Looking back, looking ahead – at Dorchester

DORSET’s county town has many things going for it, but theatrically it is a national record-breaker. There have been seven community plays and now Dorchester Community Plays Association is looking forward to an eighth. Meanwhile, there is a nostalgic weekend ahead, from 27th to 29th March, with a look back at the fifth community play,…

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Tearing up the jazz script

SAXOPHONIST Neil Maya comes to Bridport Electric Palace on Saturday 21st March, at 3pm and to Bridport’s Clocktower Records that evening, for two gigs that turn the clock back more than 50 years, to the ground-breaking era of jazz funk. The two gigs are part of Birth of the Cool, a month-long festival of jazz,…

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Swanage’s Fortes Ice Cream wins 2026 Golden Scoop

FORTES Ice Cream, a Swanage-based family business that opened its first creamery in 1926, has had a rather special centenary celebration, winning Best Chocolate Ice Cream at this year’s UK and Ireland Golden Scoop Awards. Hosted by the Ice Cream Alliance, the UK and Ireland’s only trade show focused on ice cream, the awards crowned…

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Pavé Cobble back on cheese counters

AN outstanding sheep’s milk cheese, White Lake’s Pavé Cobble, is now back on cheese counters following huge demand after the Somerset-produced ash-coated cheese was placed 12th overall in the 5,244 entries for the World Cheese Awards. Produced at Bagborough Farm by third generation farmer Roger Longman, Pavé Cobble is White Lake’s take on a classic…

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Classic screening for Holy Week

ONE of the masterpieces of the silent screen, Cecil B DeMille’s The King of Kings will be screened at St Gregory’s Church, Marnhull, on Tuesday 31st March, at 7pm, as part of the parish’s Holy Week events. The film is being shown again, by popular demand, and will be accompanied by improvisational music from the…

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Let there be light

WE wouldn’t exist without the sun – but how much do most of us know about it? Installation artist Luke Jerram asks visitors to come and discover the bright star that gives us light and life in his new touring project, Helios, which will be at Dorchester Corn Exchange until Monday 6th April. Helios, like…

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Pipeline chosen for national tour

SOUTH West-based theatre company Pipeline has been awarded funding to develop a new play, George and the Drag Queen, for a national tour this autumn. The company has been commissioned to develop the project by the Create Tour Connect partnership. The Falmouth-based company won the commission after a competitive application process. The selection process for…

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A pioneer of modern British art

ROGER Fry, painter and member of the Bloomsbury Group, is celebrated in a new exhibition at the Museum of Somerset,Taunton, on until 4th July. A Life in Art: Roger Fry is a major new exhibition exploring the life, work and influence of one of the most important figures in 20th century British art. The exhibition…

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Former Wells Cathedral scholars return for Bach masterpiece

TWO former pupils of Wells Cathedral School return to Wells Cathedral on Friday 27th March to take part in a performance of Bach’s masterpiece, the St Matthew Passion, with the Armonico choir and baroque orchestra. The ensembles are conducted by their founder Christopher Monks. He and tenor soloist Nathan Vale were organ and choral scholars…

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Olivier-nominated musical at Bath

THE Olivier Award-nominated, international smash-hit musical The Choir of Man is coming to Bath Theatre Royal from Tuesday 24th to Saturday 28th March, as part of its first UK and Ireland tour. Direct from the West End, the feel-good, foot-stomping show will be visiting more than 35 venues. Set in on-stage pub The Jungle, a…

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