painful, due to poor casting, poor acting, poor cinematography, poor visual effects, poor interpretation of the text…As a complete novice in all things Shakespearean, I still couldn’t bring myself to watch it all in one sitting. It was utterly different to the play and people who hadn’t read a single Shakespearean play in their lives, or seen one in the theatre were suddenly experts on Mercutios motivation in act 1 scene 3.

The BBC’s “Big Read” poll was full of this movie-book bias; it became blatantly obvious from the outset that people’s opinions of the books were based entirely on the film version rather than the written word. For example “The Lord of the Rings;” it was an amazing book but it was an outstanding piece of cinematography, consequently it won. It is interesting to note that almost every book that was in the top 21 had a movie based on it at one point or another, a movie which is now considered a “classic” in its’ own right.

Even schools are now picking books that have a suitable film counterpart. No English class would be complete without the inevitable introduction of some BBC version of the book, performed by an unknown cast and often so radically reworked and interpreted that is barely recognisable as the original piece of literature it was meant to be. Probably the most obvious example of this that I have seen has been the 1960's version of Pride and Prejudice, starring Grear Garson and Lawrence Olivier all Austin’s savage criticism had been removed from it leaving only a simpering love story behind.

It would appear that film industry is dominating the entertainment market, and this trend is not set to change, unless of course there is a world wide ban on cinema. Theatregoers must simply resign themselves to sidelines until the time comes when there is a radical change in modern theatre here or at least until someone writes a stage version of Lord of the Rings!

Holes in Deep Pockets

Scrooge in Dreamland (Anon.)





Compassion should be in the hearts of all, no matter what race, creed or gender. Clothe the naked; feed the hungry, and all that jazzy, Christian morality blowing in the wind. Past social values once advocated helping those less fortunate but where did the love go when people refused to ‘dig deep’ to spare a few ‘shillings’. However, ancient celtic-Ireland; once a collectivist nation has now despaired into cold-hearted individualism groped by its partner in crime, materialism.

Trócaire (meaning Compassion in Irish) is the official Overseas Development Agency of the Catholic Church (think of Kate Moss as the official face of Rimmel London). Set up by Irish Catholic Bishops in 1973, the aim of Trócaire is to raise funds from donations and charitable events to support those countries less developed than ourselves. During the Lenten campaign at Easter, Trócaire focuses on single issue factors affecting poverty-stricken individuals such as prostituition, child warfare and poor employers.

In the past thirty-four years, Trócaire has supplied funding to thousands of aspiring projects nuturing water supplies, food drives, educational reform and much more social intervention schemes in 55 Countries worldwide including Honduras, Angola, Kenya, Vietnam and even recently Serbia to help, in both the redevelopment of war ravaged countries but also those affected by the dire straits of famine and extreme weather conditions.

Trócaire spent approximately 31 Million Euros in overseas development last year; a far-shy cry away from the billions invested into arms development, military warfare and supposed democratic intervention in tyrannical governed countries by Western governments. Whilst billions of sterling are transferred to destroying ideologies, searching for oil or whatever spin you choose to accept; problems in both our own society but also the worldwide society are struggling to get better.


Is it getting any better?

• Roughly, six million people are living on the Island of Ireland as a whole.
• 31 million euros was invested last year by Trocaire (inc. admin fees)
• On average, five euro is being spent by each person on Trocaire funds each year
• According to UNDP Human Development Report 2000, the average Irish person makes in the region of £21,482
• Why is only five Euro out of £21,000 only being offered into a Trócaire box for the benefit of others and not 10 or even 50 per year?
• Scrooge won’t be turning in his sleep anyway.

What is clouding our judgement?

• The issue of investing solely into our own communities rather than elsewhere
• Lack of education on poverty, healthcare, war, gender issues and more
• A need to conform with ipods, converse shoes, laptops and more electricals
• Idea that money given will be spent all on transport, equipment, admin
• Corrupt leaders will use the money for self-gain
• People just don't care. What you can't see, isn't really happening?

Stressing out exams

Reforming the Examination System (Old article)

Ruth Kelly, the Minister for Education in England and Wales, last year announced a Government White Paper reforming the examination system in secondary level education. With A-Level and GCSE results being announced Children’s Express young reporter Kelsey McQuaid (17) decided to ask those most affected by proposed changes what they think.

The White Paper aims to rationalise the 3,500 vocational qualifications currently on offer in schools and to place them within 14 specialised diplomas. Students would still have a wide choice of subjects but potential employers would more easily understand the diploma system. Piloting schemes also include first year university questions in A-level exam papers as a means for universities to differentiate between the most able students many of whom are gaining A and A+ grades.

Introducing the White Paper in the Commons Ruth Kelly said, "I want every teenager educated to the very limit of their ability. That means ensuring that we have an education system that tackles the historic weakness in the system; so that every single teenager, not just the vast majority, get the education they need and deserve to get on in life.
"A key weakness has been vocational education. Today will mark the end of the divide between vocational and academic study. We will move to a truly comprehensive education system for every teenager by ensuring real choice from the age of 14. We can't have second class, second best vocational education - it is valued abroad and it must be valued here. We must have a truly world-class workforce. It is vital to the future prosperity of the country.

Mark Beady, a student, opposes toughening up A-Levels: “Make them harder? No way! They are already hard enough as it is.” Carol Donaldson a GCSE student at the time from St. Columbus, Portaferry, said :“I think that people in year 12 are not ready for AS levels so early. It is a big step from GCSE to A-Levels. More needs to be done, to kind of soften and prepare us better for higher level examinations.”

However Ashley Ford, 14, a GCSE student from Cookstown High School, disagreed. “Some people won’t like the push but in the long term it’ll be beneficial. It shows the standard that they have to set for themselves. They’ll be more determined and able when it comes to go to University.”

We then asked Grania O’Hanlon, Principal of Loretta Grammar School in Omagh what her views were on the proposed changes to A-levels and the possible effects of the introduction of first year university questions.

“What we all seek to achieve is a fair system for everyone. However, my concern would be for the number of students who don’t achieve, and I find maybe the focus going a wee bit to that end of the spectrum of students who are actually achieving A-levels and moving on to university. What about those students who don’t achieve this and what about the students who university is not going to be an option for?”

The AS modular system was introduced a few years ago. Grania O’Hanlon added “That young people have had a chance to improve their grades through the modular system and I believe young people appreciate having that opportunity to repeat modules maybe, where they have not achieved what they felt they could have achieved”. Grania welcomed the Minister’s desire to stretch all pupils and particularly proposals in the area of vocational qualifications. “There are children who can achieve skill competences and they want more practical courses than are available to them. I do not think there is a range of vocational choices to provide real choice for students because, remember, we’re all studying the same curriculum from 11-16 and I honestly don’t believe that there is a true vocational choice yet in place to provide students with real choice.”

Marie, 14, from Fortwilliam, thought that vocational qualifications could be worthwhile, “Introducing Vocational skills isn’t a bad idea, if you can’t do anything purely academic like maths or biology, then you can at least learn a trade, that the employers will appreciate”.
Ashley Ford showed wisdom beyond her years stating, “In the modern day world, education will only get you so far. There is a need for practical applications and there is a shortage of plumbers, builders and painters. So more vocational subjects are needed for the voluntary subjects.”

Grania O’Hanalon, thought the Minister’s proposals might be more easily implemented within the common curriculum. “I would say that Mike Tomlinson’s earlier proposals were very interesting, they were radical. They would need a lot of investment and it would be a big shake up in the education system. I think that Ruth Kelly’s proposal will probably be a safer system for the moment. It won’t cause as great an upheaval as Mike Tomlison’s, so you could ask the question are the government going for a safer option in Ruth Kelly’s proposals?”

Fashion Faux Pas

By Cathal Hannan (Headliners)

Consumerism and Clothes

No young person living in modern day society could honestly turn round and say that the media, the catwalks and fashion columns haven’t influenced them to some degree. Two of the most common forms of pressure on the my generation are by peers and the media. One feeds off the other. The big advertisers try and sell us their products with biblical Recommended Retail Prices, modelled by famously anorexic/bulimic women. Everything from sportswear on Beckham, rap-star bling to sunglasses are modelled as "must-have" essentials for cool.

Young female models look fresh and apparently happy (apart from the grimacing inability to support that smile) whilst wearing these high-quality designer labels, with absurdly prominent logos emblazoned across their chests just in case we don’t get the message- buy our clothes and be wanted.

Take for instance; Nike, Levi, Gap and Ben Sherman - all competing for a slice of the consumer cake, and a big tasty one of that raking in billions per annum. The young people from well-off backgrounds purchase these fashion items automatically without financial bother, yet other kids are expected to have them and suffer to get these items.

Young people from a poorer socio-economic background are normally unable to afford the extravagant prices until half-price sale time (by that time, nobody is wearing it anymore) but that doesn’t stop them pestering their parents for money, especially around Capitalist Consumer Christmas. The parent’s job is hard enough slaving to the system, without having terrible teenagers turning robotically to temper-tantrums for labels that they can’t even afford never mind their kids. This causes extra stress for the parents and may even lead to family break-up in the most extreme cases.

So this obviously begs the question, who is to blame? Is it the advertisers and marketers that spend over £6.5 billion annually on product placement? How much of the £60 Recommended Retail Price is manufacturing cost, how much marketing and how much pure profit?

Of all the crime committed in the UK last year 262,570 crimes were committed by young people and 160,897 offences involved shoplifting or vandalism. Of course there are no figures on how many were influenced by peer pressure or by the media and the subject’s inability to buy but I would think that if there were numbers they would be very high indeed.

Surely it can’t be the absolute fault of these young people. After all, they are watching the advertisements and reading the fashion columns that show 6ft blonde models draped with the ‘in fashion.’ It may not be so bad for the poor families if fashion didn’t change so regularly. In brands like Gucci, Armani and other items that parade the catwalk like money-grabbing vultures and alluring snakes, they are split into ‘seasons.’ However, with sporty/denim wear, the fashion changes ever so regularly that even contemporary fashion magazines find it difficult to snap up quick enough. It is the ultimate way to make money.

Walk into a sport's superstore in Belfast, say Lifestyle or JJB and you will find floors dedicated to footwear, head wear, tops and bottoms– fashion accessories for the spendthrift and money-lax. Why would a young person want to buy five sets of trainers in a year? The brands owners who are releasing these must expect people to be showy enough to buy five sets of trainers in just a few months, to get that additional Nike 'tick' or new colour line.

Personally, I stick to less known brands that don’t cost as much but I wish my friends would do the same. Friends should keep clothes to themselves. I keep mine to myself and who should care what I wear? To me, a shirt is a shirt and a pair of shoes is a pair of shoes. But of course I would say that wouldn’t I? So you may all say well if I can criticize every body: the rich kids; the shops, the manufacturers and the advertisers what is my answer to all this ?
Ban all clothes advertising geared towards young people and let them make their own minds up about what clothes they want to buy. This already exists in Sweden why shouldn’t it exist here!

Music in the Parklife

By Ben Ritchie (16, Headliners)

Recently I went to the Tennents Vital concert in Belfast’s Ormeau Park. It was my third year at the concert and for me it was the best yet, that’s saying a lot considering how amazing Snow Patrol were last year. For me however I don’t think that there are enough concerts available for those under the age of 18. Young people at most concerts have to be accompanied by adults which can lessen their enjoyment and experience of their day if they have their parents looking over their shoulders at any feeble antic. With the exception of the Odyssey and the Waterfront Hall, there are very few music venues that cater to the younger generation of music and this has to change if young people are going to get the best of the music scene and to accompany both superstars and rising hot talent into coming especially to Belfast, to front and merchandise themselves amongst the Irish contingent.

Bish Bash Boosh

By Hayley Andrews (15, Headliners)

A new wave of comedy has shaken the showbiz world; The Mighty Boosh has taken the conventional “Ha-Ha” pieces of Comedy and has combined it with a brilliant cast of characters that have taken the comedy world by storm. The Mighty Boosh is a weird and very complex show, which tells the story of two men, Vince Noir (Noel Fielding) and Howard Moon (Julian Barratt) that go on a range of strange and comedy-caped adventures. Critics have argued that the stage-based show is sheer “Youth” comedy, that’s in direct competition with award-winning recent classics “The Office” and “Little Britain”.

Nothing appears wrong with the hit-show but others differ in taste, calling it youth culture television and more distastefully, car-crash TV. But I am happy to say that I am slightly addicted to this show and I can not wait till the new series comes out in the Autumn of 2007! Keep your eyes glued.

Back in the day....

By Sonya Gorman, (16, Headliners)





“Back in the Day”, life for a normal young person consisted of a game of some sport or other. However, in this day and age, there isn’t even such a thing as “normal” anymore. Young people are pushed into a box, or labelled emo, chav or trendy.

Young people don’t want to be young anymore. They never seem to go out; always just sitting on online messenger and blogging sites such as myspace, bebo or msn? There are thousands of replicated clones of these sites; uniquely tailored to individual needs. Maybe this is part of the reason why young people are labelling themselves nowadays, to fit in.

Young people can’t even like music they want to these days in case it doesn’t fit into what there friends think their style is. Young people can’t be themselves, in a world of political correctness and freedom of speech. Why can’t young people do and be what we want to be? In this case its not “scene” or “cool” to be doing that.

You have to be a certain clothes size, have a particular style, and to drink/smoke to be cool. You have to do certain things and wear what society tells u to. Young people spend too much time sitting around being “cool” that it simply not healthy. For as long as there has been a young person there have been people who tell you how to act, what to say, and what to try.

People (like me) should stop moaning and start doing something about this. By not conforming to all these rules and blah. Well I’ve got news for you I already have. If you haven’t had fun squeezing into your tiny size zero skinny jeans and listening to panic at the disco then you haven’t live as a conformist.

Leaks in the system

By Orlanda Brennan (15, Headliners)

My opinion on water charges is that it is a rip off and a waste of time as the government just wants money and there getting it from all our bills and rates and our parents. We pay too much already and I agree with the public protests and community meetings to abolish the charges before they come into effect. A few adults I know say they will not pay the water charges whether it comes into effect or not. I have to say that I wouldn’t pay the charges even if I were of right age. It’s a waste of time and money. We have enough bills and rates to pay today in this modern age.

Critics stick the fangs in..

By Lyndsey McQuitty (18, Headliners)






Is the popular website Vampirefreaks really as bad as the press make it out to be? This website along with others such as Myspace and Bebo, that encourage young people to meet others their age, get put down too often.
This particular website has over 500,000 active members, who seem to get stereotyped as ‘Goth’ or an actual ‘Vampire freak’. The name of this site might give out a bad impression to those who are close minded, but in fact the members of this site are all different people in their own way. The members don‘t all dress the same, they aren’t all ‘Goth’ or ‘Emo’, they are just like everyone else.
Some people such as parents may think that it is some type of online ‘Chat room cult’ which will influence their child into bad behaviour. Websites like this, just like ‘Goth’ music, get the blame for what some children may do. The truth is, a child’s actions and mistakes are only their own. Parents and other people who are against online sites just like vampirefreaks should not discard them so quickly!
Vampirefreaks is a website which gives the members something to do without getting into trouble. The online community is a really friendly place to be but to be fair, everywhere there’s a few bad eggs. To quote what some of the members on vampirefreaks think of it:
“The people here are accepting; interesting; and almost always helpful in all situations. To me this isn't some pathetic chat room group; it's an online community that affects many peoples lives and is more so beneficial to more people than harmful.”
“I love this site...it's a friendly enough community where you can meet people of similar interest without letting your style (i.e. Goth or Prep) get in the way”
“Here it doesn't matter what you are, you're part of this one big community where it's ok if your a Goth or a Prep, it matters more what you are like personality wise. I joined in hopes of finding that a couple of years ago”