King Of East Belfast

King Of East Belfast

Kabosh crowns ‘The King of East Belfast’ in new EastSide Arts Festival show

Theatre fans who were missing live performance during lockdown were able to socially distance and celebrate as Kabosh brought its new show ‘The King of East Belfast’ to the Connswater Shopping Centre from 7-9 and 12-16 August 2020. The 45-minute show was performed in a unit at Connswater Shopping Centre as part of the EastSide Arts Festival.   

Fab theatre in the most unlikely of places. Beggs writing and acting will surely stagger any viewer.

CULTURE CRUSH NI

Cast & Crew

Director: Paula McFetridge

Written & Performed: Stephen Beggs

‘The King of East Belfast’ was a live, socially distanced performance with a maximum audience of 23 people per show. 

“My father-in-law is called Clark Groves and ‘The King of East Belfast’ is based on the true life story of his grandfather, also called Clark Groves.  

Before gambling was made legal in Northern Ireland, Clark Sr. was a legendary East Belfast bookmaker who strived to be both a successful bookie and a good man.  Through his generosity to local people from what he called ‘this deadly business’, it was said that Clark Sr. ‘married and buried them on the Newtownards Road’.  

Clark’s funeral in 1957 was one of the biggest seen before or since in Dundonald Cemetery as hundreds of people came out to pay their respects and to thank him for his help. 

I’ve been really fascinated by the stories I have heard about Clark Sr. from my family for many years and I’m looking forward to breathing life into a forgotten period in the history of East Belfast.” – Stephen Beggs

In The Press